Running Generators at Anchor

Most motoryachts and Sportfish 45' and above have to run the generator the entire time or be plugged into shorepower, or within 24 hours or so, the engines will not start, the refrigerators will have rotton food, the freshwater system will not work, and the a/c won't work, battery banks will be dead among many other things.

Most motoryachts and sportfish don't have excessively sized battery banks that could deal with not being near full charge to start everything, or being able to power nominal things (bilge pumps, a few lights, etc) for 24 hours or more without draining them too much.

BUT anyways, if you watch this video closely, the guys anchor is out and it appears that they are dragging anchor and not realizing it. It wasn't purposefully done.

Slowboater Perspective

I'm Brian and I'm a sailboater. I've had my addition for about for about 10 years. I'm following a 12-step program but it's not "taking". There is a lot of sailboater bashing goin' on here, but I guess every means of propulsion have an innate sense of rivalry (and superiority) over the others. It's a given: ALL means of propulsion have their inconsiderate boaters. Now, if we can just get those **** paddlers in line!!! (just kidding)

I have to say, that I ALWAYS monitor and respond to all hails on my VHF. Out of all honesty, I have NEVER been hailed by a private power boater where they stated their intentions and work out the logistics of a maneuver with me. Towboat captains, however, are VERY good at this. Through all the bashing, however, I have learned a lot. For example, the description of the process for a faster boat overtaking a slower boat in tight quarters, and the slower boat needing to slow down below 3 knots is pure gold! Thanks for this excellent piece of advice. It's a keeper for me! This is not generally known by many sailboaters. The bottom line is this: You can't teach an inconsiderate boater NOT to be inconsiderate, but you can sure as hell, teach a considerate boater how to be a better sailor and boating citizen. I'm a better sailor after reading these posts. Thanks!

Fair winds,
BrianW

P.S. You may even consider ambling over to some of the sailboat forums (if you are thick-skinned enough) . You might even pick up a nugget or two of good info yourself (said with utmost respect).

Hi,

Make sure the Gensets and ME's are Old Style 2 strokes and drystack, you will then be able to send audible and visual messages to your fellow boaters at will

Ooh, be still my heart! There's nothing like the sound of a 6-71 genny echoing across the stillness of an anchorage. There is something about the thin layer of diesel exhaust and lube oil smoke coloring the early morning sun.

Sigh ... how could anyone not get all quivery just thinking about the melody of a Jimmy firing up at sunrise?

generators

I turn mine off at 11 pm, and restart at 8am...or thereabouts...I do not anchor in close proximity to any other boat specially raghangers ..but..they just love to complain regardless, even if they show up late and anchor dead astern of me.

And one of those old Onan single cylinder portable gas generators on the swim platform just in case.........You know I think they were around 8kw and made in the 60's and really loud.

Tell them No I can't shut off my generator, what do you think is responsible for providing the power for MAKING the ICE. hehehehe and, If I give you ice will you please leave my anchorage and find your own.

I was anchored behind the Key Biscayne yacht club in a 75' MY, we got there at 1pm and had set out the anchor with nobody around us for 500' , put in the dinghy and the guests were dinghy cruising the day and this and that. Sure enough an hour before dark these 2 sailboats pull up and one anchors right off of my stern and the other one so close to my anchor that when I pulled up anchor in the morning, I could have underhand tossed him a coke from my bow.......They had all of the room in the world to anchor an 1/8 mile away from me.....

Hi,

As this is a small boat forum as we are so often reminded by some I was thinking more along the lines of an 1800 rpm 3-53 Genset opening note supplemented by the big bass of an 6-71/8V 53 whilst manoeuvring out of the crowded anchorage.

Add the sound to the white smoke and Jimmy stink and if all this gets you going you will only have to move closer and will have had a stimulation to all 5 senses before the caffeine has even hit.

LOL. True, though my experience has been in the Bahamas and Caribbean. My answer is usually no to the generator and give them some ice. I don't usually try to explain the incongruity of them asking me to shut off the source of the power that made their ice. They're sailors after all so no point really in trying to strain their brains.





ps

Last was a joke, don't flail me with jib poles.

RAP music is good

Two couples, two little boats, rafted at anchor in Shaw Bay in the Wye River.
No one else around, during the week.
We were in the Southern most end of the anchorage.
Having a nice G & T on the aft deck when a boat pulls in " within Coke lobbing distance" of my stern.
As soon as I realized his plan, I found our old boom box, found the most obnoxious channel and cranked it up.
We went below for lunch and when we returned, we were alone.

That is the one and only use I ever found for RAP music.

My old tug conversion had a pair of 2-71s, one drove a 20kW DC genset and the other powered the hydraulic plant. They were dry stack of course and when loaded up they would start the stacks trilling like a clarinet duo.

Many time when someone pulls into a marina everyone turns their chairs around and watches the "show". After I'm in the slip I usually have loads of work to do- but most of the time people get off their chair and come over to talk. It's then I put on the "Irish drinking music" loud enough so that I can hear it good in the boat, but not super loud to annoy the neighbors. When the people come by I ignore them and usually they get the message: I'm working and now is not the time for your 50 questions: How big is it? Who makes that boat? How fast does it go? Do you really drive from up there? .... I've already bought a real estate "take one" tube and I'm about ready to put the boat info in it and mount it. The best is when the boaters next to me know the words to the songs on my "go away" music

Here's a question.... powerboats and sailboats (on the larger range) both have gen sets. I've been on powerboats where the thought toward muffling the genset has been near to nothing. Not seen that on sailboats. In many years cruising have never relocated for a sailor's genset noise, but have for powerboats. Comments?