# Avoiding marinas



## Sloophead (May 19, 2015)

Hi, i've never done any long cruises to other countries, but I am finally starting to think about it, and there are some basic things I don't know.

1. How dangerous is it to just drop anchor somewhere and take my kayak or buoy to the shore? I mean in terms of being burglarized, or even having the boat stolen. Is this a stupid idea? I plan on sailing to a country, then spending long periods of time inland, and frankly I couldn't afford marina fees on top of hotels. 

2. If one does do the above, it seems like then you have to put your buoy or kayak somewhere on shore and just leave it there, and it would also get stolen. 

So i'm just curious, I hear people do this all the time, but it sounds logistically problematic and also like your boat would be a huge target, especially traveling in poorer countries like south america or southeast asia, for example. Are marina fees much much cheaper as well?


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## Siamese (May 9, 2007)

The world is just like the city in which you live. There are places where you can walk at night, and places where you'd better not.


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## night0wl (Mar 20, 2006)

Go to www.noonsite.com to get country specific information about safety to cruise and anchor. Your question is highly dependent on where in the world you're planning on doing this kind of cruising. Petty theft (dinghy or parts stealing) is pretty much prevalent everywhere...so if its important to you, lock it up!


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## Tenoch (Sep 28, 2012)

Sloophead said:


> Hi, i've never done any long cruises to other countries, but I am finally starting to think about it, and there are some basic things I don't know.
> 
> 1. How dangerous is it to just drop anchor somewhere and take my kayak or buoy to the shore? I mean in terms of being burglarized, or even having the boat stolen. Is this a stupid idea? I plan on sailing to a country, then spending long periods of time inland, and frankly I couldn't afford marina fees on top of hotels.
> 
> ...


What's a buoy? These answers are out there on the internets. Try noonsite.com for updated country by country costs and problems. Each country and location within a country will be different. There are many different countries within the "continent" of South America....


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## RTB (Mar 5, 2009)

Lock your boat up when you leave. That will keep the honest guys out, but can easily be broken into most likely. Just know that when a boat is at anchor, and there is no dinghy tied to it, it pretty much means the boat is empty, so a green light for the bad guys. Nothing you can do about that really.

Use a chain, and lock your dinghy/kayak to a tree or dock. Anything fixed. That's about it, other than the location you choose.

Ralph


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## CharlzO (Nov 12, 2013)

Or buy a cheap inflatable "dummy dinghy" to leave floating next to the boat while you row your REAL one ashore. Gives the illusion of someone home. In theory.


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## aloof (Dec 21, 2014)

First, forget the wrong thinking about poorer countries and theft. Thirty years anchoring out in dozens of countries I have had only one breakin and one dinghy vandalism on the beach. Guess where? Pebble Beach, California. Apparently bored rich kids out for laughs. Mexico nothing, Phillippines nothing. Micronesia, Malaysia, blah blah blah, nothing.

They stole all the liquor. Another evening the dinghy got filled with sand to the brim. Ha ha ha. Funny. No big deal in either case. As the boat is always closed but unlocked there was no breakin damage.

Leaving the boats attended overnight is a different problem. Most of us would have somebody ashore or on another boat keeping an eye on things.

Marinas generally have worse security than moorings as any idiot can walk down a dock and take stuff...especially so some dock residents.


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## aeventyr60 (Jun 29, 2011)

All safe here in Asia, just spent 9 1/2 months on the hook, no theft of anything. If you actually go cruising the world is a much safer place then at home. Marinas here can be more expensive then home, they are also hot, full of mosquitos and full of empty boats that are mostly for sale.
Anchored deep up a river in Thailand...fisherman gave us fish.....for free.....

Another beautiful spot where we anchor, pier has an 1.5 inch hose running freely with cold clear water, dinghy tied up there, fishermen come and go, never worried as we hike around Ko Taratua national park.


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## bvander66 (Sep 30, 2007)

If leaving for extended time try to find fellow cruiser, or someone ashore you feel you can trust and have them keep an eye on the boat. I have also ferried people to shore, picked up later so they can leave dink at mothership.


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## RobGallagher (Aug 22, 2001)

I can't comment on world cruising, but I can comment on travel. I filled my last passport and found myself in lots of interesting places. For every real crook you will pass 100,000 nice people. Smile, be patient, be helpful, be polite, it will get you through.

The saddest mistake I see is when people allow themselves to get all twisted up over the soft hustle you may come across in 2nd/3rd world countries. Oh well...


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## Donna_F (Nov 7, 2005)

Sloophead said:


> ...and frankly I couldn't afford marina fees on top of hotels.
> ...


Why would you not sleep on your boat? I'm confused about the need for a hotel.


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## jerryrlitton (Oct 14, 2002)

Sloophead said:


> Hi, i've never done any long cruises to other countries, but I am finally starting to think about it, and there are some basic things I don't know.
> 
> 1. How dangerous is it to just drop anchor somewhere and take my kayak or buoy to the shore? I mean in terms of being burglarized, or even having the boat stolen. Is this a stupid idea? I plan on sailing to a country, then spending long periods of time inland, and frankly I couldn't afford marina fees on top of hotels.
> 
> ...


If you are concerned about security of your things why would you want to sleep in a hotel when you have a perfectly good boat that may benefit you being there? Check out the 500 and the 3000 USD a month threads. Some good information there.

http://www.sailnet.com/forums/general-discussion-sailing-related/115073-voyaging-$500-per-month.html

http://www.sailnet.com/forums/cruising-liveaboard-forum/119761-$3000-mo-cruising-budget.html


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## TQA (Apr 4, 2009)

Hm leaving a boat at anchor and unattended for long periods of time dramatically raises the likelihood that it will be broken in to. If you can arrange someone to boat sit or at least visit on a daily basis then the likelihood does come down.

Where I sail which is the Eastern Carib there are places which are known theft hot spots. The authorities know the likely suspects but if they have broken in doing a $1000 dollars worth of damage to steal a cooking pot and some tinned food and maybe a mobile phone if they can find it then the courts will only give them short time.


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## AdamLein (Nov 6, 2007)

I've heard a lot about dinghies getting stolen -- and even had my own stolen and in a supposedly advanced modern first world progressive city -- but I don't recall hearing about any larger yachts getting stolen. Burglarized, for sure, but not outright stolen. Is this an actual problem?


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## RTB (Mar 5, 2009)

Pretty hard to hide a sailboat. Would also make for a slow getaway....

Ralph


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## miatapaul (Dec 15, 2006)

AdamLein said:


> I've heard a lot about dinghies getting stolen -- and even had my own stolen and in a supposedly advanced modern first world progressive city -- but I don't recall hearing about any larger yachts getting stolen. Burglarized, for sure, but not outright stolen. Is this an actual problem?





RTB said:


> Pretty hard to hide a sailboat. Would also make for a slow getaway....
> 
> Ralph


Yea, kind of like robbing a bank and jogging away with a big bag that says stolen money over your shoulder.


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## zeehag (Nov 16, 2008)

anchoring out and remaining on your boat is the way this is done. 
marinas for cane season, and in a cane safe location, unless you go to mangroves and other good hiding places determinant on the location sailed.
gonna leave boat somewhere--safest is marinas. sorry but it is how it is.
remember huricane odile and la paz.
i live on my boat, and i do not leave unless under duress, like my dead brother trip last year for one week between norbert and odile here in mexico. i have spent 4 summers in caneville without problems. we have 19-21 named storms every summer, so isnt like we gonna go thru something new.
i would not leave my boat out of a marina--if gonna leave a boat in mexico, is safest in a marina.


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## Tbone (Apr 3, 2015)

Yeah I'm also confused why you wouldn't sleep on your boat. If you want to cruise somewhere and stay for an extended period of time, and you have money for a hotel but not for a marina AND hotel, just stay on the boat and save a bunch of money. A marina will cost less than a hotel in most cases, and being home makes everything more safe. 

If you anchored for long periods of time and were ashore, not checking on the boat, aside from having to worry about theft, what about dragging anchor in a blow and ending up on the rocks or the beach or against another boat? Or dragging into a bridge and damaging your mast or popping your backstay. Bad news to hit a bridge. In the states, if something hits a bridge, a team of engineers comes out to inspect the the bridge to make sure its still safe for traffic. They'll bill you for that on top of any repairs they make. A team of bridge engineers aren't cheap.


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## killarney_sailor (May 4, 2006)

It is not just the threat of a break-in to consider when you leave your boat at anchor. Things can just happen. We left our boat anchored at Cristobal Island in the Galapagos to take a boat tour to other islands. We thought, what could happen, we are right on the equator and it is never windy here and we have a good anchor set and there are lots of other cruisers around to keep an eye on the boat. Two days after we returned to the boat the tsunami from the big earthquake in Japan hit and we had to leave the harbour for the day. Not sure what would have happened if it occurred a few days earlier since the wave went two blocks into the town. There were crews from three cruising boats on the tour by the way.


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## saltydog4 (Dec 22, 2014)

I like the fake dinghy idea.


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