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Cruisers not as friendly etc. anymore

7351 Views 109 Replies 27 Participants Last post by  Don L
Needed a small help item this week. There is close to 400 boats anchored here. The help I need I bet 100 of those boats could have provided and it would have taken less than 5 minutes time. Got no one offering and I even even was offering to pay. Just a few years past I would have been turning down people.

Last week was at an anchorage with a well known cruiser beach. Last time just 2 years ago there were regular sundowners etc. get togethers there. This visit in 4 days there I never saw anyone other than us even go to the beach.

6 years ago on my first year I collected a stack a couple inches high of boater cards. Now for every 10 I give out I might get 1 as newer cruisers just aren't interested in them. Boaters just don"t really even seem to interested in getting together.

The last couple of weeks in various anchorages I have noticed cruisers don't care how close they fly by your boat in the anchorage or how big a wake they made with their dinghies. All they care about is getting to beach bat faster. Just a few year ago it was only the super yachts that acted like owned the water and to hell with other boaters.

Now days it is almost common for someone to take up 3/4 of the small dinghy dock because they needed to lock their boat for and aft.

Maybe it is just me.
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Is there some flag you can fly on your boat that indicates that you are open for visitors?
or is there a high tech version of that?
There is a "Guest" flag, but I believe that technically means that the boat owner is not present and the boat is commanded by a "guest".

Hood Rectangle Sleeve Tints and shades Electric blue

I would expect a lot of sailors wouldn't even know what it means anyway...

Something like this might be more universally recognized as "we are social"... ;-)

Tableware Drinkware Stemware Liquid Table


You could also fly something related to a topic that is controversial or that interests you and attract folks that find that topic interesting.

Rectangle Font Electric blue Gas Signage

:unsure:

There are also places you can get an nice custom flag or pennant made up and put up your own more direct message: "Visiting hours: 9:00 AM - 11:00 AM"

Maybe do something like put scantily clad blow up dolls or manikins on your deck to indicate a fun party? Depends a lot upon the visitors you are trying to attract. jajaja. Hmmm... also maybe a good idea for those worried about putting their boat name on the dinghy? A manikin in security guard outfit?

~~ Red
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A friend of mine used to hoist code flags spelling out "Rum Here", and anyone who could read that message was welcome for cocktails. (His boat was called Demerara!) Those flags usually resulted in a party!
That sort of thing can certainly weed out the riff-raff... jajaja :ROFLMAO:

If you've got a printer or just like to type in Nautical Flag Font, you can find a nice free one here:

Maritime Flag Font​

The download is a True Type Font file zipped up, but after unzipping, right-click a .ttf file to install a font in Windows. After that you should find it in your normal font selection tools, like the Character Map app:

Rectangle Font Parallel Pattern Number

Not that I'd expect to find any boaty nerds around here that would use such a font. jajaja!

Rectangle Window Font Flooring Fixture

~~ Red
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