I don't necessarily have a sense of relief when finding a sailboat dominated environment. When sizing up an anchorage or mooring field, one of the prime things I look for are boats (mostly sail) with wind generators; which almost always have one of the most irritating sounds of all. Throw in some clanking halyards and you can get a real cacophony on a breezy night. We do try and give deference to "first come first preferences" whenever possible; not just respecting swinging room, but trying to keep generator exhaust, let alone sound, down wind. I sometimes have difficulty estimating final distances and swings, and have moved on several occasions to try and get it right. Always buys friendship points from one's neighbors. George

Having owned and lived aboard a sailboat many years ago, I understand something about the noise of halyards. Many sailors use the halyards as a high wind warning system. After anchoring, the halyards are snugged up against the mast until they stop slapping. Later, if the wind rises, the halyards start to slap. The sailor then tightens them again. If the wind rises more, the slapping returns. If no warning is needed or wanted, the correct procedure is to tie the halyards away from the mast where they don't slap. Marina boats where the sailor doesn't live aboard are the worst offenders for halyard noise. I kept short lengths of scarp line handy so that I could tie off halyards on unattended boats. You would think that an owner would get the message when they return and find some has been on their boat and tied off the halyards, but they don't always. Larry H ----- Original Message ----- >I don't necessarily have a sense of relief when finding a sailboat > dominated environment. When sizing up an anchorage or mooring field, > one of the prime things I look for are boats (mostly sail) with wind > generators; which almost always have one of the most irritating > sounds of all. Throw in some clanking halyards and you can get a real > cacophony on a breezy night.