I'd be interested to hear the proper etiquette for inviting or being invited for sundowners.

Do you just mosey around the anchorage in your ducky with a slab under your arm & hope someone invites you aboard??
Do you sit in your cockpit downing the beverage of your choice waiting for someone to turn up??
Do you raise a particular burgee/pennant & see if any thirsty sailors turn up??

I usually fly my Seabreeze burgee & if I saw another one I'd say g'day - but then what? Ask if they are thirsty??

I'm planning on doing a fair bit of cruising from here on & I'm not really the mingling type!!

I wish I'd hada kayak on mywhitsunday trip last year.
It would have made getting off the boat easier and more fun, easier to wander over to say gday to others boaties too.

Hilarious topic! I'm getting my popcorn - er, cheese and biscuits - out now.

FreeRadical and I just spent 2 weeks in the Abrolhos. FR joked that he who had the most room hosted.. My old man whom is not particularly capable of too much boat to boat transfers was grateful that everyone came to ours.

But my usual tactic is to just go about my own thing and if by chance I strike up a conversation with another cruiser on the beach then an invite or an acceptance of an invite is not too far away. Depending on how long you are cruising for and how often you bump into the same people, the sundowners usually become too large for a boat and spills onto the beach anyway. That way you can come and go as you please.

I've never seen anybody cruising around in their dingy with a slab at the ready.. But if such a person came past Mikado, they would get a very quick invite

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Toph said..

I've never seen anybody cruising around in their dingy with a slab at the ready.. But if such a person came past Mikado, they would get a very quick invite

So that tactic would usually work then!!

Another question - if one is invited to another's boat for sundowners do you BYO; nibblies??

It's not that I don't usually have enough supplies to keep guests fed & watered but ...........................................
you would have to draw the line somewhere!!

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Toph said..
FreeRadical and I just spent 2 weeks in the Abrolhos. FR joked that he who had the most room hosted.. My old man whom is not particularly capable of too much boat to boat transfers was grateful that everyone came to ours.

But my usual tactic is to just go about my own thing and if by chance I strike up a conversation with another cruiser on the beach then an invite or an acceptance of an invite is not too far away. Depending on how long you are cruising for and how often you bump into the same people, the sundowners usually become too large for a boat and spills onto the beach anyway. That way you can come and go as you please.

I've never seen anybody cruising around in their dingy with a slab at the ready.. But if such a person came past Mikado, they would get a very quick invite

Hey Toph, I just got back from the Abrolhos as well. I was on Playground, 48 foot cat.
We were moored just behind you at the back of Rat Island. I should have asked you on board for some beers in exchange for some of those Baldy's you caught. I couldn't catch a bloody thing.

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Lazzz said..

Toph said..

I've never seen anybody cruising around in their dingy with a slab at the ready.. But if such a person came past Mikado, they would get a very quick invite

So that tactic would usually work then!!

Another question - if one is invited to another's boat for sundowners do you BYO; nibblies??

It's not that I don't usually have enough supplies to keep guests fed & watered but ...........................................
you would have to draw the line somewhere!!

A floating paradise!!

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Lazzz said..

Toph said..

I've never seen anybody cruising around in their dingy with a slab at the ready.. But if such a person came past Mikado, they would get a very quick invite

So that tactic would usually work then!!

Another question - if one is invited to another's boat for sundowners do you BYO; nibblies??

It's not that I don't usually have enough supplies to keep guests fed & watered but ...........................................
you would have to draw the line somewhere!!

Wouldn't last long in the southern ocean , plastic occy straps might save some of the goods!

Cruising in a small yacht [25'] it is I that is usually invited to someone else's yacht.
You can help this by not being a hermit and getting out around the yachts in the anchorage during the day.
You must make an effort to take something.
I got one of those plastic circular serving dishes with a clip on lid to take a selection of goodies. Cheeses, dips etc.
I take my own grog as this enables me to limit what I drink.
[I once had to get out of an anchorage at night after an unexpected weather change, and really had had a touch to much of the amber liquid]
I always get my dinner under way and prepared to cook before I go, saves time when I get back.
Take a windbreaker, it can get cold after sun down!
I have found that sundowners do end just on last light, so you can get back to your yacht before full dark, unless you all get carried away and drink on into the evening!
Do turn on your anchor light before you go, so you can find your yacht if you get carried away.
You will need your own dinghy unless the host offers to pick you up.
The above also applies to a beach sundowner.
Take something to sit on for the beach

Hope to see all those going north at some time this year.
SV SEAKA

I prefer sundowners on the beach when possible.

Roll cloud whilst enjoying sundowners at Turtle Bay, Abrolhos Islands

White Bank, Abrolhos Islands.

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Lazzz said..

Toph said..

I've never seen anybody cruising around in their dingy with a slab at the ready.. But if such a person came past Mikado, they would get a very quick invite

So that tactic would usually work then!!

Another question - if one is invited to another's boat for sundowners do you BYO; nibblies??

It's not that I don't usually have enough supplies to keep guests fed & watered but ...........................................
you would have to draw the line somewhere!!

I would always take something. I may not necessarily be perturbed if someone invited came to my boat void of snacks. BYO alcohol would be a good way of getting a second invite. Depends again on the situation. FR and I drank each others beers. But we have gotten to know each other and we departed Perth in a buddy boat situation. The random cruiser in the anchorage is different matter (initially).

Take your empties back with you. Rubbish is the bain of every cruiser. My attitude is that if you had the room for the full bottle/can, you have the room for an empty one. Don't let it become someone else problem (maybe not such an issue of you are a hundred metre dingy ride from a beech that has bins. It's a big issue if it needs to be carried for a few weeks).

hoop said..

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Hey Toph, I just got back from the Abrolhos as well. I was on Playground, 48 foot cat.
We were moored just behind you at the back of Rat Island. I should have asked you on board for some beers in exchange for some of those Baldy's you caught. I couldn't catch a bloody thing.

Hey Hoop.... Sorry I didn't take much notice of the boat names. Which part of the Red boat, Blue boat conversation were you? Were you the boat that cruised passed and we had a brief conversation about anchoring, or the boat on the mooring next to the red boat (Seachange)..

We were certainly on the spot for the Baldies that day. We only caught one more after that day down Perlsart..

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southace said..

Wouldn't last long in the southern ocean , plastic occy straps might save some of the goods!

Ahh, but you cannot see the velcro!! Works a treat & everything stays where it should be :)

So this guy rocks up to the group in a lovely 38 foot whatever, and immediately gets an invite for
sundowners but he's a teetotaller, one of these who likes his brain to be 100% all the time, you
know the type, a real nuisance. So what's the protocol here ?. You accept him aboard to relate his
adventures while knowing he's an oddball.?

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Toph said..

Lazzz said..

Toph said..

I've never seen anybody cruising around in their dingy with a slab at the ready.. But if such a person came past Mikado, they would get a very quick invite

So that tactic would usually work then!!

Another question - if one is invited to another's boat for sundowners do you BYO; nibblies??

It's not that I don't usually have enough supplies to keep guests fed & watered but ...........................................
you would have to draw the line somewhere!!

I would always take something. I may not necessarily be perturbed if someone invited came to my boat void of snacks. BYO alcohol would be a good way of getting a second invite. Depends again on the situation. FR and I drank each others beers. But we have gotten to know each other and we departed Perth in a buddy boat situation. The random cruiser in the anchorage is different matter (initially).

Take your empties back with you. Rubbish is the bain of every cruiser. My attitude is that if you had the room for the full bottle/can, you have the room for an empty one. Don't let it become someone else problem (maybe not such an issue of you are a hundred metre dingy ride from a beech that has bins. It's a big issue if it needs to be carried for a few weeks).

hoop said..

Hey Toph, I just got back from the Abrolhos as well. I was on Playground, 48 foot cat.
We were moored just behind you at the back of Rat Island. I should have asked you on board for some beers in exchange for some of those Baldy's you caught. I couldn't catch a bloody thing.

Hey Hoop.... Sorry I didn't take much notice of the boat names. Which part of the Red boat, Blue boat conversation were you? Were you the boat that cruised passed and we had a brief conversation about anchoring, or the boat on the mooring next to the red boat (Seachange)..

We were certainly on the spot for the Baldies that day. We only caught one more after that day down Perlsart..

We were the cat moored behind Seachange, nice boat. I motored past in the dinghy and someone warned me about tiger sharks while my mates were snorkeling.

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samsturdy said..
So this guy rocks up to the group in a lovely 38 foot whatever, and immediately gets an invite for
sundowners but he's a teetotaller, one of these who likes his brain to be 100% all the time, you
know the type, a real nuisance. So what's the protocol here ?. You accept him aboard to relate his
adventures while knowing he's an oddball.?

Na, you tell him you've got gastro or whatever and p..s off.
He can't understand what your saying after a couple of hours anyway only other drinkers can.
Just read an article on sundowners in cruising helmsman ."sundowners can get out of control some yachties have developed an alcohol problem"
Joking .
I'm a non drinker

One of my closest mates and a reliable go-to friend for a big night, moved to Sydney 5 or 6 years ago. He came back 2 months ago as a non-drinker... The only person who was uncomfortable with that was me. Well for the first drink at least

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samsturdy said..
So this guy rocks up to the group in a lovely 38 foot whatever, and immediately gets an invite for
sundowners but he's a teetotaller, one of these who likes his brain to be 100% all the time, you
know the type, a real nuisance. So what's the protocol here ?. You accept him aboard to relate his
adventures while knowing he's an oddball.?

We are all Odd Balls out there Samsturdy, so its situation normal, just carry on!!!

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samsturdy said..
So this guy rocks up to the group in a lovely 38 foot whatever, and immediately gets an invite for
sundowners but he's a teetotaller, one of these who likes his brain to be 100% all the time, you
know the type, a real nuisance. So what's the protocol here ?. You accept him aboard to relate his
adventures while knowing he's an oddball.?

Or the one who invites craft beer along too ,, do you just throw craft beer over the side,, or just ban craft beer from the boat.

Heaven will be pretty lonely if only the perfect get in.