PICKETY WITCH: the same old feeling

[shard 1]

Sunday night in Islington Bay ... its around 1am and the 50 or more yachts and launches are quietly at anchor with crew asleep. Its a calm clear night and sound travels far and is amplified at night in the cooler air.

 

As if in a dream I hear a distant radio that just keeps getting louder and Louder and LOUDER.A boat is slowly making its way up the eastern edge of the bay, deliberately with stereo full on. It keeps going as far as it dares and then heads back down on the western side to locate somewhere near Yankee wharf.

 

The noise continues until, in quieter moments between songs various people yell into the night to tell the person responsible to "turn it off". He or she doesn't take a blind bit of notice and the noise continues unabated for a couple of hours. Finally a brave soul ventures out in a tender. He reaches the boat and voices what we are all thinking. How brazen and selfish can you be? Surprisingly the music stops and we can now hear our savior clearly telling Pickety Witch to cut it. And they do cut it.

 

So a big thank you to the brave sailor who restored tranquility.

 

And to Pickety Witch, choose an empty bay to play in you loosers.

 

 

[Deekes 0]

Thanks Shard for your post and I couldn't agree more! A perfectly good weekend marred by bad behaviour from the crew on Pickety Witch. Thanks also to the chap who braved the dark and cold to motor over to said offenders, whatever you said worked!

[harrytom 678]

would it have been the same response if p/w had been anchored earlier,and partied to 1.00am?or is it the fact she came in to a quiet bay and woke several up?

[Kevin McCready 83]

Where's it's home?

[boots 1]

The last time I saw Pickety Witch she was on a mooring at Karaka bay, the northern end near Karaka light. 

[Jon 391]

Sighted heading for the Tamiki river from Issy bay direction early arvo yesterday

[Terry B 73]

Of 3 nights away in the weekend, 2 were interrupted by selfish idiots (men & women) late at night with either music or loud talk on the transom.

 

Monday at 2am is not a good time to choose to START drunken man chatter on the transom. For fecks sake, at least go into the cabin!.

 

It's 1 of the major reasons I don't like going away on the big weekends. But sometimes, the weather forecast is to good to ignore! And the catch up with friends.

 

And it was great cruising weather in the Hauraki gulf over easter.

[B00B00 317]

People all use their boats for different things.

For some its a quiet weekend away, others its family time but there are a lot of people who go out to socialise and some that party pretty hard. If you go into a crowded anchorage then there is a good likelihood of coming across one or more of the later type of cruisers.

 

I have done all of the different types of cruising, plenty of partying but more of the family cruising these days. I'm not going to be a hypocrite and tell other people they cant party on their boats just because my priorities have changed with 3 kids on board (and at the age that I actually get a hangover...)

 

If you want absolute peace and quiet, then I doubt you will find it being in the busiest bay in the Hauraki gulf 7nm from downtown Auckland on the last long weekend of summer.

[Battleship 100]

Can relate to the sentiment, but (as BooBoo said) I wouldn't choose Issy Bay for a quiet night out.

Definitely far better to politely ask or move than to sit there stressing all night tho.

[Romany 162]

Wasn't Issy known as 'Drunks Bay' back in the days of olde?

 

Story I heard was that the masters of vessels departing would often anchor there, while the portions of the crew regained their sobriety.

[Terry B 73]

Two things:

I wasn't talking about Issy Bay, I was talking about bottom end and Te Kouma.

 

Secondly, yes we shouldn't expect the population of boat owners/crew to be any different from the rest of the

nz population on average - in fact, you could argue they're,/we're more arrogant and up themselves/ourselves than the average.

 

But - thats not an excuse for common courtesy. Arseholes - are still arseholes.

 

Alcohol isn't an excuse. And believe me, I drink more of it than most of you.

[Battleship 100]

Was replying to the OP Terry not your post.

I personally prefer peace and quiet most of the time, some people like a good party everyone is different.

[harrytom 678]

one thing coming in to a bay at night(1.00am)making noise,bit of a no no. coming in to a bay and finding a raft,well expect noise and find yourself a new bay.Generally most parties quiet down by 11.00 from my experience.

[wheels 543]

If I understand the story correctly. Stirring up the anchored residents with loud music and partying is done on purpose. The actual Owner of Pickety Witch is not the one on the Boat causing the mayhem. Of which, if I were him, I would be concerned with the reputation this Boat and the other Piedies in the party are creating. KM, maybe you should let said owner know what the young lads borrowing his boat do.
The reason why I started this with, If I understand the story correctly, was due to having one of these young lads on our Boat when out at the Barrier. He had started drinking Rum at 8am and it was now about 2pm. He was party of a small floatilla of these little boats that were drinking hard and other things I won't mention. 5 living on one piedy must have been interesting. (glad my daughter was not one of the bunch).

[twisty 176]

My biggest hate is not so much the party noise but the owners of big launches with generators that start them at 6 in the morning and leave them running all day.

[Fish 0]

People all use their boats for different things.

For some its a quiet weekend away, others its family time but there are a lot of people who go out to socialise and some that party pretty hard. If you go into a crowded anchorage then there is a good likelihood of coming across one or more of the later type of cruisers.

 

I have done all of the different types of cruising, plenty of partying but more of the family cruising these days. I'm not going to be a hypocrite and tell other people they cant party on their boats just because my priorities have changed with 3 kids on board (and at the age that I actually get a hangover...)

 

If you want absolute peace and quiet, then I doubt you will find it being in the busiest bay in the Hauraki gulf 7nm from downtown Auckland on the last long weekend of summer.

Sorry Booboo, I think you missed the point. This boat wasn't partying in the bay. They came into the bay and trolled through it at 1 am with the stereo cranking.

 

Given that situation, I fully support the OP for naming and shaming.

 

There is partying in a boat, and while others may not like it, given a location like Izzy Bay, should be able to expect and tolerate it to a degree. Trolling through a bay with the stereo cranking isn't a group having a social time with a rumbo or three...

[Kevin McCready 83]

So who's the owner? If they are in the charter business I'd love to know. And we should be able to let them know. BTW Terry B, sorry to hear about the alcohol issue. This helped me:

http://kmccready.wordpress.com/2014/04/24/alcoholism/

[Dambo 44]

Gotta be honest, I was woken up by the shouting, not the music.  But the music was my type anyway.  

 

I think we finished up quite early (2230?) because the one child in the party said he was bored     Bloody good New Boat Warming it was too - hope our host didn't mind    we left fairly early the next day.  

 

But yeah, general sentiment is, come in quietly and don't start a party in a quiet bay in the middle of the night - that's bullshit behavior.

[John B 108]

There's always bunnies out at Easter.

[Clipper 358]

it makes people hot and cross