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Dear readers,

Summertime is the highlight of the season for sailors. Even for us YACHT editors. But as different as the boats in the editorial team are, so are the preferences when it comes to summer cruising. Almost all of our colleagues have their boats based in the Baltic Sea, which naturally limits the radius of the summer cruise somewhat, but has the advantage that they can also reach and use the boat at the weekend after an hour or two's journey.

However, we love to explore distant countries under sail. That's why our plan for the coming years is to explore the Mediterranean, which we still know very little about. However, this has the disadvantage that we will only be able to use the boat two or three times a year at most.

Last year we explored the Adriatic from the Peloponnese to Venice, this year it was the turn of the Greek Aegean to the Ionian Sea. We were amazed to discover a few differences to other areas we know.

Of course, we were already aware of some major differences beforehand. Roman Catholic mooring, for example. The procedures and estimating the right distance when dropping anchor took some practice. The first mooring manoeuvres ended with the stern three metres off the pier because the chain suddenly ran out.

Anchoring in extremely deep places and with stern lines was also new for us. Often in bays that are open to the wind. There were no such anchorages in the Caribbean or the Bahamas. We always chose the anchorages there on the side facing away from the wind, because in the constant trade winds you could be sure that there would be no wind shifts.

But there was one thing in particular that we had to get used to in the Mediterranean: anchoring with fenders.

"Look, he's forgotten to haul in his fenders," I shouted to my wife when we saw the first boat with fenders in Croatia. For us on the Baltic Sea, leaving the fenders dangling after leaving the harbour is a symbol of idleness or even bad seamanship. Even if a crew on a motor trip simply puts the fenders on deck instead of stowing them away completely, some sailors there raise their eyebrows sceptically. That's why we couldn't do anything at all with the image of a sailing yacht at anchor with around 14 fenders dangling from the side.

But when the summer season started and more and more boats appeared in the anchor bays, we saw them more and more often: charter boats, but also owner-operated boats that were anchored all around. Out of self-protection from the other boats anchored close together.

Because the bays seem to be fuller than ever. And when they start to fill up in the early afternoon, the first skippers soon begin to use the narrow gaps that other boats have left as a safety margin.

Most of them are charter skippers. But that doesn't mean that "owners" are always the better sailors. You can't say that. But what is noticeable is that owners are often more concerned about their own boat. More so than a crew who has borrowed a boat (which is often not completely immaculate anyway) for a week and can bring new defects with them without any consequences thanks to deposit insurance. Unlike an owner who has to repair gelcoat flaws or polish scratches himself after such an "anditscher".

In Epidauros in Greece a few weeks ago, we had a classic experience: the bay was already full shortly after midday - from our point of view - and shortly before sunset, a charter flotilla of ten boats arrived, all of which had to find space. It didn't take long for the Greek skipper of a 14-metre charter yacht to drop his anchor in such a way that it came to rest between us and a friendly catamaran. In the area that we had kept as a "safety distance" and deliberately kept close so that no one else would squeeze in between us. His cockpit was less than four metres from us.

"Friends, that's too close. Let the wind shift and then we'll crash into each other," my wife told the neighbours. The skipper laughed at her disdainfully and shook his head. "You really are too close. A cat swings the other way round than your mono," I added. The skipper ignored me too and switched off the engine. Then he began to fold down the fenders and fiddle with the dinghy. Apparently the table in the tavern had already been booked. "Hey, you really can't stay here. We're definitely going to shoot up," I argued. "Then why don't you hang Fender out," he shouted back, "you're not alone here after all."

In a box or Roman Catholic at the pier, fenders do a lot and provide effective protection when one boat is leaning against the other. But at anchor, in my opinion, they are of little use if the boats swing completely differently due to the different position of the anchor, chain length, lateral surface and design (susceptibility to wind). In such cases, they usually hit the sharp corners of the sterns. Where there is no fender.

Instead of discussing it further with us, we were surprised to hear the yacht's anchor winch hauling in the chain a short time later. The skipper of the yacht shouted a few more Greek - and surprisingly also a few German swear words - at us and then looked for another anchorage in slightly deeper water. We had regained our old safe distance and even got very close to our friends on the other cat when the wind shifted. Good thing the mono was gone.

But this anchoring experience left me thinking for a while. Because the skipper was right about one thing: we are not alone here. The bays are full, and they get fuller and fuller in summer. Everyone wants to sail and enjoy the beautiful area. And has the right to do so. An area where we are only guests with our boat from Hamburg.

So we should probably also hang out Fender in future.

It is of course completely wrong to anchor so close to the safety distance of other yachts with fenders as "justification" and to unscrupulously and wilfully accept damage to other boats - just because you have dawdled around all day and now can't find any more room.

But it's a completely different matter if you hang out fenders to considerately give other sailors a chance to find a last gap. Even if it may not be much use in practice with the fenders ... But the signal is the same as the famous single fender on the outside of a fore-and-aft mooring - a fender that does nothing on its own, but signals to other sailors or motorboat drivers: If you can't find anything else, you're welcome to come to me.

Speaking of motorboaters: A tip for sleeping without worries, at least at night, is to always anchor close to small motorboats with slip cabins in the bays. This is because - and this is pretty certain - they almost always return to the marina in the evening after stopping for the day and there is more space at anchor.

Johannes Erdmann,

YACHT editor

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