Anchoring vs Marinas: Which is Better?

We get a lot of questions about why we choose to anchor out so much, and what criteria we use when we do choose to stay at a marina.

It may come as a surprise – but anchoring out is not always about saving money.

We anchor out not because it’s free, but because it’s priceless.

We have designed our boat, like our RVs, to be very off-grid capable.

We have 1440 watts of solar, 400 AH of Lithium @ 24v, a relatively quiet and fuel efficient 6.5kw generator, 170G+ of fresh water, a water maker, and 45G of black tank capacity plus a backup composting toilet.

Basically, we can go 2-3 weeks without needing to touch a dock.

And even then, we can get by with just brief stops to pump out and fill up the water tank.

We also have an easy to deploy dinghy with our DinghyCaddy setup – making getting ashore while at anchor an often easy task.

But despite all that capability, there are just times that marinas make better sense for us.

As always, here’s our video version of this discussion:

If you prefer a written format, here’s the notes and outline we used to film the video above:

Things We Love About Anchoring

These are some of the reasons that we seek out anchoring out…

• Anchoring out can be stunningly beautiful!
• Anchoring makes sense as an overnight in-between longer stops.
• We love when there’s easy shore access from protected anchorages – many towns, restaurants, and even marinas offer free dinghy dock access for anchored out boats. Some favorites this season: Oxford, St. Michaels, St. Marys, Chestertown, Solomons Island (w/water & pump out!), Hampton, Yorktown, Urbanna, Reedville, Onnacock.
• When the temperatures are pleasant and AC/heat not needed non stop.
• When we are desiring an ‘out in nature’ feel.
• When wanting to be more on our own – privacy, open windows, hot tubbing, peace/tranquility…

There are times that anchoring out just feels like heaven on earth – our own private island paradise.

Downsides of Anchoring

But anchoring out does have some downsides…

• When anchorages are without shore access, we tend to get a little stir crazy. We find more than 2-nights without touching land just isn’t tenable for us.
• When bad weather is coming in and there are limited protected options around – anchoring might not make sense. Or even mildly bad weather for an extended amount of time can take the fun out of anchoring. It is easier to get in a quick walk between rain bands when you don’t need to mix in a wet dinghy ride first just to get to shore.
• Anchoring in high traffic areas with lots of boaters kicking up high wakes just isn’t fun, at least not until the sun sets and the go fast boats go home.
• Some anchorages have poor holding, or are tight where we can’t get proper scope out. That can lead to a lot of stress.
• While at anchor you have to be more on alert – watching the anchor alarm, even when away from the boat. Wind or tide conditions can change rapidly and impact you.
• There are no ‘saved spots’ when anchoring – another boater can anchor close by, sometimes too close for comfort. You might have to move, or have a confrontation over safety of overlapping swing circles.

Why We Choose Marinas

We have had many amazing stays at marinas – and here are the reasons we often seek them out:

• When we have higher power needs than is practical at anchor – such at extended desire to run multiple AC units or heaters. But we actually can manage running a single AC on board 24/7 with just 8-9 hours a day of generator time. Our large batteries and big inverter can keep the AC running overnight without generator noise, and we charge up in the daytime. It works out to about $12/day in fuel – much cheaper than a marina.
• When shore access is just easier from a marina – such as when towns have limited dinghy dock access or lack of protected anchorage space nearby.
• One thing that often inspires getting a marina is when we want to get the bikes on the ground for adventures. Shuttling them via dinghy is theoretically possible (one at a time), but risky and cumbersome.
• If the marina offers a lap swimming pool in areas that swimming off the boat isn’t feasible (jellyfish!) – we are ramping up our triathlon training and that is a major temptation!
• When we need to catch up on laundry or other high water usage needs (changing out the hot tub water, washing the boat, etc).
• When we have boat projects or other maintenance tasks and we want easy access to a hardware store or getting shipments.
• When we want to be someplace more than a week or so – then access to water, electricity & pump out is nice.
• When we are planning to host non-boating visitors onboard – it is much easier at a dock, than at anchor.
• When we need to catch up on deliveries (Amazon!) or more extensive provisioning – noting beats having a marina with a mail room.
• When bad weather is coming through when anchorage options (or no protected anchorage options) would keep us feeling trapped onboard too long
• Sometimes marinas are surprisingly affordable, or even free! Many smaller towns offer free or cheap dockage to attract cruisers. Some recent favorites: Leonardtown (free w/power, water & pump out), Pokomoke City (free for two days – power/water), Salisbury ($1.10/ft marina, or free bare dock), Occoquan ($35/day), Cambridge (1 night free).

Why We Dislike Marinas

Marinas do have some significant downsides though…

• Docking can be stressful – arriving to a new slip can be a lot of close quarters maneuvering. Arriving when there are winds, currents and unknown dock configurations makes it even more of a challenge. Are the docks floating vs. fixed? Bow or aft in? Starboard or port side tie? Cleats or pilings? Will there be skilled docks hands to help, or are you better off on your own? Docking for the first time at a new location means you’re making a lot of in the moment adjustments, often with an audience of gawkers watching.
• Marina life is usually less private feeling – docked close to neighbors. Conversations and TV can be overheard, you can end up feeling ‘on display’- even to the general public. At marines we feel like we have to keep windows closed for any sense of privacy. And marinas can be highly social – for better and for worse.
• Marinas can feel more tightly packed in than even a crowded campground or rally style RV parking – with boats docked just feet from the next boat.  BUT, many boats are just docked for storage – not every boat is lived in.
• Booking a marina takes time, and often needs to be done well in advance to guarantee a space. We’re typically more about last minute planning. Staying at marinas take lots of research time digging into the options, calling dockmasters and waiting for return calls. Even booking online is usually just a request – it might take a day or more to get a confirmation. And comparative pricing is often really hard to get, many marinas don’t post their current rates online.
• Daily dockage can get pricey. So many marinas charge $2-4/ft plus electric as a starting place – it can be even more expensive in metro areas or at resorts. Most marinas choose to charge us at 50’ (but can be 47-55). That equates to $100-200/night. We love $1-1.50/ft marinas – usually $65-90/night. That is much more reasonable. If we’re taking a nightly marina, we prefer 2-3 nights. But if we did daily rates every night, that would easily be $3000+/month. Weekly and monthly marina rates can get MUCH more affordable.

Mooring balls are a nice in-between option – with some of the advantages of both anchoring out and docking at a marina.

Usually mooring balls are paid, but they offer the increased privacy of anchoring. And you get most typical marina benefits, other than power hookups and walk-off-your boat ease.

Basically… We aren’t hardcore anchoring out people, and we aren’t tied to marinas (well, except for when we’re at marinas, we’re literally tied to their docks).

We mix it up.

We’re not about free or necessarily about keeping a tight budget.

We’re about priceless experiences, and finding the best way to stay in the places we most want to be in.

What maximizes our time in an area?  How can we keep our fitness up?

And then we pick the best option – and make the best of it!

Anchorage Nights So Far this Season:

So far in our 2025 boating season, we have had a pretty even split of nights at dock versus at anchor.

Here are how many nights at dock we’ve spent each month.

• August: 5 nights
• July: 29 nights  (DC)
• June: 14 nights (DC)
• May: 13 nights