Protection against big motorboat waves while resting

Some of my worst moments on water have been related to big and surprising waves from motorboats while resting close to land. At one time I damaged an aka and another time I damaged a netbook. When you're in unknown waters big boats might pass in a very surprising way. You might not hear or see the boat. The waves might travel a kilometer or more before they hit you. They might come silently.

I might be sleeping when it happens. I like to sleep on the boat. I often even sleep an hour in the daytime. I don't feel safe if I sleep far from the shore, as some boat might run over me. Especially if it's dark, of course.

The best solution I have found is a big drift anchor, which will give a more dependable resistance than one or two rather small metal anchors.

A popup-tent might be the best drift anchor you can buy. Try it! You just put the tent down in the water before you let it "pop up". The tent door has to be open, so the water can stream in. The tent will sink.

Taking the tent up from the water is not difficult, if you first turn the tent opening towards the sea bottom, as the water will pour out when you lift the tent. Probably it is easier when the popup-tent has it opening in the longer side of the tent.

My main worry is that some boat will destroy the drift anchor, if the water isn't deep enough. It is probably repairable, however.

I might also catch some fish in the tent!

I will try this solution the coming summer, unless someone has a better solution!

I like your original line of thought! Sounds like a very practical idea (dare I say more practical than using one on land - funny how none of the advertisements shows how easy they are to get back in the bag! )

Sadly, I cannot think of any easy solution for avoiding the sudden arrival of waves from passing boats

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Tony Stott
2012 Tandem Island "SIC EM" with Hobie spinnaker

Well, it normally takes me a minute to fold the tent down and a minute to get it into its bag. I guess however that some people have left their popup-tents on the camping site when finding themselves unable to fold them down.

You can't have the tent door open when it rains and they have to be combined with a tarp when it rains a lot. Still I find them very useful on a TI. You certainly can rise them fast. You don't have to fasten them in anything as long as there is enough stuff inside the tent to stop the wind from blowing the tent away. You can position the tent completely above yourself as a shield against sun and rain. You can use them as drift anchors. You probably can use them as a sail as well. Haven't tried that yet, however!