I've overnighted many times at anchor. Overnighting at anchor is not for me, as I always seem to pick a night that has a full moon, which shines into my eyes each time the boat turns on its mooring line.
For me, anyway, it's like having a flashlight turned onto one's face.
But night-anchoring is a hazard to Winnipesaukee navigation, particularly with night-time boaters striking navigation markers and breaking them off—not to mention the many islands becoming impediments to travel—such as Eagle, Rattlesnake, Parker or Diamond—which have been seriously impacted in the dark. Maintaining "Safe Passage" means staying 150-feet from such granite objects, but the darkness changes everything.
You can relate RSAs all day long, but ultimately they are ignored or special interests will see them ripped away: NH has an RSA on disposing of
plastic in the lake, yet we often see bottles or bait containers floating by.
NH
had a boating RSA on excessive exhaust-pipe noise, but that's no longer the case.
While it's possible that Winnipesaukee's many lodging facilities would never feel the pinch from night-anchorers, it's also possible that some at anchor would take the dearth of enforcement during night hours to live aboard their boats all summer.
Getting up with the dawn gives me a special look at Lake Winnipesaukee. Most summer mornings, I'm greeted with a rosy sunrise—
other times—well...night-anchorers have to start their waking hour in their usual manner.