I didn't want to hijack the anchoring thread, but in my quest to understand how people in different parts of the world houseboat, I'd like to ask a question about anchoring.
I have been boating at Lake Powell on the Utah Arizona border for just over 40 years and have never seen a houseboat anchored out in the water. Anchoring the bow of the boat to the shoreline is so common that houseboat builders make so-called reverse floor plans that put the salon and galley at the back of the boat, which becomes the primary gathering point on the boat. Although more boats have a traditional front-facing salon, even that is a hub of shore activity like campfire building, beach volleyball, and sandcastle building. When cruisers anchor, their stern is generally within 5 - 10 feet of the shore and their bow faces out. I have a hard time imagining what a Lake Powell trip would be like if I didn't anchor to a shore.
On the anchoring thread, the discussions seem to assume that lake anchoring is pretty common on other lakes in the world. Is it?