Generally, it is free to "anchor" but you have to pay to tie up to a dock at a marina. When you anchor (drop a heavy weight on a rope to the sea bottom to keep

Generally, it is free to "anchor" but you have to pay to tie up to a dock at a marina. When you anchor (drop a heavy weight on a rope to the sea bottom to keep your boat from drifting away) you have no connection to the land. You have to use a smaller boat (perhaps a dinghy) to row or motor over to the dock. Even then, you have no external electrical outlet or water hose. If you pull your boat up to a dock in a marina, you can get electricity and water, and you can walk away to dine or shop, etc. These are generalities. Sometimes you have to pay to anchor, and sometimes you can park at a dock for free.