Originally posted by Roasty McToasty:

Originally posted by Soma:

As soon as you step off your boat it stops instantly and it is anchored. It can move up and down but not horizontally in any direction.

It can move a bit, but nothing major. Also, that only happens when there are large waves.

I've been playing on a server (as opposed to my own world) for some time lately, and I've not seen neither the karve nor the longship move an inch horizontally despite experiencing virtually every type of weather. If they don't touch any other object (structures, terrain, mobs), and you eliminate all momentum after leaving the ship, they are effectively anchored.

Originally posted by Kegger:

or maybe you were being sarcastic, because of course boats do float away, storms take them if you have not surrounded them with poles, and I would like to be able to recover bodies lost at sea without having to do some crazy dance or recruit a friend.

They do not do that. Also, gravestones will float on water so those won't be lost in the sea either. I was late to learn that myself way back too.