West Alton Sand Bar

[Flotnjr]

Good Morning! I had a basic question that I'm pretty disappointed in myself for not knowing the answer to. I have been going to the sandbar at Smalls Cove for many, many years and absolutely love it there. Yesterday we pulled in around 2:00 and threw anchor. We were between the group of boats and shore- I wanted to be far enough back not to intrude on the people that were already there. As I was setting my back anchor, a very nice gentleman came up and informed me that since I was inside the orange bouy (it was off to the south, we were on the channel size of the sandbar) it might draw some attention from Marine Patrol, as we were inside the marker. He was quite nice, and actually started the conversation with "please feel free to tell me to mind my own business, but... I am gracious for the tip- and moved my boat forward, to what looked like a good distance to be safe. I have been going there for years, and I never even noticed. What is the reason for this? Any ideas/reasons would be great. I'm not complaining by any means, but felt like "that guy" for not knowing the rules after decades of boating on Winnipesaukee. Thanks!