Working Boats & Pleasure Boats Using the Same Water
- Thread starter Wxx3
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The friendliest place on the web for anyone who enjoys boating.
If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.
If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.
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I struggle with your reference to "port side of the channel". Port is usually relative to a boat.
78puget-trawler
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menzies, In my scenario I did not mention "hugging the port side of the channel", you came up with that. My point was that boaters often think they HAVE to go port to port, even when they don't, and will then go to no small trouble to get there. I have seen it often, doubt that you may. And no offense to Bayliner owners, just a random boat pick for the scenario.
dhays
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I have yet to travel the Swinomish channel. When I do, I am sure that I will be hugging the starboard side of the channel hoping like crazy that I don't encounter any large boats, commercial or otherwise. I will also be very paranoid about the amount of water underneath me. Even so, that is a trip that I can't wait to take.
78puget-trawler
Guru
You will enjoy it Dave. It is much less imposing in reality than it looks on the chart. At the south end is whats locally called the Hole in the Wall. Two places actually use the name. One is a very small hole in the breakwater between the channel headed west towards Goat Is. and the entrance to the Skagit River side, and the other is the passage thru the rock cliffs at the south end of the channel headed north into the channel itself. About a month ago I was headed towards Latitude near the south end of the channel and a tug with logs was northbound having just come thru the Hole and was pretty much blocking the whole thing. I had no option but to slow down to nothing and wait for him to come north enough for me to fall in behind and make the turn into the yard for haulout. But that is a fairly rare situation. Mostly its other small boats you run into, and most have been thru before. Its an easy passage and quite enjoyable.
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78puget-trawler
Guru
BTW, there is ample water for tugs that draw over 10' so no worries, its dredged often enough to maintain good depth.
Thats funny, I stay as far out of the way when I'm pushing to keep the wave action down. I know my limits on my little waterways and stay on the edge of canals and rivers to keep out of everyones way that may not know where they are.
RT Firefly
Enigma
Greetings,
AHA! I think Mr. s has hit upon the situation. "...that may not know where they are." Watermen that ply their home waters DO know, or at least should know where they are. Compare this with the transient who, as Mr. s says may NOT know where they are, where they should be or where they CAN be.
Rightly or wrongly, I always try to stay out of most everyone's way and will avoid a collision at all costs.
AHA! I think Mr. s has hit upon the situation. "...that may not know where they are." Watermen that ply their home waters DO know, or at least should know where they are. Compare this with the transient who, as Mr. s says may NOT know where they are, where they should be or where they CAN be.
Rightly or wrongly, I always try to stay out of most everyone's way and will avoid a collision at all costs.
menzies
Guru
Exactly. The port side as the vessel is traveling. If he already does not know to stay to starboard, then why would he know he should go port to port is my thought?
menzies
Guru
So if he wan't on the port side of the channel why did he have to cross in front of the oncoming vessel to go port to port?
Wow!
menzies
Guru
I saw a lot of wakes across your bow at the speed this is set at. So I ran it at 1/4 speed on YouTube to see what the heck was going on - and realized those "wakes" were actually the bow thruster!
78puget-trawler
Guru
Apparently you are not reading the post. It starts out the two boats are approaching on a stbd to stbd passing. Its a common scenario. The point is, he DIDNT have to, but it often happens because some folks think that p-p is the only way to pass no matter how inconvenient to do so.
ulysses
Guru
78puget-trawler: I have reread your post several times and don't think you even mentioned a "channel" Numerous meeting situations as you described do indeed happen in open water. As I have mentioned before the rules to keep to one side of a channel may only apply in "narrow" channels without narrow being defined. It is dangerous to assume all meeting are to be on a one whistle.
Wayfarer
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Yessir, she puts out a fair amount of wash. I have to keep an eye out for boats passing my thruster, since I could easily throw them way out of wack if they get too close. It happens pretty regularly.
There wasn't really much for small boat traffic that day.
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78puget-trawler
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Years ago we were launching a new tug on the ship canal in Seattle and the "other guys" were running one of their big boats at the dock for some reason, and he was making a lot of prop wash. A small wood troller came roaring up the canal headed for the Ballard Locks and the fishing grounds when he got caught in the wash, which he apparently didn't see, and WHAMO! He drove the troller right into the side of the drydock we were using (endo to the beach) to launch this big new tug. Split the stem, sprung all the guards and some planking, taking on water, one guy bleeding at the head. Skipper assessed it all and turned right around and headed for the nearest boatyard for repairs. Total bummer for the guy.
menzies
Guru
A small wood troller came "Roaring?"
78puget-trawler
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figure of speech.. with the amount of damage he did to his boat he surely was not idling.
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It is VERY common for tows to push barges up into shallow water for the night(or day)....leaving the tow boat in gear. Obviously if you run through the wash you will have difficulties. But ya gotta be a numbskull not to see the churning water!!!
78puget-trawler
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In this case I am a bit more sympathetic to the fisherman as his boat was small and low to the water, and couple that with the activity of the end to drydock sticking out in the channel, he may simply not have noticed the tug on the other side of the canal working ahead at the dock. Tug was tied to the dock and going ahead near full throttle. Probably breaking in a new engine. As far as what you describe, well perhaps on the Columbia they do that, I don't know, but not in Puget Sound and environs.
That may not be the correct terminology, but I don't struggle with it, I understand what he meant. I suspect you do too.
psneeld
Guru
The Western Rivers Marking System is a variation of the standard U.S. Aids to Navigation System and is
found on the Mississippi River and tributaries above Baton Rouge, and on certain other rivers which flow
toward the Gulf of Mexico.
• Red daybeacons, lights, and buoys mark the starboard banks and limits of channels as vessels
"return for sea" or proceed upstream.
• Green daybeacons, lights, and buoys mark the port banks and channels while going upstream.
Standard definition from some USCG publication.
found on the Mississippi River and tributaries above Baton Rouge, and on certain other rivers which flow
toward the Gulf of Mexico.
• Red daybeacons, lights, and buoys mark the starboard banks and limits of channels as vessels
"return for sea" or proceed upstream.
• Green daybeacons, lights, and buoys mark the port banks and channels while going upstream.
Standard definition from some USCG publication.
Phil Fill
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Direct drive, no transmission, was commom years ago and there are still some around. Where they start the engine tied to the dock producing a large prop wash. Also some boats to get the temp up put the boat in gear tied to the dock. Its not as common today, but back when it was.
In our first marina we had a 100 ft direct drive, thea foss, and several old tugs 50 to 75 ft. Then leaving or arriving at the dock, the would shut down the engine and drift, start the engine and drift. Not uncommon to hit the dock to completely stop.
Ah, sail boats and right away, had many a discussion. Especially in narrow shallow channel. The mont lake cut connecting lake union and lake Washington was the most common. Commercial charter boats and large boats do not stop going thru the cut, but there was usually a sail boat waiting for the bridge blocking the water way. Again size usually won. If I could I would follow a commercial.
In our first marina we had a 100 ft direct drive, thea foss, and several old tugs 50 to 75 ft. Then leaving or arriving at the dock, the would shut down the engine and drift, start the engine and drift. Not uncommon to hit the dock to completely stop.
Ah, sail boats and right away, had many a discussion. Especially in narrow shallow channel. The mont lake cut connecting lake union and lake Washington was the most common. Commercial charter boats and large boats do not stop going thru the cut, but there was usually a sail boat waiting for the bridge blocking the water way. Again size usually won. If I could I would follow a commercial.
OP
OP
Wxx3
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Yes, Cruiser's Forum is a great source of entertainment. THD you did a nice job in giving everyone the gist.
You could have added that manytimes, they have turned off the AIS and Radar to save power.
As fr as "channels" In a number of places in Europe, they make it quite clear, "non-commercial boats are to stay OUT OF the channel", as in go between the buoy and the shore. Even makes me nervous, which is how I managed to graze a buoy.
Wayfarer
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I haven't yet, but I've only been driving through them for a couple of years now. It's not unheard of, and as long as you planned for that eventuality in advance, it's not that big a deal to graze the pilings.
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We had a bad one awhile back in Texas. A barge hit the bridge in Port Isabel and the bridge collapsed. it was at the peak of the bridge at night and cars just kept driving off into the ICW and falling to their deaths. It was awhile before someone figured it out and stopped people from going over the edge. I think 8 people died....one was a friend of mine and his beautiful wife.
Ten years since accidental collapse of South Padre Island bridge | abc13.com
This was only 5 days after 9/11 so it got little press.
Wayfarer
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God, what a nightmare. Very sorry about your friend. Most of the really snug bridges on the lakes are railroad bridges, so I guess I don't have to worry about that particular disaster.
