What kind of area do you boat in?

[Seevee]

Just curious, with the discussion on radar, there's an argument that the use of radar depends a lot of where you boat.


So I thought it interesting to see where the forum spends most of its time.

 

[High Wire]

We normally boat in SW Florida and New Jersey. Have been fog bound in both. Also have been in heavy rain squalls pretty much all along the East and Gulf Coasts of US. Nighttime use has been primarily NJ coast and Delaware River.

 

[BandB]

Wifey B: Offshore. At the moment crossing from Viareggio to Monte Carlo.

 

[Bill V]

Generally in the Gulf Islands, Desolation Sound and Vancouver Island areas of BC. Far too crowded down south although in years past I have cruised to ports of interest in the Seattle metro areas. Prefer to spend my time in Canada pre pandemic and waiting for border to open.

 

[Seevee]

Wifey B: Offshore. At the moment crossing from Viareggio to Monte Carlo.

If you're in your own boat after motoring across the seas, I'd really be impressed. However, really sounds like fun... you'll have to debrief us when you return.

 

[backinblue]

Long Island Sound most of the time. Once or twice a season, longer vacation trips to NY and/or Rhode Island.

 

[Crusty Chief]

Cant imagine cruising where we do without Radar. I run the radar constantly, from SE Alaska to where we are now in So. Carolina. Way too many overnight runs through Long lines, Panga’s, fishing fleets, snotty weather…..you get the idea.

 

[Group9]

We get some really foggy days January and February around here. It used to be really unpleasant to get caught out in it in a small boat, prior to chart plotters and cheap radar.

 

[Blissboat]

For the first fifteen years of my boating experience, I sailed the Gulf of Mexico, Bahamas and Caribbean, going everywhere without radar and never noticing its absence. Then, when preparing for my first trip up the east coast to New England, I listened to veterans of those waters, and installed the cheapest Furuno available. Though I've long since returned to Southern waters, radar remains essential to my boating toolkit. During fog [admittedly rare hereabouts], rain [pretty common], and when running in congested waters at night [sometimes necessary], or making landfall after dark [only if I can't avoid it!], I'm glad to be able to power-up the radar [preferably Furuno].

 

[RCook]

Inside Passage, Puget Sound through BC and SE Alaska. Radar is always on when underway, even on our 26' trailer boat. We never travel at night, but fog or rain that greatly limits visibility can happen when we're miles from safe harbor.

 

[trihartsfield]

Missouri River in Montana. Water locked but a beautiful area. Hope to be doing some yearly in the PNW.

 

[AusCan]

99% open water cruising without radar.

We rarely get fog (perhaps one or two days per year) and marine traffic is extremely light. Radar would be handy when making landfall at night but it hasn't quite made it to the top of my list of improvements.

 

[Lou_tribal]

Currently in my backyard but usually on inland waters east of Canada.

L

 

[BandB]

If you're in your own boat after motoring across the seas, I'd really be impressed. However, really sounds like fun... you'll have to debrief us when you return.

Wifey B: Didn't motor across. Purchased in Italy. Not enough range on this one to cross the Atlantic although hope one day to do that. Shakedown cruise was May 18 to June 7 and we went to Croatia which was wonderful. Flew home for three weeks while waiting for more of Europe to open and now about to explore.

Limited to 90 days in Schengen countries so balancing act. Original plans included the UK but that is in question due to some other countries placing limits on UK visitors and some concerns ourselves about the UK risks. Still a lot of checking country by country. For instance, Denmark (including Faroe Islands which are not Schengen) has their own rules separate from other EU countries. They don't use the EU traffic lights but have their own set. Current plan is to stay in Europe through late October except for a two week break midway, then ship the boat home in November. If things were to take a turn for the worse, we'd leave the boat in Italy and try again next year.

Back to the original poll and question, even when we cruise the US coast, we generally do most of our travel off shore. Over time we've done most of the ICW (albeit avoid a couple of areas) but we'll cover the distances outside. Similarly we've done the GICW from Apalachicola west but not our normal mode of travel.

Radar always on and hope not to really need it too much but some of our long runs are at night and other times we've encountered fog and limited visibility. In my experience, Cape May and the nearby area of the Delaware seemed to especially attract fog but much of the Chesapeake does also.

We're hoping the rest of Europe goes as well as Croatia did, but time will tell. Not the ideal year for European travel. We are all vaccinated except the 7 year old and all tested and wear masks everywhere.

 

[Spinner]

Radar always on! A captain I got training from in 2013 advised me to do that. As he told me, if you aren’t used to using radar in good visibility, you probably won’t be prepared in fog or other low visibility. No night running here, too much wood in the water....

Pacific NW waters of WA, British Columbia and Alaska. Radar makes a handy way to check astern.

 

[backinblue]

Wifey B: Didn't motor across. Purchased in Italy. Not enough range on this one to cross the Atlantic although hope one day to do that. Shakedown cruise was May 18 to June 7 and we went to Croatia which was wonderful. Flew home for three weeks while waiting for more of Europe to open and now about to explore.

Limited to 90 days in Schengen countries so balancing act. Original plans included the UK but that is in question due to some other countries placing limits on UK visitors and some concerns ourselves about the UK risks. Still a lot of checking country by country. For instance, Denmark (including Faroe Islands which are not Schengen) has their own rules separate from other EU countries. They don't use the EU traffic lights but have their own set. Current plan is to stay in Europe through late October except for a two week break midway, then ship the boat home in November. If things were to take a turn for the worse, we'd leave the boat in Italy and try again next year.

Back to the original poll and question, even when we cruise the US coast, we generally do most of our travel off shore. Over time we've done most of the ICW (albeit avoid a couple of areas) but we'll cover the distances outside. Similarly we've done the GICW from Apalachicola west but not our normal mode of travel.

Radar always on and hope not to really need it too much but some of our long runs are at night and other times we've encountered fog and limited visibility. In my experience, Cape May and the nearby area of the Delaware seemed to especially attract fog but much of the Chesapeake does also.

We're hoping the rest of Europe goes as well as Croatia did, but time will tell. Not the ideal year for European travel. We are all vaccinated except the 7 year old and all tested and wear masks everywhere.

B&B. You guys do some impressive boating and am happy for you, but never any pictures or description of your boat(s)?

 

[BandB]

B&B. You guys do some impressive boating and am happy for you, but never any pictures or description of your boat(s)?

Wifey B: No pictures of us either. This boat is an AB 116, the antithesis of trawler. It's my fast boat I've always dreamed of. Had fast on the lake but now at sea. Just for the most part, what boat we're using is irrelevant. We cruise the same as others, just faster and with more people with us most of the time except at home in my fave where sometimes just the two of us. No trawlers, just boats. We still greatly prefer TF to fast boat sites or SF sites or such because people here do actually enjoy boating. Most people we've encountered with faster boat just like running and showing speed and then sitting in the sun, not exploring. We like speed because it takes us faster to more places. Our trip to Croatia would be a great example. We went to seven different cities in Croatia by boat. Travel from first to last around 414 nm, spread over 6 days of travel. No different trip than anyone would make on a trawler. Just quicker as we'd cover 50 nm in less than 2 hours and for some it would be a day trip. However, the big difference was getting there, 1211 nm.

Europe will be the same it would in any boat, we'll just cover more ground in the time we have. But Nice would still be just as nice in a trawler. Or I sure hope it's nice in Nice when we get there in a couple of days.

Trawler forum to us represents the top love for boating itself, for seeing the beauty of the world, heavy emphasis on US, but some rest of the world. It's not at all about the boat, but the boat as a vessel for the pleasure. Oh I can't help myself being punny today, maybe the jet and time change as it's 10:30 at night but my day has now been two days I think. Seriously though, TF has conversations about specific type boats but it has so much about the lifestyle. Other sites seem to lean toward showing how macho sailors are or what it's like to captain huge yachts or speed of fishing boats or just running a boat fast to nowhere. However, to the discussions here, the boat we're on is mostly irrelevant.

 

[backinblue]

Wifey B: No pictures of us either. This boat is an AB 116, the antithesis of trawler. It's my fast boat I've always dreamed of. Had fast on the lake but now at sea. Just for the most part, what boat we're using is irrelevant. We cruise the same as others, just faster and with more people with us most of the time except at home in my fave where sometimes just the two of us. No trawlers, just boats. We still greatly prefer TF to fast boat sites or SF sites or such because people here do actually enjoy boating. Most people we've encountered with faster boat just like running and showing speed and then sitting in the sun, not exploring. We like speed because it takes us faster to more places. Our trip to Croatia would be a great example. We went to seven different cities in Croatia by boat. Travel from first to last around 414 nm, spread over 6 days of travel. No different trip than anyone would make on a trawler. Just quicker as we'd cover 50 nm in less than 2 hours and for some it would be a day trip. However, the big difference was getting there, 1211 nm.

Europe will be the same it would in any boat, we'll just cover more ground in the time we have. But Nice would still be just as nice in a trawler. Or I sure hope it's nice in Nice when we get there in a couple of days.

Trawler forum to us represents the top love for boating itself, for seeing the beauty of the world, heavy emphasis on US, but some rest of the world. It's not at all about the boat, but the boat as a vessel for the pleasure. Oh I can't help myself being punny today, maybe the jet and time change as it's 10:30 at night but my day has now been two days I think. Seriously though, TF has conversations about specific type boats but it has so much about the lifestyle. Other sites seem to lean toward showing how macho sailors are or what it's like to captain huge yachts or speed of fishing boats or just running a boat fast to nowhere. However, to the discussions here, the boat we're on is mostly irrelevant.

Thanks for sharing. I don't necessarily think that type of boat is completely irrelevant. I realize that TF is about a lot more than boat type, but we do sometimes like to compare plusses and minuses of our choices depending on the mission. It's true that you can be just as happy in any kind of boat, but it still adds a little relevancy to the discussion on some topics.

 

[Jmarsh203]

For work now entire gulf coast icw, lower Mississippi, Ohio river, Arkansas river, Illinois river. For work in the past Chesapeake bay and icw down to camp lejeune, Panama, curaçao, The entire Tigris River in Iraq and shatt al Arab river. For pleasure the Caribbean, gulf icw and now Florida keys. I’ve driven boats professionally ranging from 1020 foot while working on tow boats to 40 foot speedboats in 6” of water (sometimes -6” lol) with the rivers being 40-80 feet wide under night vision at night at 45kts+ With no lights sometimes raining with 3 other boats right behind me close enough I could spit off the back of the boat and hit them. Radar has always been very useful to me. But for me weather conditions have very rarely been a deciding factor on go no go criteria , but that was never my choice in the past or present while getting paid to drive a boat. . I don’t know if it’s good or not or just habit but at this point in my life wind and waves are about the only deciding factor for me on if I’m going to go boating or not. I’ve got a pilothouse so rain and fog is actually quite nice to boat in depending on where your at. Something peaceful about a nice rainy day with patchy fog and beautiful scenery just watching the world go by. So with my capabilities I like having as many tools in my toolbox as possible and that gives me the most days on the water possible. To me it would be a shame if I wanted to go somewhere and wouldn’t leave dock because there was a little rain or fog because I either didn’t have radar or wasn’t comfortable using it.

 

[Simi 60]

you'll have to debrief us when you return.

With pictures

 

[porman]

Pacific Northwest, from South Sound to the North end of Vancouver Island (except for Covid. Stuck in the US). We do travel occasionally at night or in fog and wouldn't be without radar.

 

[CaptainSEA]

South East Asia, with night runs, some of the charts not reliable and mostly fishing boat fleets with generally no ‘appropriate’ navigation lights..... So having two radars on board is just mandatory

 

[markpierce]

San Francisco Estuary (bays, rivers, sloughs)

 

[Hippocampus]

East coast US/Canada, windwards and leewards. Next is North Atlantic gyre if the creek don’t rise and we can find a d-mn boat.

 

[Robster_in_edmonds]

Pacific NorthWest. This year, thanks to COVID, mostly the San Juan Islands. Incredible beauty up here. You see a nice mix of boats. Sailboats, trawlers, tugs, sedans, and lots of big yachts.

 

[Gris]

Mostly the James River and Chesapeake Bay for me. We've got a radar (aging, but it works!) Though I chose my windows pretty carefully, and have yet to need it besides for added 'comfort.'

 

[MurrayM]

Prince Rupert south to a wee bit north of Cape Caution (but not Haida Gwaii) on north and central coast British Columbia, Canada.

 

[BDofMSP]

Lake Superior almost exclusively, although plans for Georgian Bay in a year or two. Fog on lake crossing is mostly a matter of when, not if.

 

[guy with a boat]

Vancouver Island until the border closed, then south to SoCal and Mexico, back north this spring and now in SE Alaska. So mostly the west coast of North America.

Our radar is always on and is always a data source. Sometimes it is bonus information and sometimes its critical. A couple of years ago we left Campbell River mid morning after the fog started breaking up and clearing, which was consistent with the forecast. A few minutes later the fog closed in on us and we did almost the entire 30 mile run in IFR conditions. It would have been sketchy without radar, or if we weren’t totally familiar with what the radar was telling us.

 

[darkside]

Wifey B: Offshore. At the moment crossing from Viareggio to Monte Carlo.

Do you have some connection with Viareggio? Not sure it would be one of my top choices on the west coast of Italy, some of which is just spectacular.
Mostly NE coast of NZ and quite a bit of night cruising so some radar use. Using the overlay function on a plotter on unfamiliar approaches really helps to confirm what you are looking at.
In the PNW radar is a big help for sure.