2nd thoughts
On Apr 16, 10:47�pm, dene wrote:
You're correct on all counts, Chuck. *We did do the spring line trick
but it didn't work. *Couldn't get the stern to spin against the
current. *Fortunately, LaConner will not be my home port.
Were you tied parallel to the channel on a guest dock or in one of the
slips back behind? Your description of events leads to to suspect you
were in a slip, as if you were on the guest dock and headed "upstream"
for that portion of the current cycle you would have had a lot more
luck releasing the bow first, letting the current carry it out a bit
from the dock, and then using a *lot* of throttle to get out into the
channel before you find yourself in real trouble with any boat that
might be behind you. I think that current at LaConner can run
3-4 knots routinely and somewhat more during extreme tide changes.
(I've personally been known to send the wife up to town to do some
shopping for a couple of hours and wait for things to settle down a
bit when currents there are extreme. Sometimes the smartest thing to
do is wait for better conditions).
If you were back in the covered slips, you would have had to turn
against the current. That's a lot more difficult than getting away
from a parallel side tie.
Fortunately, the current is not as severe as you get closer to shore
as slips are between a couple of points. Even the inside of the guest
dock has less current- at last near the surface- than the outside, as
the float itself diverts some of the flow from the channel.
There is more to it than my willingness to learn. *My wife is
uncomfortable with her duties as well. *She has a bad knee which makes
it tough to move fast or jump onto the dock.
There was an excellent article about trailerable trawlers in this
months PassageMaker that got us thinking too. *Say we want to see Port
Townsend and then Victoria. *Hook up the boat to the RV and go.
Weather's good....boat over. *Weather's bad....unhook the boat/trailer
at a launch or boatyard, secure it, and then explore the town.
Later..take a ferry to Victoria and then come back and get the boat
when we leave. *The Roadtrek is a 19 foot van which will fit in any
regular parking spot. *Best of both worlds instead of being solely
dependent on one.
-Greg- Hide quoted text -
- Show quoted text -
The most important thing to do is be out on the water and enjoying
life.
Whether you go sail or power is perhaps the second most major
consideration, the general style of boat is probably third, and the
brand of boat is no higher than 4th. IMO. As long as you figure out a
way to go boating, you'll be happy.
But give your Carver a chance. There had to be some reasons that you
were attracted to this boat and this concept; and unless those have
changed a lot
(in favor of a more trailerable boat?) it will be just as true that
there will be learning curve for almost everybody with any new boat.
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