BoatBanter.com - Shoals!

BoatBanter.com (https://www.boatbanter.com/)

- ASA (https://www.boatbanter.com/asa/)

- - Shoals! (https://www.boatbanter.com/asa/75585-shoals.html)

DSK wrote:
Joe wrote:

WTF Bart?

You never read Life on the Mississippi by Mark Twain?

He has the best descriptions you will ever find of how to reconize
shallows, snags, silting, deep water, ect. He describes running the
mississippi at night like a man remembers how to walk down a hall in
his house in the pitch dark. My descriptions of shallows match Samuels
descriptions to a tee. You read the surface and notice very subtile
differences of how the water is effected by things below the surface.

One problem, Joe. Mark was talking about a river, with
strong current. Bart was talking about a harbor.

No kidding Doug, I'd never figured that out without your help, but the
same effect can be seen in a rivers movement and a harbors tide, you
may not beleive this but water moves in both harbors and rivers, and
shallows effect the surface in very similar ways.

River

Harbor

Note that there are two seperate & different words, because
they are seperate & different things.

I get back at ya for that one;0)

Mark Twain had some
comments about this issue, too.

Care to share them?

Joe

DSK

One problem, Joe. Mark was talking about a river, with
strong current. Bart was talking about a harbor.

Joe wrote:
No kidding Doug, I'd never figured that out without your help, but the
same effect can be seen in a rivers movement and a harbors tide, you
may not beleive this but water moves in both harbors and rivers, and
shallows effect the surface in very similar ways.

I think relatively few harbors have *that* much current,
even at the most constricted part of the channel. And the
current's effect over a shoal will be masked by wind.

I know of one hazard due to current in many East Coast
inlets that I don't believe Mark mentioned, and that is
current going over a shoal from the channel... ie tending to
pull your vessel onto it. In fact, several NC inlets have
this effect strongly enough (on some tides) that they have
not only pulled boats aground, but also piled up sand over them.

It certianly is possible to notice the difference in waves
over a shoal but only when the waves are relatively high
compared to the water depth. Most harbors will very rarely
develop 2' waves which is what it will take to reveal a 6'
shoal. Big wakes help, if there happens to be one crossing
the shoal in question when you happen to be looking.

Reading the waters surface is a good skill but it doesn't
take the place of a chart and it sure ain't the same as on
Ol Man River IMHO.

Mark Twain had some
comments about this issue, too.

Care to share them?

The only one I can remember off the top of my head is: "The
difference between the right word, and almost the right
word, is the difference between lightning and the lightning
bug." -Mark Twain

DSK

The point I was trying to make is that in harbors the wind
pushes the water around. On Long Island Sound you will
notice a distinct pattern where the west side of harbors
have the most silt. The reason being, the eastern sides are
exposed to a longer fetch and this tends to make the east
sides deeper. The cause--the prevailing westerlies.

"DSK" wrote

One problem, Joe. Mark was talking about a river, with strong current.
Bart was talking about a harbor.

River

Harbor

Note that there are two seperate & different words, because they are
seperate & different things. Mark Twain had some comments about this
issue, too.

DSK

Bart wrote:
The point I was trying to make is that in harbors the wind
pushes the water around. On Long Island Sound you will
notice a distinct pattern where the west side of harbors
have the most silt.

When you say " distinct pattern" do you mean surface conditions like
shorter wave
lengths, no waves, ect, waves on top of shallows that might have a
shorter wave length of differnt pattern than normal, or you may see
calm in a shallow vs
waves in other areas?

The reason being, the eastern sides are
exposed to a longer fetch and this tends to make the east
sides deeper. The cause--the prevailing westerlies.

That makes sence, I bet the wave patterns are distinct and shorter
waves lengths.

Just wondering.

Joe

Jeff wrote:
Speaking of shoals:
http://www.oceanscience.net/inletson...91006_comp.jpg

http://cirp.wes.army.mil/cirp/studies.html

http://www.oceanscience.net/inletsonline/

These deal with tidal currents.

Someone should buy it up, fill it in, get a bridge and build condos.

Joe