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#11
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August 21 - All at Sea
On Tue, 21 Aug 2007 13:26:52 -0500, Vic Smith
wrote: There's a lot of talk of fatigue and multiple watchkeepers, yet singlehanders seem to sail overnighters all the time. Only when well offshore, inshore they have to stay awake, frequently exceeding their endurance limits. I was reminded of that yesterday as we cruised past Pt Judith lighthouse in Rhode Island. Sometime back a young lady singlehander successfully sailed her 30 something boat all the way across the Atlantic up to that point. After being awake for over 2 days due to bad weather and heavy shipping traffic, she mistook Pt Judith light for the old Brenton Reef tower, and parked her boat on the beach just down the shore. The waters in question where Skip is now are very congested with *large* commercial shipping and also a wide assortment of fishing vessels. You can not safely sleep, even for 15 minutes. |
#12
posted to rec.boats.cruising
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August 21 - All at Sea
On Tue, 21 Aug 2007 16:04:28 -0400, Wayne.B
wrote: On Tue, 21 Aug 2007 13:26:52 -0500, Vic Smith wrote: There's a lot of talk of fatigue and multiple watchkeepers, yet singlehanders seem to sail overnighters all the time. Only when well offshore, inshore they have to stay awake, frequently exceeding their endurance limits. I was reminded of that yesterday as we cruised past Pt Judith lighthouse in Rhode Island. Sometime back a young lady singlehander successfully sailed her 30 something boat all the way across the Atlantic up to that point. After being awake for over 2 days due to bad weather and heavy shipping traffic, she mistook Pt Judith light for the old Brenton Reef tower, and parked her boat on the beach just down the shore. The waters in question where Skip is now are very congested with *large* commercial shipping and also a wide assortment of fishing vessels. You can not safely sleep, even for 15 minutes. Thanks for shedding some light on what Skip was encountering. I do still suspect he'll have a different take on it, but we'll see. It's my "impression" that he learned a lot from the Keys grounding, and is putting some thought into his course. You mentioned the Chesapeake Bay course to NYC, and the first thing I thought of when Skip went offshore is that at least he didn't have to constantly watch the sounder. He did mention avoiding shoals. Does Chesapeake Bay present a special challenge for a boat of his draft? It may be he wanted a good sail without those concerns. Not knowing these routes and I'm all ears. --Vic |
#13
posted to rec.boats.cruising
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August 21 - All at Sea
Vic Smith wrote:
On Tue, 21 Aug 2007 16:04:28 -0400, Wayne.B wrote: On Tue, 21 Aug 2007 13:26:52 -0500, Vic Smith wrote: There's a lot of talk of fatigue and multiple watchkeepers, yet singlehanders seem to sail overnighters all the time. Only when well offshore, inshore they have to stay awake, frequently exceeding their endurance limits. I was reminded of that yesterday as we cruised past Pt Judith lighthouse in Rhode Island. Sometime back a young lady singlehander successfully sailed her 30 something boat all the way across the Atlantic up to that point. After being awake for over 2 days due to bad weather and heavy shipping traffic, she mistook Pt Judith light for the old Brenton Reef tower, and parked her boat on the beach just down the shore. The waters in question where Skip is now are very congested with *large* commercial shipping and also a wide assortment of fishing vessels. You can not safely sleep, even for 15 minutes. Thanks for shedding some light on what Skip was encountering. I do still suspect he'll have a different take on it, but we'll see. It's my "impression" that he learned a lot from the Keys grounding, and is putting some thought into his course. That was my idea too. I didn't think that the bad weather started until he was off Ocean City. You mentioned the Chesapeake Bay course to NYC, and the first thing I thought of when Skip went offshore is that at least he didn't have to constantly watch the sounder. He did mention avoiding shoals. Does Chesapeake Bay present a special challenge for a boat of his draft? It may be he wanted a good sail without those concerns. Not knowing these routes and I'm all ears. The Chesapeake IMHO is one of the best places to sail. We have a friend with a boat like ours that has a 6'6" draft and he has no problem sailing in the Chesapeake (and neither do we). After all, freighters and tugs transit the Bay all the time. Anchoring close to shore might be difficult for a deeper draft craft, but anchoring farther away from shore means that you have less insects (usually). Another problem in the Bay is crab pots - usually if you see crab pots that will alert you to the fact that the water is getting shallow there (and this also holds in much of the rest of the ICW) BUT -- all the weather problems that Skip had, he would still have had in the Chesapeake. And he would still have had the freighters etc, and in addition would have had to do the Delaware Canal at the other end of the Bay and the trip would undoubtedly have taken longer. He can do the Chesapeake on the way back south. |
#14
posted to rec.boats.cruising
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August 21 - All at Sea
On Tue, 21 Aug 2007 15:22:56 -0500, Vic Smith
wrote: Does Chesapeake Bay present a special challenge for a boat of his draft? It may be he wanted a good sail without those concerns. Not knowing these routes and I'm all ears. No. Some of the rivers and bays off of the Chesapeake are shallow but the central portion is mostly deep water and very well marked. There are many good deep water harbors. If you are interested in learning more about east coast cruising I'd recommend downloading the free NOAA charts along with a chart viewer. I have spent endless hours in the off season "cruising" on computer charts and planning the next trip. For me, there's always a next trip... You can also download the coast pilots for free which have a wealth of detailed information. The Atlantic coast waterway guides are another good source, along with the "Skipper Bob" books. |
#15
posted to rec.boats.cruising
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August 21 - All at Sea
On Tue, 21 Aug 2007 16:37:53 -0400, Wayne.B
wrote: If you are interested in learning more about east coast cruising I'd recommend downloading the free NOAA charts along with a chart viewer. I have spent endless hours in the off season "cruising" on computer charts and planning the next trip. For me, there's always a next trip... You can also download the coast pilots for free which have a wealth of detailed information. The Atlantic coast waterway guides are another good source, along with the "Skipper Bob" books. Thanks. I'll probably wait until I get a boat though. Well, maybe I'll download the Florida charts since I'll be there soon looking at boats. What chart viewer do you recommend? --Vic |
#16
posted to rec.boats.cruising
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August 21 - All at Sea
On Tue, 21 Aug 2007 16:32:49 -0400, Rosalie B.
wrote: The Chesapeake IMHO is one of the best places to sail. We have a friend with a boat like ours that has a 6'6" draft and he has no problem sailing in the Chesapeake (and neither do we). After all, freighters and tugs transit the Bay all the time. Anchoring close to shore might be difficult for a deeper draft craft, but anchoring farther away from shore means that you have less insects (usually). I've always wanted to visit there, and hear some of those Virginia Yankees talking too. There was an old Virginia Yankee tending lockers in Norfolk whose voice was like music to my ears. Chesapeake Bay is on my short list of places to devote some time to. Another problem in the Bay is crab pots - usually if you see crab pots that will alert you to the fact that the water is getting shallow there (and this also holds in much of the rest of the ICW) I've been hearing a lot about props fouling because of crabpots. BUT -- all the weather problems that Skip had, he would still have had in the Chesapeake. And he would still have had the freighters etc, and in addition would have had to do the Delaware Canal at the other end of the Bay and the trip would undoubtedly have taken longer. I'm starting to think my solution to shoals, freighters and crabpots is a shallow draft boat with all of its own compromises. --Vic |
#17
posted to rec.boats.cruising
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August 21 - All at Sea
On Tue, 21 Aug 2007 16:03:17 -0500, Vic Smith
wrote: Thanks. I'll probably wait until I get a boat though. Well, maybe I'll download the Florida charts since I'll be there soon looking at boats. What chart viewer do you recommend? I use Maptech Offshore Navigator, mostly because I've been using it a long time, all the way back to 386/486 DOS machines. Unfortunately it is not free, and may not even be available anymore although Maptech has done a good job with updates. I believe there is a free viewer call Seaclear or something like that. There is also a product called Fugawi that some people like. I believe it is reasonably priced and has a free demo version. |
#18
posted to rec.boats.cruising
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August 21 - All at Sea
On Tue, 21 Aug 2007 17:24:38 -0400, Wayne.B
wrote: On Tue, 21 Aug 2007 16:03:17 -0500, Vic Smith wrote: Thanks. I'll probably wait until I get a boat though. Well, maybe I'll download the Florida charts since I'll be there soon looking at boats. What chart viewer do you recommend? I use Maptech Offshore Navigator, mostly because I've been using it a long time, all the way back to 386/486 DOS machines. Unfortunately it is not free, and may not even be available anymore although Maptech has done a good job with updates. I believe there is a free viewer call Seaclear or something like that. There is also a product called Fugawi that some people like. I believe it is reasonably priced and has a free demo version. Thanks, Wayne. --Vic |
#19
posted to rec.boats.cruising
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August 21 - All at Sea
On Tue, 21 Aug 2007 17:24:38 -0400, Wayne.B
wrote: On Tue, 21 Aug 2007 16:03:17 -0500, Vic Smith wrote: Thanks. I'll probably wait until I get a boat though. Well, maybe I'll download the Florida charts since I'll be there soon looking at boats. What chart viewer do you recommend? I use Maptech Offshore Navigator, mostly because I've been using it a long time, all the way back to 386/486 DOS machines. Unfortunately it is not free, and may not even be available anymore although Maptech has done a good job with updates. I believe there is a free viewer call Seaclear or something like that. There is also a product called Fugawi that some people like. I believe it is reasonably priced and has a free demo version. Downloaded the SeaClear II, and the NOAA RNC for Charlotte Harbor to Estero. Pretty good detail, but still have to learn to properly read all that's there, learn to use the software's functionality, and hook my laptop to the GPS. Pretty much ready to go. Just need a laptop, a GPS, and a boat. But you got me on the right path. --Vic |
#20
posted to rec.boats.cruising
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August 21 - All at Sea
On Tue, 21 Aug 2007 18:33:50 -0500, Vic Smith
wrote: Downloaded the SeaClear II, and the NOAA RNC for Charlotte Harbor to Estero. Good deal. You can get a pocket GPS with data and power cable for a reasonable price, and there are lots of used laptops around on the internet. You really don't need more than a Pentium 3 with Win2K and they are dime a dozen right now. For the boat and car you'll need a $40 inverter from West Marine, less from Walmart. I'd forgotten you were a virtual neighbor. If you scan Google Earth in Cape Coral you can actually find our trawler docked behind the house, obviously not in real time. |
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