Ran aground - sandbar

[sasto]

Re: Ran aground - sandbar

Oh....the pearls of navigating the mighty Mississippi. I traveled that river over a dozen times in a boat with a 6 foot draft. I stay to the outside of the river, in deeper water, and never take a short cut. I can't tell you how many times I hit something in the water, usually a floater. Dog River Marina in AL has made alot of money of uss by pulling the boat. Glad everything is good.

 

[dwco5051]

Re: Ran aground - sandbar

Don't think that this just happens to pleasure boaters and UK Subs. In yesterdays great lakes shipping reports for just the Eastern portion there was a 220 meter freighter aground at the entrance to Buffalo harbor and two barges being pushed by a hundred foot tug aground in a narrow passage on the St. Lawrence Seaway.

Not much as activity yesterday on the Western end as shipping traffic was almost at a standstill with most boats in port or at anchor due to the storm and wave height. Eastern Erie has warnings since the winds are just the right direction to pile up the water on the Western end causing the Eastern end to become shallower than normal.

 

[eastont]

Re: Ran aground - sandbar

There's been 4 ships grounding this year on the St. Lawrence.....low water.

Last year while navigating the Rideau Canal, we decided to take the Tay Canal, which is only 4' deep at best, up to Perth. When we left the upper lock the lockmaster said keep to the middle. We had no problems until 2 days later when we were coming back. Just as we were passing an old stone farm house the boat started to rumble, I looked at the depth finder and it read 2' 6" and I looked over the side and it looked about 1' deep. There goes another prop, and who knew what else.
When we arrived at the upper lock I told the lockmaster about what happened and where. He asked me if I saw the buoy marker and I said, there's no buoy marker anywhere near there. He says, "them effin kids....they come by and steal the markers every now and then, it was there this morning when I checked"

Cost me the starboard prop and a bit of wobble in the prop shaft.

 

[dsiekman]

Re: Ran aground - sandbar

I've got a buddy who is a licensed captain. Funny thing is he has run everyone else's boat aground though never his own (that I'm aware of). I've been there for three of them. He was with me when we picked up my current boat and drug the stbd dual prop outdrive through the sand before we were even out of sight of the marina. Lucky for us it just "polished" things.