On Thu, 16 Oct 2008 19:31:13 -0500, you wrote: >I have sailed the Chesapeake a lot, but I have no >qualms about sailing it at night, provided you >follow the rules, so to speak. >It is seldom crowded except in certain locations, >and those can be dealt with.
Yes but the person didn't operate his boat in a safe manner - he was obviously too tired (as you were) or too sick. If he had stayed outside the shipping lanes, he would have been OK I think. But he wasn't familiar with the area and he didn't stay outside the shipping lanes, and even though he was a SSCA Commadore (and so obviously quite experienced), he paid the price. > >I once had an experience sailing single handed, an >encounter with a tug and tow on the Cpk. >I had been sailing for over two days with very >light winds on the nose, and was exhausted. It was >late in the AM. I kept thinking I was about to run >aground even though I was pretty sure I was a ways >from any shoals, (this was in the days before GPS >or radar on small boats). My mind was playing >tricks on me and I knew it so I finally decided to >'pull over' and anchor. I did not have a depth >sounder only a short lead line, and since it was >patchy fog and dark I couldn't see any land, so I >gave my best guess as to being out of any >shipping channel. > >I was napping in the cockpit when I saw the lights >of a tug heading my way. My battery was too low to >power the VHF but binocs gave evidence he was >towing and headed right for me! I attempted to >raise anchor hurriedly, I say attempted because >there was about a hundred feet of scope down and >most of it seemed to be straight down, and at that >time I had no windless. Thankfully I was in my >20's then and very fit and made relatively fast >progress in getting the anchor aboard (with about >thirty pounds of mud on it)and sails up. The barge >was a double tow and he passed quite close. He >could not have stopped if he had had to. > >But now with GPS and everything, it very is easy >to do the Chesapeake safely at night. With all the >nav aids on the bay, in some ways it is easier at >night than day, as long as you don't trust only >them and try to get into an unknown harbor, for >example. >Of course, I do avoid crossing behind any tugs >path at night no matter where I am. -Ken _______________________________________________ Liveaboard mailing list [email protected] To adjust your membership settings over the web http://www.liveaboardnow.org/mailman/listinfo/liveaboard To subscribe send an email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] To unsubscribe send an email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] The archives are at http://www.liveaboardnow.org/pipermail/liveaboard/ To search the archives http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected] The Mailman Users Guide can be found here http://www.gnu.org/software/mailman/mailman-member/index.html
