I have a lot of trouble seeing unlighted barges without my radar. In 30,000 miles of cruising we have had only one buoy fouling that stopped us. I foolishly backed over a lobster buoy that I knew was there while picking up my anchor in Vinalhaven Maine. With the help and advice of a nearby lobsterman who came to our rescue we cut it loose.
We twice picked up a piece of line in our wheel but it didn't slow us down. We can hear a line in the wheel, it makes a "swish, swish" sound. One was in Coinjock NC. There was no trap buoys around. We anchored at Pungo Ferry Crossing and dove to get it off. We picked up something while crossing the Gulf of Maine on the way from Nantucket to Nova Scotia but it fell off while maneuvering to anchor in Shelbourne NS. We hit two toggles on the way from Vinalhaven to Southwest Harbor in Maine but they broke and did not stay on the wheel. We have done lots of cruising at night in Maine waters without fouling on a pot warp. In the daytime the buoys look like M&Ms strewn on a blue carpet and we try to steer around them. At night we can't see them, run under autopilot, yet have never picked one up. Still, we worry about them. I have heard of some commercial boats that have a well built in so they can open a hatch and see right down through a tunnel to the propellor. They can reach in with a knife or hook on a pole and remove a fouled line. Others have cages around the wheel. I have thought of putting a small porthole (I actually have the porthole) on the hull near the prop so I can see it to help in removing a line. I would have to rig a movable cover plate to close off the outside of the porthole to prevent fouling of the glass and the "round-tooit" has not arrived for the job yet. Maybe with today's waterproof mini-cams I could do the same with a retractable video camera and a thru hull. The fishing traps in the Chesapeake are mostly near the shore and in water more shallow than I like to be in. But they are an unlit hazard. The ones I am most familiar with are around the Reedville area. They run out about a half mile or so and I give them wide berth. Norm S/V Bandersnatch Lying Julington Creek 30 07.695N 081 38.484W > [Original Message] > From: Steve <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > To: <[email protected]> > Date: 10/17/2008 1:22:26 PM > Subject: Re: [Liveaboard] Barges > > Agreed. night sailing is wonderful, if you are rested (true of all times of > sailing). > It's not the barges I worry about - I can see them. It's the crab post and > fishing net stakes! > > > That said, I often sail at night on the Bay with little difficulty. > > Keep your eyes open and follow the rules. > > > > Sailing at night is great. > > > > sail fast, dave > > S/V Auspicious > > Steve / Trekka > _______________________________________________ > 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 _______________________________________________ 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
