03/05 - 03/07 - Hontoon Island, Florida CBGT

hardee · Posted: Mon Mar 18, 2019 1:12 pm Post subject:

Colby, Thanks for the update and looking forward to your pix. Stay safe as you travel.

Harvey
SleepyC Moon

Red Knot · Posted: Mon Mar 18, 2019 6:44 pm Post subject:

Great addition of photos to the album guys... I like the water colors,Nice break from boating in brown stuff on many of the inland rivers and the a lot of the ICW.

colbysmith · Posted: Mon Mar 18, 2019 10:11 pm Post subject:

I still have a lot more photos to upload, and will get to it after we get home tomorrow. What I uploaded was maybe about 30-40% of what I have to upload. Colby

hardee · Posted: Tue Mar 19, 2019 2:03 am Post subject:

Nice pix Colby. Looks warm and fun. Thanks for sharing.

Here is a link to the album:

http://www.c-brats.com/modules.php?set_albumName=Hontoon-Island%2C-Florida-2019&op=modload&name=gallery&file=index&include=view_album.php&page=1

Harvey
SleepyC Moon

South of Heaven · Posted: Tue Mar 19, 2019 8:31 am Post subject:

The "all sex" quote made my day! I needed a good laugh before my meeting this morning!

South of Heaven · Posted: Tue Mar 19, 2019 8:31 am Post subject:

The "all sex" quote made my day! I needed a good laugh before my meeting this morning!

hardee · Posted: Tue Mar 19, 2019 4:18 pm Post subject:

Something I noticed in those photos. Only saw 2 radars. Maybe they don't have fog on that eastern half, but the ICW and the rivers have bends. Curious how many have AIS?

Harvey
SleepyC Moon

ken35216 · Posted: Tue Mar 19, 2019 8:36 pm Post subject:

Are you allowed to swim in the springs?

colbysmith · Posted: Tue Mar 19, 2019 8:52 pm Post subject:

Yes, you can swim in the Springs, and we did at Silver Glen Springs. Water is always 72 degrees. Blue Springs where the Manatees winter, you can also swim, when the Manatees are out. As for AIS Harvey, only Cat-O-Mine and I had AIS transmitters. Many have receivers. i believe at least half a dozen boats have radar that were at the gathering. I don't remember seeing that many radars during my west coast events either. (Friday Harbor, California Delta, Columbia/Snake Rivers.). I suspect there are more C-Dorys running without radar than with. I suspect most folks don't run in the fog, or find in necessary to own radar.

I just got home a bit ago, and will get the rest of my photos uploaded likely tomorrow. Colby

hardee · Posted: Tue Mar 19, 2019 9:41 pm Post subject:

Radar, Interesting! I think that more C-Dorys have radar than others of the boat population, at least in comparative sizes. The AIS receiver would be vital, I would think, for boating on the ICW and the navigable rivers, for communication with the tugs, and from my experience, if you are transmitting an AIS signal, you will more likely get reciprocal courtesy from the big traffic. They receiver would at least allow you to call them by name or call sign, and that would help.

Looking for ward to seeing the pix, Colby, and glad you made it home safe.

Harvey
SleepyC Moon

colbysmith · Posted: Tue Mar 19, 2019 9:51 pm Post subject:

The AIS is very handy for radio calls. I used it several times to call some tugs while navigating on the St. Johns as we got closer to the ocean. Otherwise, there are very few tugs on the St. Johns south of Jacksonville. And I've used it in other waters as well. I've only had one tug call me because of my AIS, and that was while operating in the FOG on the Columbia River a year or two ago. As AIS transmitters come down in price, I suspect we'll see a few more C-Brats pick them up. Other than Cat-O-Mine, I've only known one other C-Brat with the AIS transmitter, and that was out on the West Coast. One of the other guys on the California Delta cruise. But I know many that have kept track of me with their receivers. Mr. Green

Colby

DavidM · Posted: Tue Mar 19, 2019 9:59 pm Post subject:

I think that radar can be quite useful, particularly at night or when navigating in foggy conditions. But how many times do C Dory boaters do that?

AIS is even less useful. Unless you boat in a major port area you won't see many AIS targets. Look at Marinetraffic.com which uses shore based partners to pick up AIS signals and repeat them through the net.

I am looking at Charleston Harbor right now and all is see is a tug, a passenger ferry/tourboat and a big freighter underway. Another dozen or so targets are stationary which usually means a big commercial vessel that keeps their electronics on while docked.

The targets that we would like to see, the commercial fishermen, don't seem to use AIS.

David

hardee · Posted: Tue Mar 19, 2019 10:37 pm Post subject:

David, you are right about how many C-Dorys boat at night, but here in the PNW, fog is a common weather pattern, and if you are cruising you are going to have foggy conditions. There is a month called "Fogust", and it comes between June and September.

As to the AIS. First, be careful with any Internet based AIS monitoring. The time delay is real, and can be anywhere from 30 second to as much as 10 minutes. (I track myself, on them just to see where I "was".) It depends on where you are boating, but anywhere with busy commercial traffic, I would trade my AIS for radar if I had to. It enables crossing situations to mostly not be any issue, as you can use the "Closest Point Of Approach" and "Time to Closest Point of Approach" (Both off the AIS signals), to minimize any negative approach or following distances. For me, crossing Juan De Fuca Strait, that means I can watch a 900 foot long freighter travel at 22 knots from 24 miles away and set up my crossing, usually without any need for VHF radio contact. (All of that can be done with just an AIS receiver, though I do have a transponder.)

The Victoria Clipper that is a foot passenger ferry travels at 30-35 knots, and hardly makes a speck on Radar is the main reason I started thinking about getting AIS. They are stealth boats that run from Seattle to Victoria and through some of the SJ Islands. Always nice to see them before they come around the corner at me.

Harvey
SleepyC Moon

PaulNBriannaLynn · Posted: Wed Mar 20, 2019 8:18 am Post subject:

Boating down here in my experience is much different than the PNW. Barely anyone uses their VHF except to brag on a fishing report to a buddy boat. There's an occasional foggy early morning but it burns off quickly and predictably. The biggest difference is the lack of traffic. There's just not nearly as many boats on the water, little commercial traffic in comparison. The go fast offshore fishing boats are the biggest concern. They don't give a damn about anything, don't use their radios or comply with no wake zones, and generally captain like A-holes. A radar might help but they're still gonna buzz by you with a 4 foot wake regardless. I always wanted radar and AIS when we cruised back home, but I don't see a need for it here.

Gulfcoastjohn · Posted: Wed Mar 20, 2019 9:14 am Post subject:

Harvey,
On the West Dock photo, you can see radar domes on Thataway, Grace Full, and only half the dome on Midnight Flyer (because Colby had it in ‘radar Cloak mode’). I believe Tully B’s was cropped out and maybe the first boat on the left, plus Bill Smith’s boat isn’t in view and I think he has radar too.
On the East dock pic alone, you should see domes on Mystery Girl, Cat O’ Mine, and Fan-C-Dory.
So Colby's estimate of six was not far off.
I know C-Otter, Thataway, and Miss Jill have rx-only AIS. The others who do can reply. At today’s prices for a black box unit (under $250) I believe it’s a great safety item in that it can enhance ease of comm with larger vessels.
As always, much depends on how and where and your style of boating. And on how many boat units you are willing to invest in things you may never really need, but are nice to have if conditions go south. Or in the Key West ship channel on a busy day.
I agree with Colby that if I had to give up one, I'd give up radar over AIS at today's prices. As always, YMMV.

78 degrees and damp today on the edge of the Everglades...thank goodness the air conditioner is working great.
Happy spring boating!
John