Florida Bridges

Just make sure you save the wise comments until after you've cleared. Otherwise it may be a looooooong wait.
Many years ago I came on a bridge in the Carolinas. When told it would be 20 minutes the boat's owner ordered him to open. "19 minutes" came the reply. The owner then threatened to report him. "18 minutes" came dripping with sweetness across the VHF. After a couple more exchanges I took the mike and kissed major butt explaining that I was having a hard time holding the 110' off the banks in the strong cross winds and would really appreciate anything the tender could do to help me out. "Let me get the traffic cleared and I'll get you through captain". When the owner objected to my kissing up I pointed out that this guy is probably making (then) $5 an hour and could have no better amusement than to watch a pushy rich guy from Florida go aground.

This year I might just go for it.

True, true. I generally push for time, however It's extremely rare to hear a wake complaint. More times than not I get a thank you for a nice pass and for me that's a source of pride. With a little co-operation it can all be done smooth, but that comes with experience. I still wish I could run the ICW @WOT but so much for dreams.

I've never had a bridge ask for doc #'s, and I always "request" not demand. I believe bridge tenders have attitudes for a reason- surly boaters. I'm a towered boat so they do not ask if I really need a opening however. I need about 48 feet. I rarely ask or tell a sailboat I'm about to pass- and at over 20 meters rule 9b is in effect in the ICW. I still have very few issues and they usually wave thanks because I slow enough for them to see I see them, and then when very close I drop it to zero to let the wake hit my butt and kill itself then pass about 1 knot faster than whatever speed they are doing. Of course I still get folks jumping up and down screaming BEFORE I pass, but after they have a friendly wave because they got nearly no wake. The Bridge of Lions only had one span opening when I came down last week so I canceled at the Muni Marina and went to Comanche Cove instead. I did not want to risk the one span opening in the next day pre dawn am. Plus the previous spring they put me on the north side with a screaming northwest tide and two barges there forcing me to make a slip entrance that missed the boat next to me by inches and the floating dock by inches also- plus the dock hand had failed to secure my bow first so I had to tell him calmly but clear (and loud) that I had control of the stern and the bow would fall off shortly so go secure that first. The trawler owners next to me peed their pants, and four folks that watched asked if that was my slip all the time as I pulled so nicely.

Correct, they shouldn't cry when I wake them in an open speed area and when they don't slow down for a pass or come up on the proper radio channel. You should have no problem handling my wake as you should be secured for being underway. There is no guaranty of flat water on the ICW, and in stormy weather, I'd rather be offshore than inside, much safer even if it is bumpier. Every time the wind blows hard, I pass dozens of boats a day that have been blown up on the hard, not to mention that they lock the bridges down and you can't get through anyway. If it's 12' outside, you aren't going anywhere inside today anyway so you may as well just stay at your dock or nice anchorage until you are comfortable going offshore. If it's less than 12' offshore, you should be sailing there. Typically, it's less than 4' south of Hatteras and you can come out of Beaufort inlet and set a nice reach for St Augustine.

As for radio procedures, 13 is the correct channel for bridge to bridge (BTW "bridge" references the part of the boat you drive from, not the thing that crosses the water) communications in US inland waters. When y'all are blocking up the airwaves of 16 with your traffic, you are endangering the lives of those offshore who may be trying to get a Mayday through. It is NOT my duty to find you on 16, it is your duty to be on the proper channel. If you do not come up on 13 for passing arrangement and pull it back to idle for a pass, I do not slow down, cry all you want.

Inshore, it's not 10 minutes out of the day though, it's usually 40 - 50 passes, 2 and 3 at a time with them spaced widely apart and hogging the middle of the channel. Each of these pass takes 10 minutes, but that isn't that much of a problem, it's the fuel that you waste coming on and off plane, it makes for an extra fuel stop in the day. The people I run for don't want me running slow because the hours it racks up on their boats. They trade them in every 2 years so the depreciation in hours along with my extra days, is greater than the cost of the fuel to run at speed. That's why I don't run inside on the magenta line except for the 50 some miles between Norfolk and the sound under Coinjock. If the weather is too bad to run outside, I just sit in Beaufort for the weather to break rather than get caught between locked down bridges trying to run inside. My typical transit from Glen Cove LI to Miami or Boca is 4.5 days to Boca or 5 to Miami of running, and I'll usually lose one or two days to weather. I run 30 knots almost the whole way.

Please tell me that was tongue in cheek. Where to begin. Most of the snailboats on the ICW are not bluewater sailors. They're 20 something foot cheap transportation from Canada. There is no way that a short vhf channel 16 transmission on the ICW could possibly block a mayday from offshore. If boats don't monitor channel 16 who do you expect to answer your mayday? Just because somebody is stupid or ignorant doesn't authorize their destruction. And should we mention that most boaters barely know about channel 16. They don't have a clue about 13. That also doesn't authorize their destruction.
And you make it from Glen Cove to Miami in 3.5 days? Not related to the captain from Sea Doo For Dad are you? http://www.yachtforums.com/forums/g...sion/11638-need-help-rogue-108-sunseeker.html

Look on any chart, where you see the magenta "Line of demarkation" at any headland, inshore of that is where the US Inland Rules apply, offshore of that is where the COLREGS apply. You can pretty much figure that if there is land between you and the ocean, you are on Inland Waters. The name Intracoastal, also by definition implies that you are on inland waters.

There are hundreds of them transiting on any given day in the migratory season. They have 16 squawking all day long. I hear them constantly from offshore, it never stops. A vessel offshore that has just been stove in on a semi-submerged container may only have a few seconds to get a transmission out. Most of your inshore guys don't even have the sense to turn their radios to low power, and only turn the volume up when they want to talk. Not knowing what they are doing does not excuse them from doing things properly.

Personally, I expect the USCG to answer my mayday, they are the ones flying helicopters and C-130s that can respond quickest with assistance and assets when I have an emergency. They have the ability to airlift sick and injured personnel. If you are cruising down the ICW in your sailboat, you aren't in a position to render aid. You should monitor 16 and relay any maydays that go unanswered, but you are also required to monitor 13, and make your inshore calls on 13. When that big barge is coming down on them crabbing into the wind taking up the whole channel...he's on 13, they might wanna go there to make passing arrangements. All radios produced in the last 30 years have the capacity to monitor multiple channels. If they don't have one, well, it's time to crack open their wallets and get one, and keep it turned on. If they don't know how to use it, then they are too stupid to be boating. Just because a person is on a recreational boat, doesn't mean he can be a complete moron. Remember, the ICW was created and is maintained for commercial purposes, not recreational.

Being stupid or ignorant on a boat is having a signed death warrant waiting to be executed.

Actually, those tugs monitor both 16 and 13. They generally only respond to calls on 13 because they can't be bothered with the rec. boaters. Also, while Rule 9b is interesting I've yet to find a snailboat making a Chanel impassible so you might want to check out rules 13 and 2 as well. It might save angry letters from lawyers and the CG from greeting one on their return home.

I'm always polite to the bridge tenders. The last trip I was towing a dingy with the wife and two separate bridge tenders requested that I lower my riggers and antennas. Because my wife doesn't run the boat I asked if they could raise the bridge instead because I was towing the dingy. Both requested my doc number and then reminded me it is a $25,000 fine not lowering my riggers/antennas. Thanked them and went on.

Sounds like you probably should have had them down, but that you handled it properly. Courtesy goes a long way. When I'm in an area that has a few bridges that can be cleared with my rigging down I generally leave it down since I'll only be calling short distances anyway. The one thing that caught my attention though was "Because my wife doesn't run the boat". Why? Hopefully it's not a macho or femme thing.

She can run the boat in an emergency. I wish she wanted to learn more but she doesn't. No macho thing here.

Good to hear. Mine was the same way until the time came that I needed to hire another captain. She stepped up, got her license and was real good. Women often get bored at the wheel, but they're great for things like bridges and docking.