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| The waterfront is lined with swings, often fully occupied, beautiful. I once heard how the locals remember to pronounce the two Beaufort correctly. The one in South Carolina is beautiful - so it’s Bew-ford. The one in North Carolina is Bow-ford. |
Steamboat, as always , was very quiet but last night was exceptional - you could have been on land. I ran Hoolie into the dock before the sun came up. We weighed anchor around 7:10 or so and started off. We wanted to leave early enough to catch a falling high tide at Watts Cut (4.5 MLLW minimum) and Ashepoo-Coosaw Cutoff (5.8 MLLW minimum). I expected less water at Ashepoo but by carefully follow the latest USACE survey, I saw the reported number. This afternoon, I transferred by track to the Bob423 track for the area and will be publishing it tomorrow.
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| Help is on the way! Dredges at Ashepoo-Coosaw Cutoff! |
We reached Beaufort by noon. During the migration months, the bridge opens on the hour and half hour. Outside that time period, they only open on top of the hour. They had originally petitioned the Coast Guard for only two openings a day at 10:00 and 2:00!! The Coast Guard denied the request. The town council doesn’t seem to much care for boaters. However, the town is great to explore but we stayed on the waterfront.
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| A quiet night. That’s Fleetwing at the far left in the photo |
On Tuesday, we will move on to Savannah for the night. The weather continues to be fantastic, couldn’t ask for better. I’ve never seen it this calm in the sounds, totally flat and very little wind. It’s been a nice trip south once past the storms in Deltaville at the beginning of our trip.
6 comments:
enjoy your evening in savannah. we are headed out to texas for a visit to the son/grandson today, tuesday morning. maybe on your return trip. Good Luck and continued fair winds ! jack and kay
Hi Bob, don’t see an updated long track for your Watts and Ashepoo Coosaw that you mentioned in your blog. Will there be a updated long track?
A big thanks.
Dave
Bob, what make is your tender? Looks like a great solution.... Also, I'm moving a recently purchased Catalina 320 South to Melbourne this weekend from Charleston. I'm hoping to avoid any soft landings as a solo ICW first timer. 4.25 draft, wing keel. Any advice or guidance is appreciated. Kevin F.
On the dinghy question part 1
Defender Dinghy Advantages
I recommend a dinghy designed by the CEO of Defender Marine in Hypalon material with a fiberglass hull for $4700.00 - It has served me well on the ICW, details below. Before buying another brand, compare the features below to any alternative:
First step: RIB, aluminum, or inflated floor? I chose fiberglass RIB for taking Hoolie ashore on a beach and for not worrying about bottom paint interactions with aluminum.
Second step; Hypalon or PVC? I chose Hypalon for long term durability and resistance to whatever I might spill in the dinghy.
Third step: size, I chose 9 to 10 feet for enough room for myself, Ann, and Hoolie to comfortably go ashore. I paired it with a 6 HP Mercury outboard, chosen for easy service along the ICW and the ability to get up on plane with Hoolie balanced against having to put the motor up on the back rail after use.
The rest of the comparisons are given below. Put check marks by any alternative you might investigate, see which one has the most checks.
Part2
Defender is one of the largest sellers of inflatables in the world. The CEO of Defender designed their inflatable line based on what they found in returns. For example:
- they added large patches on the bottom of the aft tubes to provide additional protection from boaters pulling their dinghy up on sand when beached.
- the tube to transom attachment points are heavily reinforced with a thick rubber mold.
- the rib models have a full-length rub rail for protection when beaching
- there is roping around the perimeter of the dinghy which is very handy when you’re in the water and hanging on, especially with grandkids in swimming.
- there are multiple stainless steel attachment rings handy for clipping a line from your boat or a dock for sideways exits.
- the fabric is the best in the business, made by Achilles (Hypalon type)
- it's made in the same factory in China as Mercury and Zodiac inflatables.
- it comes with a pump that has a pressure gauge so you know how much pressure you’re adding
- the three air chambers have over inflation relief valves so you can’t over-inflate even If the sun comes out after a morning inflation (does your alternative model have this?)
- The oars are stored on top of the tubes, ready for immediate use. In my AB, they were stored next to the floor, under the tubes, much less convenient, plus I lost one when the dinghy overturned one time and the retention straps for the oars got old and let go. When taking Hoolie ashore, I use the oars on every trip to paddle the last few feet to the beach and to push off when leaving.
My previous inflatable by AB had none of the above features., perhaps newer models have caught up.
Features shared with my old AB include (AB costs about $1000 more).
- Both have 17-inch tube diameters.
- a rub rail although the Defender model has a much wider one
- a high bow although the AB does have a higher bow
- a dry ride, the Defender model throws the water out at a lower angle so it doesn't spray into the dinghy with a sideways wind as much as in my old AB
- a stainless steel tow ring attached to the fiberglass hull
- two tow rings attached to the inflatable part, port and starboard.
- AB has a 10-year warranty on loss of inflation, Defender and every other manufacturer has 5 years
- a seat comes with the dinghy and the Defender has attachments for a second seat.
- AB had a double floor so it’s completely flat, the Defender has a single floor as do almost all new inflatable models. It’s flat enough for me.
- a repair kit
The Defender model is about $1000 less than AB and about the same from Mercury and Zodiac. You would not believe how it comes packed. It’s crated with furniture-grade wood (to pass European requirements, no insects). The dinghy is hung by straps inside the crate so it doesn’t rub, it’s encased in plastic and bubble wrap. Then it’s also inside its own dinghy cover with a zipper. Once out of that, there’s a big plastic bag that has to be removed.
I’ve inflated it once in the summer, zero air loss over the last three years, I’m happy. I can plane with a 5 hp motor with Hoolie aboard. I trail my dinghy behind Fleetwing, it's ready to go that way as soon as we anchor.
Link to RIB Hypalon 300
https://www.defender.com/product.jsp?path=-1%7C215570%7C1794282%7C1794291&id=7733547
Kevin, I suppose you mean Watts Cut, not Walls Cut? I saw 4.5 MLLW at Watts Cut on the Bob423 track so you’ll need enough tide to compensate but not a maximum high tide.
Bob423
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