We recently had a boat rescue were a family got their boat
stuck in Redwood Creek Slough. The
family had been stuck for hours and was unable to free the boat. The Redwood City Police Marine Unit along
with Fire personnel were able to free the boat and assist the passengers. No one was harmed and the boat was successfully
freed.
While you should always be aware of your surroundings when
you’re at the helm, you should be on full alert whenever you’re entering an
area with shallow or “skinny” water. You can get you grounded, stuck or worse.
With the following tips, you
can boldly cruise skinny water with confidence.
• Check The Soundings
Although boat electronics were once priced out of the reach
of many average boaters, today there are lots of reasonably priced devices out
there to help in shallow-water situations. For most folks, it will be a depth
finder. But if your conditions are extreme, it makes sense to consult a
chart…either electronic or paper. They contain valuable information called
“soundings” that show the depths of any particular area you may be traveling.
What you’re really looking for are the areas where the water suddenly gets
shallower. Steer clear of those areas.
• Know Your Limits
By all means, know your boat’s draft. That’s a number,
normally measured in inches, that tells you how much of your boat is
underwater, from the lowest part of your boat up to the waterline. The easiest
(and most accurate) way to get this information is from your owner’s manual or
the boat manufacturer’s website. In a pinch, you can estimate this number by
dividing the overall length (measured from bow to stern at the waterline) by
two. Keep in mind that unless you’ve got a jet drive, you’ll also have a
spinning prop or two at about that depth, so always trim up when things starts to get shallow.
• Read The Water
This is where those high-tech polarized sunglasses really
earn their keep. As you’re underway, you’ll be able to see a variety of
different colors under the water. Look for drastic changes in color, and always
be aware that darker usually means deeper. Some parts of the country have
little jingles to help you remember such as: Brown, brown, run aground. White,
white you just might. Green, green, nice and clean. Blue, blue, sail on
through.
• Know The Tides
Even if you got through some skinny water yesterday without
incident, you always need to check the tide schedule before trying it again.
Many areas deal with a significant tidal change of up to several feet, making
low tide extremely treacherous when you’re shoving off. Worse still, you could
snake your way to some great flats fishing, then find yourself stranded for
hours until the tide comes back in. Don’t let this happen to you!
• Slow Down
Unless you’re cruising on a pontoon, more than likely your
boat has what’s called a “planing hull.” That means it will sit lower in the
water until you reach an “on-plane” speed, which is different for every boat.
Once on plane, your boat will lift and rise up out of the water, giving you a
little more shallow-water clearance from the bottom. The problem is, if you’re
running at planing speed and suddenly come up on a shallow area, your reaction
will likely be to pull the throttle back completely. That can run you aground
(as the boat drops off plane) or worse. Just run slowly and stay off plane if
there’s a chance of shallow water. Better to bump something and be able to back
off gently than run aground hard and risk damage to you, your passengers or
your boat.
For more boating tips visit www.uscgboating.org
You can also check the tide chart at www.redwoodcityport.com/p7iq/html/tidechart.html
