- Joined
- Apr 14, 2006
- RO Number
- 20854
- Messages
- 1,192
I had to run the boat alone for the first time this weekend, to drop it off for service. Going into the Manatee River (for the first time from the Bay) I went by the first marker and started aiming for the boats coming my way out of the river... I had to be there by a certain time so I was kind of looking at the charts as I could while piloting the boat (bad call!).
Suddenly my depthsounder starts reading 5... 4.5... 4.0... I started getting a bit antsy and noticed the water looking browner and browner around me... honestly I had no idea if I had veered off the narrow channel to the left or right... I did not get off plane (bad call?) cause I knew I'd hit bottom then! I zig zagged a bit going by the color of the water found the channel again... My sounder was as low as 2.6 at one moment... although I know that I can add about a foot and a half to that reading... it was probably one of the longest minutes of my life.
Would it have been a better call to get off plane to prevent a hard grounding? Probably..... what have you done (if you've had a similar thing happen)??? (I/O's by the way, and at least I knew the bottom was 'forgiving' - sand)
I have a feeling I was very lucky...
Suddenly my depthsounder starts reading 5... 4.5... 4.0... I started getting a bit antsy and noticed the water looking browner and browner around me... honestly I had no idea if I had veered off the narrow channel to the left or right... I did not get off plane (bad call?) cause I knew I'd hit bottom then! I zig zagged a bit going by the color of the water found the channel again... My sounder was as low as 2.6 at one moment... although I know that I can add about a foot and a half to that reading... it was probably one of the longest minutes of my life.
Would it have been a better call to get off plane to prevent a hard grounding? Probably..... what have you done (if you've had a similar thing happen)??? (I/O's by the way, and at least I knew the bottom was 'forgiving' - sand)
I have a feeling I was very lucky...