Google earth?

J

jtybt15

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Do any of youse guys use google earth? Northern Ivy put up an overlay for GE and it has large parts of the delta. It takes a bit to figure out and read how to get things up and running but if any of you get it working , how about posting a little review about the accuracy of the depth/sounding as that has always been the main reason I haven't visited the delta before.

Here's the link from NI:

http://www.boated.com/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=94717
 
Charlie,

I hate to sound like a dummy, but I couldn't figure out exactly what you are looking at from that link. I'd be happy to help out if you give me a bit more of a clue. I'm pretty familiar with lost of the Delta and I can assure you that you needn't worry too much about depths in the Delta. Buy yourself a chartbook and/or a Hal Schell Delta Map and then keep an eye on your depth sounder. It is unusual to have much of a problem with an i/o boat there. My boat drafts 4'-8" and I can go most everywhere if I watch the tides and my route. When we're out in the i/o powered ski boat, I have very little concern about depth. I'm now knocking on wood, crossing my finger and doing my lucky dance as I admit that I don't even have a depth sounder on the ski boat.

If you'd like to come up and explore the Delta a bit, I'd be happy to show you around. Give me a call sometime.
 
Dave,
Turns out the overlay, which looks just like a chart, only works with an internet connection. I was hoping to have a 'portable chart' with me on the laptop.

Do you keep the big boat in the delta? I'd like to take my boat up there but I'll tow it most of the way to save gas. Maybe I can meet you up there...when it gets warmer. Tomorrow, I'm taking a few of the older guys from the Richmond marina up to the Benicia Marina for lunch. Never been there either. I get to try out my laptop hooked to the GPS and Google Earth for the first time on the water. I drove around town and was impressed that I was in the same lane of the road while moving East/West but about 10 feet(3 M) off traveling North/South.
 
Charlie, as Dave indicated, with a little bit of common sense and some maps it is very easy to avoid groundngs in the Delta. On the other hand, a little temporary disorientation is common in the Delta. It is so flat that the best orientation is Mt Diablo to the west and the Sierras to the east. Once you get some local landmarks it becomes easier.
 
Easy for you to say. I spent my childhood fishing at Franks Tract with my dad and I was perpetually lost. Everywhere I looked there was a wall of tules....or open water. But I did learn how to clean stripers. Back then, you'd seldom see one under 18 lbs.
 
Charlie,

Yes I keep the cruiser up in the Delta at Willow Berm Marina. If you'd like to come up for a day to poke around, you could just drive up and we could take the runabout out to cover more ground. As Dug said, once you get familiar with a few landmarks, it becomes much easier to find your way around.
 
I would get disoriented in the Delta the first 3 years I boated up there! It helps to find Mt Diable in relation to your compass and remember the heading. If you are bewildered in the middle of Franks Tract, point your boat towards Mt Diablo then figure out which direction you want to go from there.

Get Hal Schell's map. While you are boating, stop every so often and find your actual location on the map. Then look around to find any landmarks which are also on the map. They will be subtle, such as a hard right turn, electric poles on either side of the waterway, a group of tall trees. After doing this a few times, the landmarks will relate to the map and you will get a better idea of where you are. But getting lost in the delta is part of the fun, I think.

As far as groundings go, when it is a minus tide condition, go only where you are familiar with the normal depths to avoid surprises such as submerged pilings, etc.
 
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