by flagman1776 » 22 Jun 2019, 15:53
Oh, yes, the fish traps! We have them too. They are only allowed in certain areas, marked on the charts but weekend warriors aren't always as careful as they should be. I recall going through them as a youngster... a miscalculation on my father's part, and never repeated. We were aboard a 30 foot sloop, under sail. Very fortunately a full keel design. We sure knew it when that taught steel cable thwacked under the hull!
Many years later, I had a customer get his power boat hung up in them... the fishermen freed it the next day... and they were none too gentle. I recall having to replace cleats that were pulled right off the deck.
I had to go retrieve a boat with the customer... a brand new 25 foot inboard sport fisherman. The customer scoffed when I brought my own charts on board. I showed him, I had the correct compass bearing drawn on the map... and I insisted we follow them. I pointed out that the heading he was on would take us through the fish traps. We hit thick fog, half way out of Narragansett Bay. Visibility was between 25 and 50 feet. The customer wanted to turn back... because we were on course, I pressed on. Our land fall, (pure luck, but it increased my cred immensely) was dead center in the breakwater entrance. (I knew we'd come up on the break water, the entrance was luck.) *** He owned a mil spec metal finishing business. Plating. Hard anodizing. The company is still there but he's long since retired.
no longer able to use my TravelScoots