Aquapalooza 2010 Lake Erie - Sandusky Bay

[LTD.330]

Channel 16 is a Distress, Safety, and Calling channel. It's perfectly legal to hail another vessel on 16, make contact and switch to another channel to carry on the conversation. As DPF just mentioned, don't chit chat or the CG will scold you.

In my opinion everybody should monitor channel 16, it gives you the ability to help someone close by who may really need your potentially lifesaving help. Who knows it may be you who needs the help one day. So the more people listening to the radio the better off we all are.

 

[Cincy Aquaholic]

LTD is absolutely correct. I generally switch to 69.

 

[Wired2Cruze]

Channel 16 is a Distress, Safety, and Calling channel. It's perfectly legal to hail another vessel on 16, make contact and switch to another channel to carry on the conversation. As DPF just mentioned, don't chit chat or the CG will scold you.

Thanks for the reminder, that's my procedure as well if I use #16 to make contact with someone, it's usually to say "Switch to channel xx", and then do so. :thumbsup:

 

[CHiefho70]

Channel 16 is a Distress, Safety, and Calling channel. It's perfectly legal to hail another vessel on 16, make contact and switch to another channel to carry on the conversation. As DPF just mentioned, don't chit chat or the CG will scold you.

In my opinion everybody should monitor channel 16, it gives you the ability to help someone close by who may really need your potentially lifesaving help. Who knows it may be you who needs the help one day. So the more people listening to the radio the better off we all are.

This is correct as a matter of fact if you have a marine radio and are not actively talking on another channel you are required to monitor ch 16.

 

[Lake Erie Boater]

Just a few weeks ago, while setting the anchor off of Cedar Point Beach, an obviously panicked woman got on 16 hailing a "mayday mayday" that she had someone on board who had been stung by something and they were having trouble breathing. No GPS, could not find the distress flag, was going to try to launch a flair, etc. The CG asked for the location and she said between PIB and Kelleys Isand. After giving the CG the description of the vessel, it was another boater who was monitoring 16 who saw the boat and called the CG with the LAT and LONG coordinates (the boat was actually between Kelleys and Marblehead). With the information from the good sam, the CG immediately vectored their HELO over for assistance. Additionally an off duty Fire Dept. EMT heard the whole thing and went over for assistance.

Bottom line, when the engines are on, so is 16. Never know when you may be able to help someone, or someone may be able to help you.

OK, back to the OP, I am going to try to get there as well. My plans to be on the HD with a buddy just fell apart, so I will be calling Heidi tomorrow to see if it is not too late to register.

 

[Zorba]

Well lesson learned here i guess about channel 16. Typically we have a minimum of three boats going out at the same time so we settle on a channel to communicate on before we leave port.

The reason for the original chatter post was because the last time i even hailed a vessel on 16 the CG immediately let me know that this was an emergency channel and t ouse a different channel for boat to boat communication. And i stress all i did was call a boat not try to strike up a conversation...

Anyway look forward to seeing some of you at AQP or at MBI

 

[Lake Erie Boater]

Well lesson learned here i guess about channel 16. Typically we have a minimum of three boats going out at the same time so we settle on a channel to communicate on before we leave port.

The reason for the original chatter post was because the last time i even hailed a vessel on 16 the CG immediately let me know that this was an emergency channel and t ouse a different channel for boat to boat communication. And i stress all i did was call a boat not try to strike up a conversation...

Anyway look forward to seeing some of you at AQP or at MBI

Zorba,

My radio has a dual watch function. As we frequently travel with others and use 68, I set it to monitor both 16 and 68 for radio traffic. It works great and keeps you off of 16 when your buddy is calling. The only tick in it is if someone does call anyone on 16, it reverts to fully monitoring 16 and you lose 68 so you have to remember to reset the dual watch function. I think it is a safety feature so that you can hear all 16 radio traffic should a similar mayday occur. I frequently forget to reset the dual watch. Hey, worst case though your buddies figure out that you are not monitoring 68 and call you on 16.

Hope to see you guys all at the sand bar. Look for me too.

 

[Quint4]

Uh...did I miss something? We were in Sandusky Bay Saturday for Aquapalooza and never saw the event? We saw some grounded boats but no MarineMax types or organized event.....we finally just headed over to Middle Bass & PIB.

 

[DPF]

I was there and there were 34 boats when I left. We were straight west of the roller coasters. Marine Max had 2 blue hauled Sea rays there. We listened to the Music and swam a little. It was windy. It was ok but some of the people we were going with couldn't make it so we went ourself didn't reconize anyone. Radio channel 79 was the channel to be on.

 

[Lake Erie Boater]

Here are the only 2 photos I could get before the batteries in my camera died.

The 2 blue hulled boats in the first photo were from MarineMax.

The winds were quite stiff early in the party and at one time it seemed like the small chop had even developed its own whitecaps. Funny thing was that as the day wore on, the anchorage got quite pleasant.

As last years on the water event was cancelled due to the weather, it was good to at least be out there in the group.

 

[DPF]

based on were your pix are shot from we must have been right beside you fairly close. We pulled anchor around 1

 

[Cincy Aquaholic]

Just got back home from a long day of crusing back to Huron from Put In Bay then trailering the boat back to Brookville and driving home.

I saw those boats as we cruised out of the channel but it didn't look like much was going on. I was expecting more so we just decided to pass. This was about 30 minutes (10:30) after . . . . I grounded the boat coming from the opposite side of that sand bar area (which is where I thought the event was). God, couldn't believe it. I was well outside the range markers towards CP side. I was very cautious to be plenty far away. Going about 22 mph then all of a sudden, came to a sudden halt with that unmistakable feeling. Port engine was stalled. After letting the expletives fly, I shut the other motor down and raised the drives up trailer posiiton. Thankfully, it was choppy there and we were quickly rocked into deeper water. I must have been just on the edge of it. checked the drives and nothing was wrong. Lowered them back down and motored on our way. Very unsettling feelng but no worse for the wear.

Tow Boat US was seemingly having a field day. I saw a 320 in further and grounded. Then has we idled the channel out we saw no less than two other large cruisers come to a grinding halt.

Gotta say, as much as we loved this trip I prefer our 100 feet deep water at Lake Cumberland any day!

 

[RollerCoastr]

Oh no! Well I'm glad you were able to free yourself. On some days I think the towboats would go bankrupt if it weren't for that sand...

A nice-looking 290 was entering CP as I was exiting early Friday afternoon. I waved in case it was you. I had some eye candy aboard, but the skipper of the 290 had his wife close at hand, so he probably wasn't able to check it out. :grin:

Did the kids enjoy the park? I got some rides in yesterday, but the crowds were intense.

 

[Cincy Aquaholic]

Oh no! Well I'm glad you were able to free yourself. On some days I think the towboats would go bankrupt if it weren't for that sand...

A nice-looking 290 was entering CP as I was exiting early Friday afternoon. I waved in case it was you. I had some eye candy aboard, but the skipper of the 290 had his wife close at hand, so he probably wasn't able to check it out. :grin:

Did the kids enjoy the park? I got some rides in yesterday, but the crowds were intense.

That very well could have been us! Unfortunately, I didn't get to see the eye candy. Not until we made it out to PIB that is. Kids loved it. I went with them early friday morning then left them with their grandparents. It was insanely hot and I just wanted to go boating!! I'll be uploading some pics in a new thread in a little while.

 

[Lake Erie Boater]

Just got back home from a long day of crusing back to Huron from Put In Bay then trailering the boat back to Brookville and driving home.

I saw those boats as we cruised out of the channel but it didn't look like much was going on. I was expecting more so we just decided to pass. This was about 30 minutes (10:30) after . . . . I grounded the boat coming from the opposite side of that sand bar area (which is where I thought the event was). God, couldn't believe it. I was well outside the range markers towards CP side. I was very cautious to be plenty far away. Going about 22 mph then all of a sudden, came to a sudden halt with that unmistakable feeling. Port engine was stalled. After letting the expletives fly, I shut the other motor down and raised the drives up trailer posiiton. Thankfully, it was choppy there and we were quickly rocked into deeper water. I must have been just on the edge of it. checked the drives and nothing was wrong. Lowered them back down and motored on our way. Very unsettling feelng but no worse for the wear.

Tow Boat US was seemingly having a field day. I saw a 320 in further and grounded. Then has we idled the channel out we saw no less than two other large cruisers come to a grinding halt.

Gotta say, as much as we loved this trip I prefer our 100 feet deep water at Lake Cumberland any day!

I too have seen my share of groundings over there. One time I saw 2 people literally ejected from the front of a bow rider. Luckily no one was hurt, but that water around the sandbar does seem awful inviting to those without local knowledge (or a chart).

Good too hear all is OK with your boat and crew.

 

[Cincy Aquaholic]

Is it possible that that sand bar and shallows moves during the course of a weekend? I was absolutely sure or so I thought that I took that precise path the day before without issue.

 

[bblack]

When I listened to the weather late Friday, they said we were only 18" over low water datum. That's about 18" lower than we normally are but the winds had been out of the south, generally, for a couple of days. Lower Lake Erie 18" and that sand bar gets a lot bigger. Last fall we had a big south blow for about a week and the boat at the public docks at the Bay were in the mud.

 

[DPF]

We went to the west side of the sand bar looking for the party as well the only way I found it was we went to Marine max Fri for the registration and pre party and heidi told us to mon channel 79. I seen a few boats when we went around about 10:30 or 11 am but not much. no one was on the west side. I called and asked where everyone was at and they said east side so we came around. There were about 10 boats at that time. When we left around 1 my wife counted 34 boats. A long way from the 160 Heidi had signed up.
When i go around the sand bar I go straight up the channel about 1/2 way to sandusky and cut right 90 degrees and go to the middle of the bay and make another 90. A little out of the way but safe. Don't feel bad many people ground on it. We went to the barge party a couple of weeks ago and I seen about a 40'er setting there and about 4 people walking around it in water 1/2 way up to their knee. They were not as lucky as you to get off. Glad you were ok and it did not spoil your weekend.