The rewards of an early splash paid dividends this weekend....

[hack4alivin]

The rewards of an early splash paid dividends this weekend with absolutely beautiful weather. So my friend Hans and I decided to make our annual April cruise to the Baltimore Inner Harbor. Hans was coming out of APG while I was coming from Gunpowder Cove, we left the same time, and for me the best route is to the west of Hart Miller and through “the cut”. For him the best route in to the east of Hart Miller. So I got a chance for the first time to use the “location request” feature of DSC calling, to show his position on my GPS. On my first “LR” to him it showed him well behind me, so I slowed my speed down to give him a chance to catch up, then another location request showed him on the other side of the island at my port side 9:00. As I came through the cut, there he was off my port side just making this turn into the Patapsco River. All I had to do was maintain my course and I fell in right behind him for a perfect rendezvous and make our run to the Key Bridge.

What a beautiful day to be out, no wind, no wakes, and best of all no crab pots. We spent the entire day rafted up on the wall in front of Philips just as we have in the past.

 

[midway]

That sounds like a perfectly great day on the water.

 

[Summerwind]

Love it when a plan and technology come together.
Now we can keep our running mates honest on their ETAs.

 

[StevenA]

...<snip>...So I got a chance for the first time to use the “location request” feature of DSC calling, to show his position on my GPS. On my first “LR” to him it showed him well behind me, so I slowed my speed down to give him a chance to catch up, then another location request showed him on the other side of the island at my port side 9:00...<snip>

That sounds like a wonderful time out. We had an equal one, three of us, each on our 320's and one 330, all lake buds, all anchored and rafted up together for the day soak'in up some sun as Sheryl Crow would say it. Perfect 80 degree day here in the midwest for some early boating !!

Wondering, do you have anything special equipment wise for this DSC calling you talked about. I have a c80 with radar and gps connected to my vhf radio. Sounds like a lot of fun. Cheers!!

 

[hack4alivin]

Wondering, do you have anything special equipment wise for this DSC calling you talked about. I have a c80 with radar and gps connected to my vhf radio. Sounds like a lot of fun. Cheers!!

You need to have an MMSI number programmed in your radio, your calling friends as well. You then use the "Call" button on your radio, scroll down till you see "LL Request" (Location request), scoll to your friends name, hit enter, enter again at the "send" prompt. The radio will switch to the DSC working channel, channel 70 and transmitt the request. When your friend radio receives the transmission it will start ringing like a telephone, at that point he must acknowledge the request in order for you to get the positon back. If all goes correctly your C80 will have a big white popup box saying position aguired and prompt you to place a waypoint. When you do, it will put a waypoint at his location.

If you request his postion multiple times you must then use the "Replace Waypoint" button to aguire his new postion.

When we used it, it was not real accurate but close enough. One time my friends postion was on Hart Miller Insland. I called him back and told him to "slow down, your on the beach!". He failed to see the humor in that.

 

[Youngin19]

This was a great weekend in our area! Unfortunately we were on land all weekend preparing for the season. I will have to meet up with you guys once we get more comfortable with our boat. Maybe I can learn a few hundred things from you! :thumbsup: We are coming out of Rock Creek so the Harbor isn't far from us.

 

[hack4alivin]

Here is La Dolce Vita off my port quarter as I come straight out from the cut ready to slide in behind her:

We came in behind her than ran up along her port side for some picture taking:

Rafted up at the wall in the Inner Harbor and our "signature shot" 2010 sytle:

 

[capecodcruiser]

How cool is that picture!!!??? Looks like a great time! Enjoy!

 

[Hans]

As my friend Bill stated, it was a great day. This is the second year in a row that we planned our first cruise of the season to the Baltimore Inner Harbor. The picture of our 2 boats stern to stern was also featured on the May 2010 page of the Club Sea Ray calendar. It is going to be a great boating season.