Safety advice on river barge traffic?

[fiddlebick]

I am only a few seasons into boating, and my experienced brother clued me in on river traffic safety...particularly barge traffic. If you are in a river that has barge traffic, be very watchful. It's not a good idea to anchor in the middle of the river, as barges can slip up on you before you know it. Even being watchful boaters in the ohio, there have been times when I am preoccupied while floating around, only to look up and see a barge that I wasn't aware was anywhere near...never too close..but its a "damn where did that come from" moment! I always choose a swimming spot well clear of the main channel, or when in the narrow Green River here in Ky, I have a spot I like that has a clear view of the river in each direction, and I get over near the bank when one slips by. Swimming near the bank when a barge travels by can be very dangerous as powerful undertows are created in the vicinity of the barge wake. Several people nearly drowned in the ohio a few weeks ago, sucked out while in water that was not over their heads,(no jackets on) because they were in a narrow spot between an island and the kentucky bank, where the barges have to travel to get in the deep water. Please add any stories or advice to help us all stay aware and be safe on the water.

[RcgTexas]

IN my previous life I was a river pilot. Now I'm a grandfather!

Most important is that River tows(made up of several barges usually) will be in the navigable part of the river , The buoyed channel. They take a while stop, especially going down river. That distance might be 2 tow lengths(possibly 2 thousand feet, depending on Hp of Vessel and river conditions. I wouldn't spend much time in their way. If you have engine failure or someone falls off a tube in front you may be in a pickle and some poor fellow who hasn't seen his family for 30 days may not be able to stop in time to save yours.

Each 195 X 35 foot barge has 15 to 16 hundred tons of cargo aboard. and a Tow May have as many as 15 to 40 barges in tow depending on the river. So that's like a small town coming toward you at 8 mph upriver, and as much as 16 mph down river.

A Pilot that sees you crossing his bow may assume you will clear in time, but that "assumption" sometimes could make an ass out of you and him.

If his barges are empty there will be a blind spot directly on his bow that may extend a couple of hundred feet ahead depending on his Eye level. IF you cant see his pilot house he cant see you.

Hope this is of some help.

[fiddlebick]

Very good input! Never a good idea to anchor in the channel, but if you do, make sure you have a razor knife on board in case you need to move and can't free your anchor. Quick fix to cut the rope and let'r go in case one of the barges comes along. Also another good arguement for having two battery set up to insure plenty of cranking power if your shut down in the river.

[Cowracer]

You can rest assured that you will cause absolutely no damage to a barge as it runs over the top of you.


Also, on the Mississippi and other rivers, there are many fleets of parked barges lining the banks. Fishermen seem to love to fish around them. Anyway, some barges have rake front ends, the slope backwards from the top to the bottom, kinda like a big flat bottom jonboat.



If you lose your engine around one of those, you stand a very, very good chance of dying. The current will drag you under the rake, and your life jacket will only help the search teams to find your body later on. Make it a good practice never to anchor upstream of a barge fleet. In fact, just stay the hell away from them if at all possible. You wouldn't believe the swirling currents around a parked fleet of full barges.


Tim

[fiddlebick]

I had never heard the warning about the parked barges either. Thanks for that one.

[chill'nthemost]

In the Columbia we just made sure we stayed way out of the channel. Pay attention to the nav. buoys