Hi,
This topic is apropos as we went through Dodd Narrows northbound today - on Monday of a long weekend, no less. It was our first time and we found ourselves in the midst of a string of boats going through about 15 minutes before the turn to flood. The current speed according to Navionics was around 1 knot. The lead boat in our group did not make a Securite announcement and no one else (ourselves included) did either. Being novices, we weren't sure of the protocol and once the boat was into the Narrows my focus was on the helm rather than the radio. Although the waters were churning a fair bit, it did not present a problem for our R25SC with its power. Southbound boats trying to transit on the last of the ebb, however, had to hold up until our group passed through - which could have been avoided had someone got on the radio. If I had it to do over, I would have hung back the extra 15 minutes until slack and made our own Securite announcement regardless of what others were doing. The biggest problem I see is not the passage conditions themselves so much as the volume of traffic which bottlenecks down into the two bays on either side of the Narrows. That itself can be intimidating. This collection includes boaters of various skill and experience levels, commercial traffic (which fortunately we did not have to contend with this time) and vessels with varying degrees of power and maneuverability. And, unfortunately, there are also the thrill-seekers and the impatient mariners who come far too close to other boats and even threaten to pass. If everyone is patient and uses common sense, Dodd Narrows doesn't have to be that stressful.
Mike & Peggy Eligh
2014 R25SC
"Daria"
