Re: [Paddlewise] crossing ship channels safely

> Duane,
> What are safety considerations on crossing shipping channels?  How do you
> know when you are in the channel?

Burch's "Fundamentals of Kayak Navigation" gives a good way of determining
exactly where the lanes are by setting a course on a GPS down the middle of
the separation zone and using the xtrack distance function of your GPS to
measure how far from the route you are. If you have measured the width of
the sepation zone and each of the lanes, you can tell exactly how far from
them you are.

Here in the LA area, there are no on water markings for the lanes. They are
marked on your charts and you are expected to stay out of them unless
crossing and then to do it as quickly as possible.

>  I bet Duane and others who cross shipping lanes off LA sometimes do use a
VHF to warn
>near traffic of their presence,

I would not use the VHF unless it was an absoulte emergency. According to
the "Rules", anything that impedes the movement of a ship in a designated
shipping lane can result in HUGE fines. Causing a ship to slow down because
he doesn't see you or alter course in any way is a violation.

Ships typically move at about 15 - 30 knots in the shipping lanes, if you
see a ship, it is very wise to watch it for a while and see what it is
doing. Remember that at 30 knots, a ship will move about 3,000 feet in a
minute. That's 1/2 NM --how far do you paddle in a minute ??

> Do you VHF to large ships that you see to inform them of your presence?

No--See above

As far as strobes go---most ports and costal areas on the West Coast are
considered Inland Waterways---a strobe is a distress signal on them.

Steve Holtzman
Agoura Hills, CA




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