Different routes to the same place?

D

DLL

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Using my updated "The Capn" software, I ran a route from WillowBerm to Angel Island. I went down past Antioch, past Pittsburgh and out into the Sacramento River Deep Water Channel.
Approx 55.4 miles.

The WB down to three mile slough to the Sacramento Deep Water Channel. 56.1 miles.

If a person were in a hurry, 3 mile Slough might be faster??? Or take the other route for
fuel stops in Antioch or Pittsburgh?

I would think Mildred would have more than two routes in/out. Tower Park too.

Might be a dumb question, if you were going to the Farallon Islands, would you go north of the islands, cutting south and swinging East?

It is about 3 miles between the islands, so crossing over should not ruffle too many feathers..would it? (Sorry, the pun was irrestible)

Past the North F. Island is NoonDay Rock...about 3 miles or so. I read it never surfaces,
and is from 37 meters to 4 meters under water. A ship named NoonDay hit and sank, give or take a lie or two.
 
Use your software and follow the Sac DWC downstream. By the time you get to the Antioch Bridge, the Channel is comprised of both the San Joaquin and the Sacramento. So either way, you will pass by the same fueling stops. One difference in the time factor is the no wake zone at Outrigger Marina and Brannon State Park. This area is heavy patrolled by sheriff and ranger patrols.

Mildred can be approached from the east, north, west and south. Several routes available to most boats. However the depth of the island-lake limits the size of the boats. I think the average depth is about 11 feet and is influenced by tidal action.
 
Flutter, I beg to differ. Below the Antioch Bridge, which crosses ONLY the San Joaquin, the SAC and SJ Deep Water channels remain separate, with the SJ DWC running through New York Slough. If you take the Sacramento River route, you'll miss all the Antioch harbors and you'll have to take a short side trip into New York Slough to stop at Pittsburg.

I don't know that there's a particular speed advantage either way--but I don't recall any no-wake zones below the Willow Berm area on the San Joaquin. That's not to say that reducing speed for other traffic won't be necessary, however--it might well be.

I've been up that way about a dozen times, only returning via the Sacramento once following a transit of Georgiana Slough. If this is a first trip for you Dave, I'd certainly say "go one way and come back the other". If you're not tight on time, running a short distance up the Sac to Rio Vista will add another pleasant stop to your trip.

BTG
 
Avoid the Sac side if the wind is up, especially if the current is ebbing. The SJ side is a smoother ride most of the time.
 
Ok, BTG, you can stop begging now. I should have looked on a chart instead going off of my failing memory, but they are on the boat.......
 
I have been both ways several times, but not since 2004. I just found it odd that the distance was so close. I don't know of any place you have a no wake on the deep water channels. The CG told me the No Wake does NOT apply there.

Yeah, I forgot about Brannon St Park on the curve there..but a real short distance. Then again, I have sat there waiting on the bridge to open a couple of times too.

And TowCapt is right too. I have hit some nasty wind waves on the Sac Deep Water Channel as it rounds the bend there. Ugh.
 
Dave, the only entrance at Mildred where you don't have to worry about depth is on the Northeast corner. The other entrance is on the Southeast corner but it is best to go through at high tide. I have been through at a +1 ft tide on the south end a couple times but I didn't have much clearance and I was probably pushing it even though I coasted through very slowly so I would have a chance to back down. Since the shallow part is mud you can back down without causing damage, but who would want to risk that?
 
The northeast corner of Mildred is where the original levy broke. That action dug a whole 75-85 ft deep. It gets skinny on either side as the hole slopes towards the old levy rocks, but as you appproach if you see your depth drop off rapidly, you will know you are in the right place. In my posting above, I was not referring to entrances to Mildred; guess I misunderstood DLL's question. There used to be an old barbed wire fence at the southwest entrance which could snag props and OD. I guess that has finally been broken.

When I go to Mildred, I always enter and exit at that 80 ft hole. One time I was able to get out of Mildred in thick, thick fog by navigating by depth to that hole.
 
Liz, a boat your size shouldn't have any problem going through the south end. Even at low tide. I think that the fence and any other obstructions have long since been mowed over by countless unsuspecting boaters and layers of mud and silt deposits.
 
Thanks Upper. You are probably right. Coming from Bethel Island, using the NE entrance is easiest for me anyway.
 
15 years ago I always used the hole in the northeast to enter Mildred. Over the years other holes have appeared and gotten deeper and wider.

One thing to watch out for, however. All the holes continue to grow in width as the tide errodes the old levees away. They can be very shallow at the new width! This is especially true for the hole at the south end. Plenty deep in the middle, but if you cut to close to the side at low tide you can hit bottom.

Rod
 
Thanks for clearing that up. My new maps are being updated & should be correct. I hope.

I went in and out the NE corner with no problems. BUT time and tide await no boat, to paraphrase Bill Clinton in his book about avoiding anything colored Blue. :D
 
What do the paper charts say, I know that is what you did first????????????
 
Those charts are at the boat, and you are right, I look at the GPS and then my paper charts because the Raymarine GPS info was new back then, I did not totally trust it. New to me anyway.

The water moves sand bars around enough that the GPS may not be that accurate a year later.

Last time I had my boat out at Ladd's Boatyard, I wanted an antenna, a sensor up front so I could see how deep it was at the front of my boat, not 25 or 30 feet behind the bow. They convinced me I was wrong, too much distortion from waves, etc. But when we are in real shallow water, I am not going fast. Pull it into neutral and coast, bump it into gear and then out of gear to coast a little further. A sensor up front might be a good thing to have. Wish I had done it now.
 
quote:
Originally posted by JimPend

What do the paper charts say, I know that is what you did first????????????
Click to expand...


JP, the charts in the delta have not been updates since the 1940s. At that time Mildred was still an island. It flooded back in the 1980s. In this case, GPS is more apt to show it as a flooded island and the paper charts do not.
 
The southern entrance has a snag somewhere in the eastern half of it. It took out a prop on an o/d boat last year. We tend to favor the western side of that opening, and even with the 33' twin it is not a problem.
 
quote:
Originally posted by Flutterby

quote:
Originally posted by JimPend

What do the paper charts say, I know that is what you did first????????????
Click to expand...


JP, the charts in the delta have not been updates since the 1940s. At that time Mildred was still an island. It flooded back in the 1980s. In this case, GPS is more apt to show it as a flooded island and the paper charts do not.

Click to expand...


I'm sorry Flutter, but you are completely wrong on the subject NOAA government charts.

Take a look at the second picture I included in my post on government charts. That's the picture with the open charts on the table.

The lower chart in that picture is the current 18661. I can see a blue (that means water) Mildred Island on that chart right now. It's right in that picture and as plain as the nose on my face.

If you don't believe my photo of 18661, check it out with the NOAA chart view yourself:
http://www.charts.noaa.gov/OnLineViewer/18661.htm

Some of the sounding info away from the shipping channels is pretty old, but still quite usable. In my experience NOAA does an excelent job of keeping the charts up to date.

I think you are doing new Delta boaters a disservice by discouraging use of these excellent NOAA charts.
 
quote:
Originally posted by yzer

quote:
Originally posted by Flutterby

quote:
Originally posted by JimPend

What do the paper charts say, I know that is what you did first????????????
Click to expand...


JP, the charts in the delta have not been updates since the 1940s. At that time Mildred was still an island. It flooded back in the 1980s. In this case, GPS is more apt to show it as a flooded island and the paper charts do not.

Click to expand...


I'm sorry Flutter, but you are completely wrong on the subject NOAA government charts.

Take a look at the second picture I included in my post on government charts. That's the picture with the open charts on the table.

The lower chart in that picture is the current 18661. I can see a blue (that means water) Mildred Island on that chart right now. It's right in that picture and as plain as the nose on my face.

If you don't believe my photo of 18661, check it out with the NOAA chart view yourself:
http://www.charts.noaa.gov/OnLineViewer/18661.htm

Some of the sounding info away from the shipping channels is pretty old, but still quite usable. In my experience NOAA does an excelent job of keeping the charts up to date.

I think you are doing new Delta boaters a disservice by discouraging use of these excellent NOAA charts.

Click to expand...


I concur. That chart you linked to shows soundings east of, say, Mandeville, to be quite old, and areas south of BI, or up the Moke, but a lot of areas including Big Break, Franks Tract, most of the SJR and the Sacramento River show soundings from the 90s.
 
Remember, YOU can check the accuracy of the charts too.

Pick a known spot, such as at the entrance (NE) to Mildred. Drop Anchor, find the land masses and plot your position off them. THEN plot it on paper charts and check your depth finder. If the chart says 12 feet and you show 9 feet, corrected for tides, etc. the chart IS probably old data.

My radar has cross hairs I can put on an object to track it, and it gives me Lat & Long. As I mentioned before, Check your paper maps, chartplotter against the read out. My Tolly was extremely accurate. I did not worry about depth as I was in the channel of the Sac River.

It also has a feature that tracks several other boats, plotting an intercept course, like in the Bay Area. I play with it at Ayala. It is relaxing to practice and it proves to the wife I can find land if I need to. :)

We could help each other a lot if we wanted to. If you are at anchor, try it. If you find an error in the chart, let us know....and NOAA.
 
Funny thing: I was looking at my "new" chartbook at the boat over the weekend and discovered that Mildred was shown as flooded! First time I've checked that out on the newer chartbook. I was going to post my correction when I got home today, but others beat me to it!
 
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