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Old 11-04-2020, 16:37   #16
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Re: Oregon Inlet Bridge clearance

Better to call Boat US or another tow agency and ask for local conditions of the inlet also.


Decades ago I was USCG reserve. I came in for my week of reserve duty and there was a fellow Reservist there from my Section in his dress blues. He was headed to court. The previous year some nine head ran hi boat up on a sand bar In the inlet, this fellow took a boat out and took the capt and crew off but declined to drag the boat off. So they Capt was suing the USCG.

No idea how it turned out. That was late ‘70’s.

But also, back then, Vietnam war, lots of guys came in with zero experience and less inclination. Then they would be at a station within months. There were the lifers but they were not handling the phones. Or maybe the guy had 8 years service but on Buoy tenders on the west coast and had only just arrived. Lots and lots of reasons they may have not known.

That’s why I suggest calling a tow boat service, they are local and have a better chance of knowing.
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Old 11-04-2020, 18:06   #17
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Re: Oregon Inlet Bridge clearance

Quote:
Originally Posted by hpeer View Post
Better to call Boat US or another tow agency and ask for local conditions of the inlet also. Decades ago I was USCG reserve. I came in for my week of reserve duty and there was a fellow Reservist there from my Section in his dress blues. He was headed to court. The previous year some nine head ran hi boat up on a sand bar In the inlet, this fellow took a boat out and took the capt and crew off but declined to drag the boat off. So they Capt was suing the USCG.
No idea how it turned out. That was late ‘70’s.
But also, back then, Vietnam war, lots of guys came in with zero experience and less inclination. Then they would be at a station within months. There were the lifers but they were not handling the phones. Or maybe the guy had 8 years service but on Buoy tenders on the west coast and had only just arrived. Lots and lots of reasons they may have not known.

That’s why I suggest calling a tow boat service, they are local and have a better chance of knowing.
I hear you about the guy on the sandbar. There are a lot of idiots out there and I hope he lost his lawsuit.
In my case, the wind had been blowing stink for a couple of days and I knew that the inlet would be rather rough, but I didn’t know how rough.
When I made the call to the Coast Guard, I first got a junior officer on the radio and he asked me to standby while he summoned what I assumed was his supervisor. He was the one that told me that he could not give me local knowledge.
There was no BoatUS close. They were in Daytona. The local tow service was a SeaTow. I tried to raise them but got no answer.
I ended up sneaking out to the end of the breakwater to look for myself. I encountered 10 to 12 foot waves and I turned around and came back in.
I am not complaining about the USCG. I think they do an excellent job. But in this case, if the guy had looked out his window and said it looks like crap out there, he could’ve saved me a half an hours time and some trouble, and if I had been a novice Sailor instead of a rather seasoned inlet runner, he could’ve cost me my boat or worse.

Al, S/V Finlandia
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Old 11-04-2020, 18:12   #18
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Re: Oregon Inlet Bridge clearance

Yeah, and some guys are jerks. No denying that.
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Old 11-04-2020, 19:16   #19
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Re: Oregon Inlet Bridge clearance

I contacted the 24 Hour Operations Center at 910-343-3880 of the
USCG
Sector North Carolina
721 Medical Center Drive
Wilmington, NC 28401


They stated the clearance span of the Basnight Bridge is Seventy [70] feet and to presently recommend using Grid # 6 which has a deepest draft of 9 - 10 feet and shallows to 7".
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Old 12-04-2020, 01:33   #20
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Re: Oregon Inlet Bridge clearance

Have you considered buying a laser distance meter get on the dingy and checkup yourself.
Would be my preference when I can't trust the authorities.
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Old 12-04-2020, 06:08   #21
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Re: Oregon Inlet Bridge clearance

If you don't have enough local knowledge to know the height of the bridge, you don't have enough local knowledge to go through that inlet. The bridge is the least of your problems. That's the worst inlet on the Carolina coast. The channel has a hard Z curve in it and outside the bridge and once inside there can be a large swell running and lots of very shallow water. I have been boating on the sounds and near shore in the area for 30 years and I wouldn't bring my sailboat through there. Beaufort is the best, well dredged ship channel.
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Old 12-04-2020, 06:12   #22
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Re: Oregon Inlet Bridge clearance

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Originally Posted by rmhutch59 View Post
If you don't have enough local knowledge to know the height of the bridge, you don't have enough local knowledge to go through that inlet. The bridge is the least of your problems. That's the worst inlet on the Carolina coast. The channel has a hard Z curve in it and outside the bridge and once inside there can be a large swell running and lots of very shallow water. I have been boating on the sounds and near shore in the area for 30 years and I wouldn't bring my sailboat through there. Beaufort is the best, well dredged ship channel.
Sanity +1
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Old 12-04-2020, 07:23   #23
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Re: Oregon Inlet Bridge clearance

I perceive that with your large 72 feet stick that this 70 foot clearance passage is not viable but if there are any further doubts one could contact the engineers that designed and built the structure as opposed to some navigational person who would only have second or third hand knowledge, e.g. the USCG, BoatUs, a fisherperson, etc.

The Resident Project Engineer at NCDOT responsible for the replacement bridge:

Pablo Hernandez, P.E.
Resident Engineer

(252) 473-3637

Resident Engineer's Office - Manteo

349-B Water Plant Road
Manteo, NC 27954


Or,

Contact the lead design manager and the Principal Engineer of the Basnight Bridge, Domenic Coletti, at HDR, Inc.
Email:
Domenic.Coletti@hdrinc.com

Headquarters
1917 S. 67th Street
Omaha, NE 68106-2973
Get directions

PHONE
(402) 399-1000

The old Bonner Bridge had but one narrow navigational passage of 130 feet in width whereas the new bridge has seven navigational spans of 300 feet which allows for far greater meandering of the shoaling and repositioning of the best channel. Looking at the image below that old bridge single channel was challenging; I suspect the shoaling and wave breaks still exist on the outwardside of the bridge.

Wishing happy and safe sailing.

All the best.
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