When heading south on the bay and approaching Rock Hall/Swan Creek the moment to turn to port usually is fraught with checking the chart, the chart plotter, then the chart again.
30 years ago I was told to cross the bar by lining up the light tower with the range light ashore, go slow and head on in. Despite many crossings I'm still suspicious of the original (30 year old) advice.
For those unfamiliar there is a 56 foot lighted tower off Rock Hall that is the "Swan Point North Range Rear Light" ( white, visible when heading north) and the "Brewerton Channel Eastern Range Extension Front Light" (red, visible when heading a bit south of east). Same light, two jobs.
On shore at the treeline and in line with the Brewerton Channel is a daylight visible white light (109-111 degrees). Its a narrow beam, if you are not lined up with the channel you will not see it.
From the end of the Brewerton Channel (inside buoy 2BE) lining up the 56 foot tower with the range light on shore takes one over the bar but looking at some shallow depths. On the chart there are really shallow depths very close by.
Last week while taking time to examine the chart it looked like the 56 foot light tower and the range light on shore a bit south of Rock Hall are navigation for the Brewerton Channel and have nothing to do with crossing Swan Point Bar. On the other hand the 56 foot tower is called the ""Brewerton Channel Eastern Range Extension Front Light".
Have I been lucky for all these years? Should I really be going far enough south to pick up the Swan Point North Range?
30 years ago I was told to cross the bar by lining up the light tower with the range light ashore, go slow and head on in. Despite many crossings I'm still suspicious of the original (30 year old) advice.
For those unfamiliar there is a 56 foot lighted tower off Rock Hall that is the "Swan Point North Range Rear Light" ( white, visible when heading north) and the "Brewerton Channel Eastern Range Extension Front Light" (red, visible when heading a bit south of east). Same light, two jobs.
On shore at the treeline and in line with the Brewerton Channel is a daylight visible white light (109-111 degrees). Its a narrow beam, if you are not lined up with the channel you will not see it.
From the end of the Brewerton Channel (inside buoy 2BE) lining up the 56 foot tower with the range light on shore takes one over the bar but looking at some shallow depths. On the chart there are really shallow depths very close by.
Last week while taking time to examine the chart it looked like the 56 foot light tower and the range light on shore a bit south of Rock Hall are navigation for the Brewerton Channel and have nothing to do with crossing Swan Point Bar. On the other hand the 56 foot tower is called the ""Brewerton Channel Eastern Range Extension Front Light".
Have I been lucky for all these years? Should I really be going far enough south to pick up the Swan Point North Range?