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C&D Canal RR Bridge -Be Aware

6K views 16 replies 11 participants last post by  JimsCAL 
#1 ·
All - Last Friday night, we entered the E end of the Canal at 1915 and called the Canal Controller on 13 and announced that the sailing vessel Taronga had entered the E end and was transiting Westbound. We received no reply although did hear the Controller speaking to commercial traffic. At 1950 the C&D Railroad Bridge issued a call on 13 that the bridge would be coming down in 30 minutes. I called the Bridge and notified him that we were 1.5 miles from the bridge and would pass under in 16 minutes. I received no reply. I have 2 VHF's and used them both.

As we approached the bridge it looked slightly down in the dusk, but there had been no siren or horn and no flashing lights to indicate a lowering bridge. We passed under the bridge and simultaneously got an unidentified transmission on 13 - "that's a good way to loose your mast." At that point a siren went off - AFTER we had passed under AND after the gentleman, whom I assume to be the bridge operator, offered his comment.

1 - we were at the bridge 16 minutes following the announcement of closing in 30 minutes.
2 - apparently the bridge was in the process of coming down 16 minutes after the announcement.
3 - there had been no siren or indication of lowering (via light or sound) until we had passed under.

The pilot books say that yachts are not required to check in. I don't know if this was an operator issue or simply a lack of concern about non-commercial traffic, but it was potentially a very dangerous situation that may happen again.

I pulled into Summit North Marina, just after the bridge, and asked the security guard if there is usually a siren or horn on bridge lowering. I also asked him to confirm reception from my radios. He confirmed that there is a siren prior to the bridge coming down and that both of my radios were transmitting.

I will be sending a note to the C&D Authority. Just the kind of thing you need after 24 hours of dodging the tugs and large vessels plying the waters of the NJ Coast and the Delaware Bay.
 
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#2 ·
Jim,
That's a scary story about the bridge. I would be interested in knowing what if any response you get. As to the Canal Controller, my guide asks that you not contact them so I'm not surprised you did not get a response. It would be nice however to know what's coming your way, particularly at night. Good luck with the return trip.
 
#3 ·
Sounds like a good place to setup a video camera... these guys sound like a hazard to all sailboats.
 
#4 ·
Just spoke to C&D Authority who is going to gather information and call me back; "the RR bridge is the RR's responsibility..." I was told that there are two video cameras aimed E and W 100 feet from the bridge that have monitors in the RR Bridge controller's office. Also was told that the Authority and the RR bridge should have responded to my transmission. The gentleman was very accommodating, especially after learning that the VHF's were transmitting but there was a definite current of NMP "not my problem." I'll advise how this turns out as a mast/bridge collision could kill someone with the falling spar.
 
#5 ·
keep us posted Jim. :)
 
#7 ·
Like you said earlier, I think the Canal Control only responds to commercial or military traffic.

I for one am not a big fan of the C&D. I had a close call with a tug and barge at night. Those damn street lights along the edge of the canal sure are good at masking and confusing nav lights.
 
#8 ·
Tom - I contacted the Phila office of the Army Corps of Engineers and was directed to Jim Tomlin of their group who works at the C&D Canal. He stated that yachts are not required to contact the Authority when transiting the Canal but that they should have responded to my initial hail on 13.
 
#9 ·
I think it's about par for the course for railroad bridges. We've had the same issue with numerous railroad bridges, including the one in Manasquan - hail a million times and get no response. I'll be very interested to find out how this whole thing works out.
 
#11 ·
I have my boat in the Summit North Marina and one night last year near 11:30 PM there was a very large and tall ship (one of the largest I have seen on the canal) traveling east and was just west of the RR Bridge. I heard 5 quick blasts from the ship, as it noticed the RR Bridge was lowered awaiting the nightly train. The RR Bridge was quickly raised so the ship could pass. About 5 minutes later a train passed on the bridge. I would think someone in charge of the bridge would have knowledge of major commercial ship movements and train crossings. This major event was averted just in the nick of time as the ship would have taken out the bridge.


Also last year a 42-foot schooner was sunk in the C&D at 3:30 A.M. The people on the schooner were asleep (yes asleep) at the wheel and a barge hit them. The sailboat went down like a rock. And also last year a go-fast boat hit a wake, went airborne, the occupants went into the water and the boat went on the hard and hit a telephone pole. The boat operator was 2x over the alcohol limit. They we part of a poker run with tons of go-fast boats running 40-60 knots. I know this as I was motoring at 6 knots heading out for a day of fun in the Delaware.

Be extra careful on the canal.

Bob Figgs
s/v Love and Luck
 
#13 ·
The people on the schooner were asleep (yes asleep) at the wheel and a barge hit them.
It was a schooner that was sunk, and no - the people were not asleep at the wheel. Unfortunately, the article on exactly what happened is now archived.
 
#12 ·
The people on the schooner were asleep (yes asleep) at the wheel and a barge hit them
I started a thread about that accident when it happened last year. I be dammed if I can find it to post here. But I do not remember reading any thing about them being asleep at the wheel. I guess I am from Missouri on this one.
 
#14 ·
You may want to watch this video. Turn the sound on.
It's kind of lets you know what a worst case scenario would be.
I can dig up the Transportation Safety Boards investigation if you want it.

w-w-wDOTwaggonerguideDOTcom/__bridge_there.wmv

You guys know what to do with the DOT's. They wouldn't let me post the link.

I've operated 3 different swing bridges in the Vancouver,BC region for over 25 years. Only once did I come close to swinging the bridge in front of a vessel.

This vessel was a float plane, planing along the water at a good clip when it came out of the glare from the sun in the early morning.

I did call the company and let them know I wasn't impressed with their pilots actions. :mad:

All the best.
 
#16 ·
You may want to watch this video. Turn the sound on.
It's kind of lets you know what a worst case scenario would be.
I can dig up the Transportation Safety Boards investigation if you want it.

w-w-wDOTwaggonerguideDOTcom/__bridge_there.wmv

You guys know what to do with the DOT's. They wouldn't let me post the link.
Here you go www.waggonerguide.com/__bridge_there.wmv
 
#15 ·
A while back I was motoring into a Scottish port. I was unsure of the approach, and came in too close to the shore... my fault. As I arrived, the harbour master said "I was just about to call the coastguard, you went right over that rock" (a local, and well-known, ship-sinker).
I asked why he did not attempt to call me first. I got no answer, just another smile.

That I gave it a very wide berth in future was not the only lesson learned.

It's a game to some of these port people there guys... a game, and jolly entertaining too it seems.
 
#17 ·
Here's an "old" C&D canal sea story:

In my younger days (1960s and 1970s), I was a licensed engineer on US flag cargo vessels. I was on watch in the engine room of a 600 ft steam turbine powered dry cargo vessel as we were transiting the C&D Canal on the way to Philadelphia from Baltimore. I suddenly felt some light bumps and then got a lot of frantic "bells" from the bridge on the engine order telegraph, asking for full astern, etc. Seems the canal authoriy had sent us and another ship going the other way though one of the bridges at the same time. Since it was wide enough for only one large vessel at a time, we touched bows and our ship ended up aground. Luckily damage was minor an we were able to proceed to Philadelphia where the USCG met us. Since I was the engineer on watch, I was interviewed and they compared the bridge bell book to mine in the engine room to verify that I had responded properly to the engine commands from the bridge. I was in the clear, but it was a very tense time for a young junior engineer.
 
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