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let me get a few things clear...
the captain was, as expected, very professional and never waked anyone. he'd approach the slower boat then cut down to slow idle to pass with almost no wake. there is no point in slowing down to early anyway.
RAM only apply to vessel restricted in their ability to maneuver due to the nature of their work. ex. dredging, diving operation, etc...
the larger the boat, the smaller the wake at low speed... ie... a 140 footer will throw a smaller wake at 6kts than a 40 footer...
as to sailboats not responding to slow pass request on 16? wrong... id' say 80% of them are on 16, reply and slow down to allow you to pass them at minimum wake.
The shallowest spot in that stretch of the ICW (Savannah to Brunswick/St Simmons) is about 6' at low tide. The tides in GA average 6' so by playing the tides you can get a good cushion... I draw 6'+ on the Johnson 70 and had no issue.
Jannick, the ICW is an incredible resource. it's about 1000NM from Norfolk VA to Miami, FL. speed/wake wise, 95% is unrestricted north of Palm Beach. There are a few low bridges but they either open on demand or on a published schedule (every half hour usually) so it's real easy to time your arrival.
The only issue is depth due to insuficient dredging. the ICW used to be moslty a commercial waterway but with barge traffic on the decline, it's not as well maintained as it used to be. so even in areas where you could run on plane, it's often prudent to run at 9 to 10kts...
Personally I love running the ditch. it depends on the schedule... if you want to save fuel money and run at 10kts, it makes sense. if fuel cost isn't a concern and you want to run 25 kts then you're better off running outside.
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