Long Beach Ca

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bobflshmn
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Long Beach Ca

Post by bobflshmn »

I am looking for a place to launch in Long Beach. Would really like to launch in the neighborhood of the Queen Marry if possible. I remember watersking around the area 30 years ago, but don't remember were we launched from. Thanks
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Tomfoolery
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Re: Long Beach Ca

Post by Tomfoolery »

Long Beach Boat Ramp? On the other side of the Queensway Bridge? Looks like a big place, and walking distance to the Queen Mary. According to Active Captain, at least.
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BOAT
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Re: Long Beach Ca

Post by BOAT »

We put in at Alamitos Bay with an Aquarius 23 all the time but the bridge there is less than 40 feet so the MAC can't get under it.

There used to be a ramp across from the Queen Mary but it's gone now since they built shoreline village - we used that one a lot too.

Now the only ramp left is next to the hotel on the other side of the bridge. The ramp is right next to the Residence Inn Hotel and shares the parking lot - I don't know how high the Queensway Bridge is and I have not used that ramp yet. I would like to use it - that would be the best ramp for the shortest distance to The Isthmus.

If you try out that ramp before I do please let us know how it works out and if the MAC can fit under that bridge. I wish I had more info for you, sorry.
bobflshmn
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Re: Long Beach Ca

Post by bobflshmn »

BOAT wrote:We put in at Alamitos Bay with an Aquarius 23 all the time but the bridge there is less than 40 feet so the MAC can't get under it.

There used to be a ramp across from the Queen Mary but it's gone now since they built shoreline village - we used that one a lot too.

Now the only ramp left is next to the hotel on the other side of the bridge. The ramp is right next to the Residence Inn Hotel and shares the parking lot - I don't know how high the Queensway Bridge is and I have not used that ramp yet. I would like to use it - that would be the best ramp for the shortest distance to The Isthmus.

If you try out that ramp before I do please let us know how it works out and if the MAC can fit under that bridge. I wish I had more info for you, sorry.
I believe the one you said is gone is where I may have gone out of so many years ago. Thanks for the other location. We did clear Mission Bay last week at 36 ft on the waterline but could not have been by much. If I make it to the other location soon will post what I find.
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Tomfoolery
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Re: Long Beach Ca

Post by Tomfoolery »

The NOAA chart shows 45 ft clearance at the center for the Queensway Bridge, which presumably is at high tide. The Mac 26's (including the X, but not the M) have 28 ft masts plus deck height from the water, which is about 5 ft for the X. Presumably a little less for the C.

But even so, you could always dip the mast to clear a bridge if you have to.
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Re: Long Beach Ca

Post by BOAT »

Thanks Tom,

The M is a very tall rig - I think it's over 40 feet on the water. But I don't know how much over - still, I'm willing to take a try at it if I have even less than three feet to clear.

This is another one of those reasons why I want a camera on the top of the mast.
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Re: Long Beach Ca

Post by Tomfoolery »

Boat

The M mast is only 2 ft longer than the X mast, or about 35 ft above the water, give or take. And not counting antennas and such.

But if in doubt, I would pull a tape measure up the mast, or a messenger line and mark the deck or water line then measure. I've done this when I didn't trust the boat's published bridge clearance.

Mast envy (MMOR 2015). I'm on the left, with the courtesy flag flying. And the short mast. :(

Image
Last edited by Tomfoolery on Tue Dec 01, 2015 8:35 am, edited 1 time in total.
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BOAT
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Re: Long Beach Ca

Post by BOAT »

Okay Tom, that is good to know - I was told that 40 foot bridge clearance was required but when i look at the items the way you do I see more clearance too:

26 foot boat with 5 feet of mast hanging over the stern = 31 foot mast? with 6 foot of headroom in my M boat = 31 foot plus 6 foot = 37 feet?

So, even with 37 feet I still have 3 feet clearance and i will risk a 3 foot clearance - we used to wait for the tide to get under the Second Avenue Bridge in Long Beach to clear by THREE INCHES, so I am no stranger to braving the bridges - I'm just not familiar with Queens Way and I could not find any info on the internet about that bridge.

The worst one is Newport (the home of the MacGregor!) the bridge after the ramp is not tall enough to launch a MAC!!! (In NEWPORT of all places!!).

And the Tourism and Marketing people in Newport who are always advertising on the TV here in San Diego to get us to visit them more wonder why we don't! Give us a decent launch ramp and we will come in droves!!

More trailer sailboats launch out of tiny little Oceanside every week than they do in NEWPORT! (Which is like over a 1000 times bigger!), Newport would be the perfect spot to launch for Catalina and all the cool coastal destinations but there is no usable launch ramp in Newport - so off to Long Beach or Dana Point if you want to sail. (The Newport people are such snobs - too good to deal with trailer sailboats).

Oh well, :(

I too will try to get under the Queens Way Bridge in 2016.

(Tom, just saw the pic when I posted this - where is it?)
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Tomfoolery
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Re: Long Beach Ca

Post by Tomfoolery »

That was in Port Credit Marina, in Mississauga, Ontario, just SW of Toronto. It's where the Mad Men of Ontario Rendezvous took place this past summer. We were facing the little marina office, with the boats pointing NE (red oval). Next year I believe it will be on Lake Simcoe. Come on up! It's only 2600 miles from San Diego, one way. :D

Image

Here's a snippet of the chart for that boat ramp (3) and bridge (9), with the note about clearance.

Image
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BOAT
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Re: Long Beach Ca

Post by BOAT »

Thanks for the chart Tom,

From what I can see of the boats in your picture; all of you are trailer people! (no bottom paint!) – that warms my heart. :) That explains why your boats are so fast.

I could not find any sailboats at all north of the Queen's bridge and now I remember the launch ramp used to be called Pine Avenue launch ramp and you can see Pine Avenue in the picture – it’s a pleasure pier now and the marina there has a beach and docks but no launch ramp; they tore it out:

Image

This area is like Victoria, (some parts are under the Queen’s Dominion), most development is run by our version of the CPC and quite honestly if it wasn’t for 'Her Majesty's Ship' being there on the other side of the bay we commoners probably would not have gotten any launch ramp at all when the "Tories" remodeled the Pine Avenue basin.

The guys with the big yachts don't like us trailer people much.

Even here in Oceanside I have to go to the council meetings and organize huge groups of boaters to preserve our launch ramp because the yacht club always wants to pave over the launch ramp for another hotel or more big yacht slips. (You ever wonder why there are no MacGregor yacht clubs? it's because "Trailer People" are an anathema to that polo shirt crowd).

I think I will call the hotel and see who manages the parking – if they have parking allowed there for several days it would be the very best jumping off point for Catalina Island.

With the MAC under power from the breakwater there I could make Two Harbors on the Isthmus in 90 minutes.
bobflshmn
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Re: Long Beach Ca

Post by bobflshmn »

Tomfoolery wrote:The NOAA chart shows 45 ft clearance at the center for the Queensway Bridge, which presumably is at high tide. The Mac 26's (including the X, but not the M) have 28 ft masts plus deck height from the water, which is about 5 ft for the X. Presumably a little less for the C.

But even so, you could always dip the mast to clear a bridge if you have to.
Looks good. All searches I did failed to come up with the clearence numbers. I had thought of dipping the mast as well. Thanks all!
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Tomfoolery
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Re: Long Beach Ca

Post by Tomfoolery »

You should also get familiar with the ActiveCaptain web site. Lots of local knowledge, as boaters add that info themselves for all to see.

If you click on the balloon for that bridge, it shows a much lower clearance height of 36 ft, but if you open that pop-up, there's an explanation that it's for the main channel, which presumably means the lowest point within the width of the channel, and it also says 45 ft at the center. And the chart has survey info. Either of which means plenty of clearance for a Mac.

An odd thing is that in my local waters, the Rt. 104 bridge over Irondequoit Bay shows an official clearance of 44 ft, which is at the main span, but east of that are two bays with shorter span and therefore shallower truss depth, and the clearance under the eastern-most span is 58 ft per the COE, though it's not shown on the chart, nor on ActiveCaptain. And the water is very deep there, even at the ends, and the road goes up hill as you drive east, so that side is higher than the west side, and both are higher than the main span with the published clearance.

I know this because I had a boat with a 56 ft height, and it cleared, as did another guy at the same marina who sweated bullets the first time he brought his brand new Tartan under it. :D Point being, local knowledge is very useful, and that web site is a great resource (though I guess I need to add some for that bridge I mentioned - if no one does it, it's not there. :P ).
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BOAT
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Re: Long Beach Ca

Post by BOAT »

Okay Tom, I registered for the 'ActiveCaptain' and I looked at what info they had on Oceanside and I was pleased to see that they were warning people not to try to enter the harbor at night because of the treacherous conditions that occur over here sometimes at the mouth of the harbor. That's really good advice - if you have never entered the harbor here it's best to stay away from it at night if there are any waves.

The rest of the 'ActiveCaptain' will require more exploring on my part - not sure about the Long Beach entries, but after I go under the bridge I guess i will post and entry.

Thanks for the web site.
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Re: Long Beach Ca

Post by Tomfoolery »

You're welcome. It's a great site.

I just updated the bridge clearance in my local water. While it doesn't matter to my boat now, someone may benefit from my butt-clenching excursions under that bridge in the past. :D Chart info you can get anywhere, but local knowledge when you're not a local is worth its weight in gold. IMO, at least. :wink:
Last edited by Tomfoolery on Tue Dec 01, 2015 11:28 am, edited 1 time in total.
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BOAT
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Re: Long Beach Ca

Post by BOAT »

I totally agree, that's why I search the internet first - it can be more up to date than the charts. And for that area my paper charts are near 30 years old!

With a trailer boat a mast head camera may be a very good option that was not available to us back in the old days. Being on a trailer means you access a lot more places all over the country and lakes too! I remember one time on a lake we were all piled on one side of the boat to try to get it leaned over enough to get under a telephone line - as we approached the line all sideways like that I was hanging out over the side of the boat hanging on to the mast stays - all I was thinking was "God, I hope that's not a live voltage line or I'm a dead person!"

I have had to do a LOT of sailing under obstructions like that because I have always been on a trailer boat for the most part. I remember one time walking the boat in 14 inches of water under wires in Lake Powell - I had to get in the water and walk the boat in.

If all this stuff was on a web site it sure would be nice - but a camera on the masthead would be even better. :P
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