Near miss on the Mississippi last month changed my whole pre-trip routine

We were running a cutterhead near Baton Rouge and a log jam we didn't spot almost took out our swing cable. Now I do a full surface scan with the drone before we even fire up the hydraulic pump - anyone else had close calls from stuff floating just below the surface?

3 comments

3 Comments

grantschmidt25d ago

You really think the drone is worth the extra time before every startup? I get checking for obvious stuff, but most days I just do a quick visual from the deck and trust my swing cable to handle a little bump. If you're running that tight of a margin where a log jam is gonna snap your gear, maybe the problem is more about your cable setup than the water you're in.

skyler4316d ago

Trust my swing cable to handle a little bump" is what people say right before they're posting a photo of a twisted cable on here. @grantschmidt, that hidden junk doesn't give a damn about your setup when it's wedged six feet down in the dark.

margaret_kim1325d ago

That log jam thing is terrifying, I had a nearly identical situation with a submerged tree trunk on the Ohio that ripped our mud bucket right off the ladder. Now I do the same drone sweep, can't be too careful with that hidden junk.