Overheard a guy say 'dredging is 90% waiting', he was right

Was fueling up at the dock last Thursday and this old timer next to me said dredging is 90% waiting and 10% panic. At first I laughed but then I thought about my shift the day before. Spent 4 hours just watching the depth gauge because the material was shifting weird. He was dead on, most of this job is patience and knowing when to actually move. Anyone else find that the waiting part is where you spot problems before they happen?

3 comments

3 Comments

grantschmidt1mo ago

That quiet time is literally the only thing saving our gear from total wreckage half the time.

robinp721mo ago

Wait what do you mean quiet time? Like you guys actually schedule downtime on purpose? I thought you meant like a lull in the action but you're saying you set aside specific time to do nothing with the gear? That sounds insane but also genius. I've seen bands burn through amps and pedals mid-set just because they never let anything cool off. One time a buddy's tube head literally started smoking because they played four hours straight with no break.

joel6031d ago

Yeah it is kind of wild when you think about it but it makes total sense. We do the same thing with our phones and laptops all the time without even realizing it. Like you leave your phone on the charger overnight and it gets warm, so you take it off for a bit before using it. That's basically the same idea. I've noticed it with a lot of things actually. Even something as simple as letting a hot pan cool down before you wash it, otherwise you warp the metal. It's like everything has a limit to how much heat it can take before something breaks. So yeah, scheduling quiet time for gear is basically just common sense applied to equipment. Saves you a ton of money in the long run too.