Biloxi
 

What is the water depth requirements for getting people out of a canopy boat that is capsized?

The way a lot of the cockpits are setup, I would think you would need at least 10'. I grew up vacationing and did a lot of flounder giging in Biloxi Sound as a kid. The current race site is very shallow for racing 3-4' at low tide.

chart of race site

APBA had a world championship race there 5 years ago and everything was OK then. Not to say at low tide there couldn't be a problem in specific areas. No one ever said racing in these boats were safe. If you don't like the risk don't take it.
MD

Is this the same course location that APBA used?

St Cloud has some very shallow spots as well. When we raced there we took the canopy tops off so if we went over we could get out. Don't think there was ever a problem there.

That is definately not the same course APBA used. Based upon what I have heard locally both races are scheduled to be run at high tide giving a minimum depth of 6'.

Candy, you sound very angry in you post......you ok? Time for some good ol' fashion steam blow off......

the worry spot should be the old dredge spoil area. dredgers are lazy and don't like to move their discharge pipe much. it's possible there are high spots within the old spoil area.

be careful.

The course in 1997 APBA/UIM race was infront of the President Casino .It was out aways from the beach .It sucked for those spectators on the beach ,to far out.This race will be flat water. behind the island . Just some rollers coming of the sea wall from the race boats. All protected water.The course is between the Deer Island and the Casinos.It was a no wake zone thru most of it there . They just removed a 90 foot sunk shrimp boat there just spent 55k removing it . Its been there since I started boating there in 1990. We where there in August and they where dredging there . It needed it bad.I think they spent all summer dredging thru there. its going to be a narrow course with the Marinas sea walls and channel markers thru there:eek:. I have heard its not going to NOT be a Boat spectator friendly course.??


Just remember at the Point Cadet Marina and prob the rest of the the slips are around 4ft at low tide. Its was silted in at point cadet when we wher ethere in August

I would fallow the Chanel markers if you run out into the gulf. The water is real shallow prob 200-300 yards from the beach.Like 2-3 ft.

If you run out into the big water you will be able the see the Beau Rivage on the way back in.its 20 something stories tall..

I have been posting some info in my post in the General Discussion section. Maps


http://www.offshoreonly.com/forums/s...threadid=72036

I thought there might be some criteria from race insurance, coast gaurd, etc.

Great points. Races should be run in no less that 15' of water, just so a diver can get into a canopy from underneath.

This is not intended to be inflammatory. I repeat......this is not intended to be inflammatory.

Who are the safety crew members for OSS? Their website is down as of 10:00am this morning so I couldn't check to see if they are listed there.

This from a recent article in the Biloxi newspaper.

Posted on Sun, Apr. 04, 2004





Powerboats roar back into Sound

Races offer fans up-close look

By AL JONES

THE SUN HERALD


BILOXI - The thrill of high-speed racing on the Mississippi Sound is back after a five-year layoff.

Since the American Power Boat Association's Offshore World Championships headed to St. Petersburg, Fla., in 1999, big-time racing has been missing from the waters off South Mississippi.

But times have changed as the Offshore Super Series Powerboat Racing Association steps to the plate with its first visit to Biloxi on April 22-25 for Smokin' The Sound.

"Since 1988, when we lost the APBA, we (a group of investors) have been interested in bringing a race back to Biloxi," race official Rusty David said. "We talked with Super Boats International and with APBA as early as 2001, but we could not come together.

"So in November, Offshore Super Series, a group of 35 to 38 boats owners of the four fastest classes in the world, chose to start their own association. They were not happy with APBA or Super Boats."

After the group was formed, local investors went to Key West and spoke to the association about a Biloxi race. But there was one small condition with the plans: the actual course had to be moved closer to the fans.

"The race had to be held between Deer Island in Biloxi and the beach," David said. "That way, we could get the casino and tourism support. The five casinos - the Isle, Casino Magic, Grand, the Beau and the Palace - stepped up along with the Mississippi Tourism, Harrison County Tourism and the City Of Biloxi and our other sponsors."

When the APBA raced in South Mississippi in 1997 and 1998, the race course was located from the Treasure Bay Casino in Biloxi to the Gulfport-Biloxi line. That race saw 10 divisions from from factory to open-class racing down the front beach with speeds reaching more than 140 mph.

The first race also saw a blanket of fog invade the area, which made viewing the race tough.

The race has now been moved inside Deer Island in Biloxi, putting viewers as close as 100 feet from parts of the race track. In all, 30 boats will test skills in five categories: OSS Cat, OSS Vee, Reindl Bat Boats, OSS Cat Lite and OSS Cat Vee Lite.

The OSS Cat boats can reach speeds of 135 mph down the stretch while the other classes will exceed 100 mph.

The course itself is totally different from the APBA course. Instead of racing in the open Sound, racers will showcase talents in the protected waters between Casino Row and Deer Island. Regardless if the wind is stiff from the south or north, the race track will be protected from rough waves.

The track itself, which is a 6.8-mile course, extends from the east side of the Isle of Capri Casino to the west side of the Beau Rivage. That means the straight ways will be roughly three miles each, not counting turns.

The smaller class boats will race 70 miles while the larger vessels will race 90 miles. The larger boats, some valued at $1 million, will race 10 at a time.

To ensure safety of the drivers, race officials had to move a sunken shrimp boat from the channel as well as other objects.

A key ingredient in bringing the APBA to Biloxi was the depth of the Mississippi Sound in case of an accident. If a 46-foot boat flipped over, safety personnel needed 8 feet of water to pull drivers from the boat.

The water on the inside of Deer Island ranges between 4 and 8 feet with the heart of the channel recording 6 feet.

"We have 6 feet of water," said David. "That is what they require. However, for those two days, we will have a 2-foot tide, which means we are looking at an average of 7 feet of water.

"We've been out there with the race referee, the race coordinator and boat owners with a stick. We used a stick to find out how deep it was, not a depth recorder. We know what we have."

To help with safety of personal boats leaving docks behind Casino Row, the Biloxi Small Craft Harbor and the Biloxi Yacht Club, the channel will be closed between 11 a.m. and 5 p.m. during the weekend schedule of events.

David, who received the final permit from the Coast Guard this past week, said the event will cost $225,000. Therefore, tickets will range from $10 to $15 for a wristband plus other packages.

"We need to sell T-shirts and wristbands so it will be successful and we can do it again next year," he said. "It will be a great event. We call it NASCAR on the water, upfront and personal. You can't beat it."

The Biloxi race will be the first of a seven-race series that will conclude in November. That means all boats should be in top running shape for the Biloxi race.

Well at least they are knowledgable about the shallow water. 6 feet should be just enough to keep the canopy of a rolled over supercat off the bottom.

Ron,

Since you stated above that the depth should be a minimum of 15 feet, I'll put you on the spot.

Would you race a canopied boat on that course?

Probably so. When a cat flips, like WHM did in KW, it lays flat on top of the water for quite a few minutes before sinking.

I will also add that I was the one that killed the OPA race in the bay. It was only 3 to 4 feet deep and I didn't feel that we could get someone out of a canopy in that depth.

The article stating they checked the depth with a stick indicates they are concerned about the water too.

Like I said, 6 feet would be an absolute minimum, unless everyone had tunnel escape hatches like Reliable and the new WHM.

Lets hope for an uneventful race.

It is good to hear that the Biloxi race is drawing so much attention that the owner of a world famous 18 foot Donzi voices his concerns about the water depths.

Folks, that race course has been checked out by the same people you supposedly are concerned about.

This picture shows David, Teague, Welling, Whittier, Richardson, and Hedrick checking out the race course. Mike Tomlinson and Ray Standley also have gone over this race course with a fine tooth comb (and the stick mentioned in the article.)

Richardson, Chastelet, and Mauff liked what they saw.

Even their on-board lawyer voiced her approval.

See you in Biloxi!

It figures. There is an intelligent conversation about racer safety and you have to take it personally and take a cheap shot at the originator of the thread.

This conversation is not new. I remember when the Heartbeat Fountain stuffed and tore much of the deck off after it hit bottom. I believe that was Key West 1994. The Charleston, SC race that was proposed several years ago was going to be 1 - 1/2 miles off the beach in order to get to a 16 foot depth.

Let's just hope that nobody proves you right or wrong in Biloxi.

At least they dug up the 90 foot sunk shrimp boat that was rite in front of the Isle of Capri. It would have been in a bad spot.

What are they doing about all the channel markers ??

When we were there in August They were still dredging that hole area. Should be ok on depth in the Channel.yall be carefull and have a safe race.














http://www.offshoreonly.com/forums/s...threadid=72036

not only do you have to worry about the spots that need dredging, you have to worry about the spots they put the dredge material. look at the chart and you'll see an old disposal area not far outside the channel limits. old disposal areas can have isoloated mounds of material if the material wasn't distributed properly during disposal. the isolated mounds may not have been detected with the "stick" method of sounding. just be cautious when boating in or around dredge disposal areas. this advice is for everyone everywhere. i have not worked in biloxi so i do not have current hydrographic survey data, but i'll check with the corps of engineers and see what they have.


bertel, by the way, i have a 16' donzi that is not world famous. can i participate in the discussion or do i have to go home since i sold my race boat>? ;) :D

If it's not world famous, then you must go home :)

I'LL GET BACK IN MY BOX THEN.

I hear you, Mike.

THE NAVIGATION CHANNEL IS ONLY 150' WIDE IN THAT AREA.

I'M AVAILABLE TO PERFORM HYDROGRAPHIC SURVEYS OF RACES SITES. THE SURVEYS WILL INCLUDE AS MUCH DATA AS YOU'RE WILLING TO PAY FOR. WE CAN COVER MUCH MORE AREA WITH A FATHOMETER THAN YOU CAN WITH A STICK. OH, AND I'LL EVEN PRINT IT OUT ON A PRETTY SHEET GEOREFERENCED WITH THE NAVIGATIONAL CHANNEL AND OTHER LAND FEATURES. CORRECTED FOR TIDES. IN COLOR, TOO. HMMMM.......BACK OUT OF THE BOX FOR A SHAMELESS PLUG. PM FOR PRICING.

Thanks for the offer! This might be an interesting new business for you. Phone's ringing off the hook already! Just getting off the phone with a (world famous) cat driver who said: "Marathon can be even weirder. 5 feet in places!"

I'm confident the bathymetric intricacies of Marathon (and all subsequent races) will be discussed with the same level of sincerity.

SAME OLD BUSINESS. I HAVE 2 HYDRO SURVEY BOATS RUNNING FULL TIME TO KEEP UP WITH THE DREDGES AND 1 EXTRA THAT I CAN ADD WHEN NEEDED FOR CONSTRUCTION PROJECTS.

MIKE, THE ONLY TIME WE USE A "STICK" IS WHEN WE PROBE AN AREA TO SEE WHAT TYPE OF MATERIALS WE WILL ENCOUNTER. SOUNDING POLES CAN BE USED, BUT METHODOLOGY NEEDS TO BE UNDERSTOOD. DATA DENSITY CAN BE AN ISSUE IF TERRAIN FEATURES CHANGE OFTEN.

IF THERE IS GENUINE CONCERN ABOUT WATER DEPTH, THEN FOR LIABILITY REASONS A PRO HYDRO SURVEYOR SHOULD BE USED TO DO RECON ON A RACE SITE.

MY BET IS MOST FACTORS WERE INVESTIGATED PRIOR TO CHOOSING THE COURSE LOCATION. I WOULDN'T WORRY ABOUT IT TOO MUCH.

150' wide?

I remember when they ran the Saturday Galveston race in the Port back in '94 or '95 because the Gulf was too rough. The little boats alone made the water snotty.

Check out the "Harbor Cam" here. I'll never forget InXS firing up in this exact little basin.

Galveston

look at the pic of the nav chart. you can see 150' in the channel area. usace surveys so the channel limits to be 150' wide and 12 or 14' deep. i'll check again.

We were there in June the dreg was in front of the Isle of Capri(point Cadet harbor)and When we were there in August the dredge was about 1/4 mile east of turn 1 and the pipe was dumping on the front side of the island. It will be high tide when they race, Its usually about 2 foot tide there.Low tide at Point cadet harbor is a b*tch getting out of the boat at the docks.The piers are made for the fishing boats,

In 1998 on the boats that flipped I saw them up rite them and the cranes where at Biloxi small craft that year. The turned them over in the harbor.That year Alcone spun out 1st lap 1st turn:eek:

Glad you've asked.

I'll personally pay the Biloxi entry fee for the first non-OSS SVL boat. (We like competition...)

If you win, we'll take it out of your prize money. If you lose, you go home and owe nothing.

Biloxi purse:

$12,500 per class.
$6,250 each 1st Place.
$3,750 each 2nd place.
$2,500 each 3rd place.

PM me.

Team IMCO: The Gator Wrestlers from Florida.

Team Hocus Pocus: The Boston Stranglers.

Team Wild Card: The Krazy Kubans.
Team Typhoon: Jersey Boyz Gone Bad.

ENOUGH WITH THE USELESS BABBLE, BOYS. :mad:

What, you didn't like my Top Ten list?

I don't mind Shane's posts at all.

If folks are too sensitive for that, they should take up bowling ...

THE BABBLING KILLS USEFUL THREADS. GO TO GEN. DISC. AND BABBLE. GO FIND CATMANDO AND BABBLE WITH HIM.

I KNOW YOU ARE THICKED SKINNED, BERTEL, BUT OTHERS AREN'T.