Boatnerd Discussion Forum

" running checked down"

Means: Underway at reduced speed.

The first time I heard check down used was in the 60's when a ship was running too fast for the pilot boat to catch it. Dougan on Horne's Point Pilot Boat #16 would call on 2182 to "check her down". So pilot transfer is a big reason to run checked down.

jsbrown wrote:They also check down (slow down) when passing another ship that is tied to a dock to load, unload, etc. so they don't make a big wake which could have an effect on the docked ship. In 1990 a tanker called Jupiter caught fire in Bay City. I remember hearing that they thought the cause was another ship had gone by creating a wake that rocked the Jupiter and caused the hose it was using to unload gasoline to break and explode.

It's not "wake" they are concerned about, but rather, bank suction. When travelling in tight confines (narrow river) a large vessel will cause the water to surge ahead and then recede as it moves along. A vessel secured to a dock will naturally surge against the mooring wires as the other vessel passes. If it's too severe, it becomes dangerous, as we saw with the Jupiter.

They also check down (slow down) when passing another ship that is tied to a dock to load, unload, etc. so they don't make a big wake which could have an effect on the docked ship. In 1990 a tanker called Jupiter caught fire in Bay City. I remember hearing that they thought the cause was another ship had gone by creating a wake that rocked the Jupiter and caused the hose it was using to unload gasoline to break and explode.

Laws and regulations are enforced by the Coast Guard and depending on the infraction can be leveed by finds, suspension of license or revocations of same. When you go before a Coast Guard board, there is no one from the Company Office present - just you and the Officer in Charge. They issue the license and they can take it away. If the boat is caught breaking the speed limit there is no one other then the Captain responsible.

Ray asks, How much is a speeding ticket with an ore boat?

too much smoke fine.

I was 19 and promoted to fireman aboard the columba coal burner crispin oglebay. I was 8 a.m. and as i came down to the firehold the crew ahead of me instead of banking the fires threw on a few extra shovels full of coal which made for quite a bit of extra smoke as we approached the port of chicago.

Three days later as we locked thru at the soo the chief came to the galley to [i]chew me out[/i] over the $25.00 fine that the company had recieved in the mail from the chicago clean air department.

I think they also check down when passing other vessels that are either loading or unloading so they don't create a very big wake and disrupt the moored ship. In 1990 a tanker called Jupiter caught fire in Bay City, and it seems that they said another ship had gone by and the wake had rocked the Jupiter causing the hose it was unloading gas with to break and explode.

Checking down, under check, checked speed = reducing/reduced speed.

1) Weather - to reduce pounding or abusing boat (as said previously), also to avoid anchoring if a weather system is nearly past and conditions are slowly becoming more favorable.

2) When passing a ship at dock, dredge, etc. Reduces surge effect on boats moored or anchored that occuur at higher speeds

3) Meeting or passing a ship, one will usually check to reduce the effects of (bank) suction and (bank) cushion (topics you can google)

4) To arrive at a destination at a certain time if delayed. Easier to check down to 3 mph up the river, then have to anchor to wait 2 hours for the fuel dock, or for the lock, etc.

5) Any other situation such as high traffic, low visibility, etc. that would warrant a reduction in speed for safety.

Even though running in the rivers at river speed limits is technically running under check from "lake gait", a check down is still considered to be anything less than the speed limit that applies where you are at and river speed is considered "full speed".

Guest wrote:

garbear wrote:[quote="mhillm"

It may have changed since the days I sailed, but there are actual speed limits on the St. Mary's River. It used to be if you reached a checkpoint too soon, the Captain would be fined. Has nothing to do with "piling up at the locks."

How much is a speeding ticket with an ore boat?

garbear wrote:

mhillm wrote:Basically it is running at a slower than usual speed - they do it in the St. Marys River all the time to avoid piling up at the locks if there is heavy traffic.

It may have changed since the days I sailed, but there are actual speed limits on the St. Mary's River. It used to be if you reached a checkpoint too soon, the Captain would be fined. Has nothing to do with "piling up at the locks."

The St Mary's still has speed limits. That said, it can have something to do with a traffic jam at the locks. Sometimes it is better to slow down a bit to avoid having to tie up. If it's a serious log jam of boats then you might not have a spot to tie up, better to check down than to tread water waiting for pier space.

I've heard boats will also check down if there's a lineup at the loading or unloading dock and no need to rush to get there. Could be that it saves needless fuel consumption.

[quote="Denny"]Running checked down means to "reduce your speed and also to slow down." Yes, I suppose that some vessels will do this during weather issues such as what we are experiencing now with the winds and gale warnings forecasted today on the lakes. It also is used when vessels are unloading at docks such as when they are on the St. Clair River unloading. Many times at the Power Plants while the ships unload coal at St. Clair, vessels are asked that they "check down when passing." This simply means to slow down while other ships are unloading or loading cargo. Point is that it is simply a term used to slow a vessel down is all. Hope this helps.[/quo

Probably at one time or another all boat will run checked down due to weather. Especially this time of the year or later it will limit the ice that builds up on a boat.

mhillm wrote:Basically it is running at a slower than usual speed - they do it in the St. Marys River all the time to avoid piling up at the locks if there is heavy traffic.

It may have changed since the days I sailed, but there are actual speed limits on the St. Mary's River. It used to be if you reached a checkpoint too soon, the Captain would be fined. Has nothing to do with "piling up at the locks."

It means running a reduced speed. Generally done in bad weather to avoid pounding or otherwise abusing the boat.

Running checked down means to "reduce your speed and also to slow down." Yes, I suppose that some vessels will do this during weather issues such as what we are experiencing now with the winds and gale warnings forecasted today on the lakes. It also is used when vessels are unloading at docks such as when they are on the St. Clair River unloading. Many times at the Power Plants while the ships unload coal at St. Clair, vessels are asked that they "check down when passing." This simply means to slow down while other ships are unloading or loading cargo. Point is that it is simply a term used to slow a vessel down is all. Hope this helps.

Basically it is running at a slower than usual speed - they do it in the St. Marys River all the time to avoid piling up at the locks if there is heavy traffic.

RCRV wrote:Is it something they do in bad weather?

It means running at reduced speed.

Is it something they do in bad weather?