That old hand on the Mississippi showed me how to feel the bottom instead of trusting my gauges. Called me a fool. I didn't believe him.

Been running a 12-inch cutterhead dredge near New Orleans for about 4 years now. Always relied on my depth sounder and flow meter. Thought that was the only way. Last month this old guy named Pete came by our barge. He's been dredging since the 70s. He told me to shut off the screen and just listen to the vibration through the ladder. Feel the cutter teeth hitting the clay. I laughed at him. Tried it for an afternoon though. Within an hour I spotted a mud pocket my gauges missed completely. Saved me from a clog that would have cost half a shift. Anyone else ever ditch their electronics for a gut check like this?

2 comments

2 Comments

robinmason19d ago

Bet you saved way more than half a shift in the long run though. That clay pocket thing is exactly what gets you - the gauges just show depth, not what's in the mud waiting to grab your cutter. Pete ever tell you what other signs he looks for? Like does the vibration change in that specific way when you're about to hit something bad versus just slightly different bottom?

gonzalez.phoenix19d ago

My uncle used to run a shrimp boat out of Biloxi and he had this old depth finder from the 80s that barely worked. He'd just stick a broom handle down and feel for the bottom. Told me electronics lie but mud doesn't. Always thought he was just being stubborn and old school. Then one time I took his boat out and the GPS showed 12 feet but I scraped bottom so hard I bent a prop blade. That broom handle trick saved my ass that day. Funny how the old guys have these weird tricks that actually work better than all our fancy screens. Makes you wonder what else we're missing.