More Tender Woes at Ben Sawyer Bridge, AICW Statute Mile 462
Boaters in South Carolina have been having bridge tender issues recently, such as this posting about Wappoo Bridge: /?p=144631 and this posting about the Ben Sawyer Bridge: /?p=144808. As noted in this link, steps are being taken to remind bridge tenders of proper regulations.
In the meantime, when holding course waiting on a reluctant bridge tender, try your best to remain cordial and professional, especially if the tender is not particularly so. Circling your vessel in a swift current upstream of the bridge is not easy and usually requires your full “unfrustrated” attention, especially in the presence of other vessels.
We went through the Ben Sawyer Bridge at 1400 on October 31. The bridge tender on duty is still “adjusting” schedules to traffic. She could have easily done a two vessel opening by holding up the powerboat ahead of us about 5 minutes. Instead, she made us wait for a second opening much longer than the powerboat would have waited. She told another vessel on the radio that the next opening would be on the hour.
Roger Long
The comments below by Lisa and Tripp are more typical of the kind of response boaters get at Ben Sawyer.
Click Here To Open A Chart View Window, Zoomed To the Location of Ben Sawyer Bridge
Comments from Cruisers (3)
We went through the bridge at just past high slack Friday morning 11/7/2014 at the 9:00 opening. Tender was polite, timely and very pleasant. Opening was on schedule with no issues.
Passed through the Ben Sawyer bridge this morning. Bridge tender opened on demand. She was very pleasant and accommodated a sailboat further down the ICW allowing that vessel to make our opening rather than hold for another. Overall a very good experience and wonderful tender.
The Coast guard regulates the schedules for bridges along the ICW and any issues should be reported to the closest U.S. Coast Guard station. Often a phone call while sitting at the bridge will clear up any misunderstandings the bridgetender might have. Enough calls and reports and a new bridgetender might be on duty the next time you transit. Chuck and Susan. Trawler Beach House