Misty's to Bowser Lake Cabin ... in a boat? Are you nuts? Yep ... and I did it. Went from Misty's to the Nass Inlet, up the Nass River to Meziadin Lake Campground for an overnight, then back to the Nass and on up to the Bell Irving that cuts back east and connects with Bowser River that connects to Bowser Lake. There are two unfortunate obstructions, both are concrete bridges that cross the river at water level. I've sent these to Holger, maybe he'll get such bridges "up" 20 feet or so off the water, as they certainly would be in the "real" world. Otherwise we "live" with it. So turn off the crash, hit the bridge, turn the crash back on and enjoy.
Yes, this trip took HOURS. Wouldn't recommend it to anyone (but I also did a "round the world" in a DC-3) ... but I had to see if we could do it. The answer is yes. I never saw the same thing the whole route, it was as different as a real river would be. Dangerous shoals and sandbars, little islands ... all kinds of things to keep you on your toes. Of course we have to pay attention when we are flying, but you can also look around a little. Not with this. I tried to do about 40 mph when in the "clear" and had to literally go 5 mph to get through some of the tricky areas, some just wider than the boat (Malibu from DeltaSim). If you take your eyes off what is ahead, you will wreck it. This is intense, almost like a driving game (racing, etc).
I didn't run into any "water anomalies" ... you will see these now and then. The Wilson River has one. Sort of like a waterfall about 10 feet high that you drive up or down. I didn't see any of these in the hours of time I spent on the Nass.
What we need "on the water" is something besides trees and all the other beautiful land features there. So we're looking at the possibility of adding things here and there along key rivers for the boaters' enjoyment. We've got some ideas we are going to try. We'll be trying to figure out what are the "key rivers"?
Then of course, there is what Jeff has done by making longer "blue water" routes through the area. We are literally unlimited to what we can do with that. Light house tours, supply runs, all kinds of things.
One thing I learned on this trip ... DO NOT trust the GPS. It is OK for flying, but you will wind up sailing through a forest if you try to use it on the water. It uses the old FSX (so does Plan-G) terrain. The safest way is this: Best view is outside spot plane behind and up about 20 feet. If you are "up" a little you can see the rocks coming. Then for navigation, in that view, hit the "A" key 3 times and you get the top down view. The + or - adjusts the map. I found it best to make a new window for the top down, adjust it so I could see what was coming and just left it down in the lower right corner of my screen. You will need it, trust me! This view easily spots the rocks and the little islands and the tough curves. If they are there, you will see them in the top down ... it's the best possible way to navigate the rivers.
So we have proof that it "can be done". If we can get from Misty's to Bowser, we got a contiguous program that will connect all of it nicely.
So far, the DeltaSim Malibu seems to be the best boat for this. It is maneuverable in short spaces, yet can go 40 mph in the open. It is tricky to handle at high speeds, it "skids" like an airboat so you really have to be careful and make gradual turns with it or you'll literally "spin out."
Seeing PFJ from the air is amazing ... none of us really can describe it. But you've got to get down on the water and try one of these boats. The scenery is absolutely beautiful and you never quite know what's around the next bend .. a feeling of suspense you don't get in the plane.
We started this thread so people playing with the "boats" can talk here and we won't be disturbing the people who want to talk planes on the other topic areas. I moved the Misty Sailing thread to this topic so it would all be in the same place.
So ... here you are ... a new area, something we certainly didn't plan but something that for many people will add an entirely new dimension to Return to Misty Moorings.
Doug
PS Had to add this PS ... I did it in "summer" mode. You don't get very far in winter mode because it's all frozen up that way ... probably could do it with a Ski Mobile ... but that's a different thread entirely!
[attachment deleted by admin (old)]