Can anybody tell me please what is gunkholeing. I have looked for but not found any information for this term. Thank you for any help you are able to give. A search in the archives did not turn up anything . Don Chesley
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Gunkholing
It is exploring all accessable and sometimes fairly inaccessable parts of the coastline, creeks, rivers etc etc.
It is exploring all accessable and sometimes fairly inaccessable parts of the coastline, creeks, rivers etc etc.
It works best with a shallow draft boat.
I was talking to Hal Roth several years ago and he asked how much water Bietzpadlin drew. 4 1/2 feet I told him and he said he never had one that shallow. Said that it just allowed you to run aground closer to the edge.
I was talking to Hal Roth several years ago and he asked how much water Bietzpadlin drew. 4 1/2 feet I told him and he said he never had one that shallow. Said that it just allowed you to run aground closer to the edge.
Like Burleigh said but add.......
the tranquill peaceful place that either you alone fill or you alone can access. Choosing a place others did not. A place to get away and hide for a given period of time. That period of time .... 1 hour to days..... This can be for the veiw, the privacy, or the challenge of getting there. r.w.landau
the tranquill peaceful place that either you alone fill or you alone can access. Choosing a place others did not. A place to get away and hide for a given period of time. That period of time .... 1 hour to days..... This can be for the veiw, the privacy, or the challenge of getting there. r.w.landau
From the terra-X dictionary of sailing terms,
"gunkholing" Cruising in shallow water and spending the nights in coves. The attached link is to the page of their website with the G's.
"gunkholing" Cruising in shallow water and spending the nights in coves. The attached link is to the page of their website with the G's.
Gunkholing
Gunkholing is the ability to be able to sail in very shallow water. Some sailboats have a flat bottom that only need 9" of water to float the boat. They can gunkhole(sail) in a swamp or slough! Sincerely, Brian
Gunkholing is the ability to be able to sail in very shallow water. Some sailboats have a flat bottom that only need 9" of water to float the boat. They can gunkhole(sail) in a swamp or slough! Sincerely, Brian
Ahh, guys (gals), you miss the mystique of the word.
Gunkholing is one of the pass it down type of words from experience that when you put an absolute definition to it, it is no longer the word that it was. Do it, then you will know what it is.... Gunkholing......, draft has nothing to do with it. r.w.landau
Gunkholing is one of the pass it down type of words from experience that when you put an absolute definition to it, it is no longer the word that it was. Do it, then you will know what it is.... Gunkholing......, draft has nothing to do with it. r.w.landau
It's the Spirit of the Thing
R. W. is right. Gunkholing is about leisurly exploring the small coves ("gunkholes") and tributaries along the coastline. It's more about an attitude of unhurried curiosity and an appreciation of solitude than about the draft of your boat. Shallow draft can get one into tighter places, sure, but it is not a strict necessity. Gunkholing is a state of mind. Let the mystique live.
R. W. is right. Gunkholing is about leisurly exploring the small coves ("gunkholes") and tributaries along the coastline. It's more about an attitude of unhurried curiosity and an appreciation of solitude than about the draft of your boat. Shallow draft can get one into tighter places, sure, but it is not a strict necessity. Gunkholing is a state of mind. Let the mystique live.
r.w. has it
right, of course, as you can gunkhole in the dinghy, you don't necessarily have to take the mother ship up the creek. Read Baily's "The coast of summer" to get a feel for it. I wonder if the term refers to a hole full of gunk, i.e., mud?
right, of course, as you can gunkhole in the dinghy, you don't necessarily have to take the mother ship up the creek. Read Baily's "The coast of summer" to get a feel for it. I wonder if the term refers to a hole full of gunk, i.e., mud?
Funny you should mention, there is definition
of the word gunkhole I found which refers to a "slimey, shallow anchorage" but that didn't seem to be in the mood of this post. I have heard the term used that way, as in "What a Gunkhole!"
of the word gunkhole I found which refers to a "slimey, shallow anchorage" but that didn't seem to be in the mood of this post. I have heard the term used that way, as in "What a Gunkhole!"
Anchor Down, thanks for the better definition
It is a state of mind and it can also be achieved by viewing pictures that others have taken of thier gunkholeing. (Cruising World has done this for a long time)But you have to have experienced it before you can truly get a grip on it. I have seen pictures of wonderful gunkholes in lake Superior as well as Maine and even small lakes. Places that look like they would be great gunkholes. The water does not have to be shallow to be in a gunk hole. I had a favorite place in the lake that I sail in. I was 5' from shore and was in 30' of water. Unfortunately that cost me $50 (Fine from the local authorities. OK, and the day in court.The ruling was questionable and another story)for being in a restricted area. It was a gunk hole that both my wife and I loved for the 2 hours we had to spend there....... r.w.landau
It is a state of mind and it can also be achieved by viewing pictures that others have taken of thier gunkholeing. (Cruising World has done this for a long time)But you have to have experienced it before you can truly get a grip on it. I have seen pictures of wonderful gunkholes in lake Superior as well as Maine and even small lakes. Places that look like they would be great gunkholes. The water does not have to be shallow to be in a gunk hole. I had a favorite place in the lake that I sail in. I was 5' from shore and was in 30' of water. Unfortunately that cost me $50 (Fine from the local authorities. OK, and the day in court.The ruling was questionable and another story)for being in a restricted area. It was a gunk hole that both my wife and I loved for the 2 hours we had to spend there....... r.w.landau
Gunkholeing is exploring those wonderful
out of the way, off the beaten path places that when you get there you hope that no one else comes in and disturbs the tranquility of the place. A gunkhole is NOT a popular anchorage but it may not be out of sight of houses. One afternoon nancy and I anchored off a beach that had been covered with people just a few hours earlier. About sundown the buzzards returned and wandered around for a while and then flew up into a large oak to roost for the night. the next morning as the sun warmed the air the buzzards took flight for their daily search for food.
out of the way, off the beaten path places that when you get there you hope that no one else comes in and disturbs the tranquility of the place. A gunkhole is NOT a popular anchorage but it may not be out of sight of houses. One afternoon nancy and I anchored off a beach that had been covered with people just a few hours earlier. About sundown the buzzards returned and wandered around for a while and then flew up into a large oak to roost for the night. the next morning as the sun warmed the air the buzzards took flight for their daily search for food.
state of mind
As others have indicated gunkholeing is a state of mind and can happen in any boat. To press the point, I have 'gunkholed in my kayak by paddling a small shallow lake (Whirlpool Lake, Riding Mountain Park, (it, it self could be considered a gunkhole, then we paddled up Tea Creek that eventually was less than 3 feet wide, and only a few inches deep. We moved along by pulling/pushing at the shore alongside. Eventually, we had to take to ground to turn the kayaks around and go back to the lake. We had lunch on board and a wonderful time. In my mind that constituted gunkholeing as much as it does in my 9" draft daysailer. With it, I usually hit shore, before I ground out.
As others have indicated gunkholeing is a state of mind and can happen in any boat. To press the point, I have 'gunkholed in my kayak by paddling a small shallow lake (Whirlpool Lake, Riding Mountain Park, (it, it self could be considered a gunkhole, then we paddled up Tea Creek that eventually was less than 3 feet wide, and only a few inches deep. We moved along by pulling/pushing at the shore alongside. Eventually, we had to take to ground to turn the kayaks around and go back to the lake. We had lunch on board and a wonderful time. In my mind that constituted gunkholeing as much as it does in my 9" draft daysailer. With it, I usually hit shore, before I ground out.
Yep, it is all in your mind, and ambience.
Try to think of it this way. Gunkholing is if you go to a nice quiet anchorge, and you are the only boat there. Be even better if there are no houses close by. That exact same place is no longer gunkhole when 50 other boats show up and anchor next to you, or the beach is covered with wall to wall people, with loud music late into the night. As for being in shallow water part, well, you have to be in water shallow enough to drop the hook. That's it.
Try to think of it this way. Gunkholing is if you go to a nice quiet anchorge, and you are the only boat there. Be even better if there are no houses close by. That exact same place is no longer gunkhole when 50 other boats show up and anchor next to you, or the beach is covered with wall to wall people, with loud music late into the night. As for being in shallow water part, well, you have to be in water shallow enough to drop the hook. That's it.
I've got three hundred feet
of nylon rode. I can usually find the bottom. A good gunkhole is one that makes you want to see what's over "there". Some people will never be gunkholers. It just isn't in their nature. I don't think that you can gunkhole with a loud music system. For me I have to be able to listen and watch without the distraction of the world I am trying to escape.
of nylon rode. I can usually find the bottom. A good gunkhole is one that makes you want to see what's over "there". Some people will never be gunkholers. It just isn't in their nature. I don't think that you can gunkhole with a loud music system. For me I have to be able to listen and watch without the distraction of the world I am trying to escape.
Gunkholing is running aground alot
Well Bill Shelenberger, author of the "Crusing the Chesapeake, a Gunkholer's Guide" will ask a new boater if they have ever run aground. If they say no then he knows they are not a gunkholer. Real gunkholers have 6' draft sailboats with really clean keel front edges and bottoms.
Well Bill Shelenberger, author of the "Crusing the Chesapeake, a Gunkholer's Guide" will ask a new boater if they have ever run aground. If they say no then he knows they are not a gunkholer. Real gunkholers have 6' draft sailboats with really clean keel front edges and bottoms.
You watch your depth
sounder and reduce your speed so when you do hit the ground it is slowly. We draw 4 1/2 feet Nancy doesn't like to see less than 8 feet so I slip in until I hit the 8 foot line and turn parallel to the shore and run the 8 foot depthif it gets thin I turn a little if it still gets thin I turn a lot. Never do this on a falling tide, you could be there for the next twelve hours. You can see somewonderful places this way.
sounder and reduce your speed so when you do hit the ground it is slowly. We draw 4 1/2 feet Nancy doesn't like to see less than 8 feet so I slip in until I hit the 8 foot line and turn parallel to the shore and run the 8 foot depthif it gets thin I turn a little if it still gets thin I turn a lot. Never do this on a falling tide, you could be there for the next twelve hours. You can see somewonderful places this way.
My Favorite Gunkhole
We kept our boat on Cherokee Lake in East Tennessee for a few years and there is an island on the eastern end near German Creek. Before the lake was made there were a lot of sinkholes in the area. By getting real close to shore and using the swing keel as a bottom finder we could go through a narrow (30') channel to an old flooded sinkhole that was 15' deep. Crappie knew about this hole as I caught several there. but we were protected 360 degrees and usually it was very private. Sometimes fishermen would come into the hole. But we sat out several storms in this very snug Gunkhole. Cherokee has many Gunkholes and it wasn't rare to wake up and see a flock of turkeys or a herd or deer. Cherokee was where I first learned that Osprey turn their fish so that they have less drag when flying. Gunkholeing is the most intimate way to experience nature as the boat acts like a blind and the animals approach unafraid allowing you to watch out the portholes or as you sit without moving in the cockpit.
We kept our boat on Cherokee Lake in East Tennessee for a few years and there is an island on the eastern end near German Creek. Before the lake was made there were a lot of sinkholes in the area. By getting real close to shore and using the swing keel as a bottom finder we could go through a narrow (30') channel to an old flooded sinkhole that was 15' deep. Crappie knew about this hole as I caught several there. but we were protected 360 degrees and usually it was very private. Sometimes fishermen would come into the hole. But we sat out several storms in this very snug Gunkhole. Cherokee has many Gunkholes and it wasn't rare to wake up and see a flock of turkeys or a herd or deer. Cherokee was where I first learned that Osprey turn their fish so that they have less drag when flying. Gunkholeing is the most intimate way to experience nature as the boat acts like a blind and the animals approach unafraid allowing you to watch out the portholes or as you sit without moving in the cockpit.
Gunkholing: Sailing in SW FL
In our neck of the woods (SW Florida) there isn't anything BUT gunkholing. We live near Charlotte Harbor and can sail all day without the depth sounder hitting 15 feet. The skinny inlet to our favorite "gunkhole" (Pelican Bay on Cayo Costa) is often populated by Boat US vessels waiting for charter boats to hit the long shoal near the island. But what a GREAT anchorage: fish, birds, manatee, no cars in sight....the best.
In our neck of the woods (SW Florida) there isn't anything BUT gunkholing. We live near Charlotte Harbor and can sail all day without the depth sounder hitting 15 feet. The skinny inlet to our favorite "gunkhole" (Pelican Bay on Cayo Costa) is often populated by Boat US vessels waiting for charter boats to hit the long shoal near the island. But what a GREAT anchorage: fish, birds, manatee, no cars in sight....the best.
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