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Catalina/Capri 25/250 Sailor's Forums

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Low Water Phenomenon

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dlucier
Master Marine Consultant

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Virgin Islands (United Kingdom)
7583 Posts

Initially Posted - 11/06/2005 : 20:33:15

Due to an unusual weather pattern that brought sustained high winds out of the west for most of the day, the water on our end of Lake Erie shuffled off to Buffalo leaving some boats still in slips high and dry. These pictures were taken at the marina where my boat resides for the winter.

Someone's going to need a new sail!

That last picture shows a 45' steel boat with what looks to be some damage to the teak lifeline and toerail.

Don Lucier

North Star SR/FK

Edited by - dlucier on 11/06/2005 20:34:20

Buzz Maring
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
1773 Posts

Response Posted - 11/06/2005 : 20:47:59

Hi Don,

Wow! Those photos are eye-openers! I feel sorry for those guys who have been left high and dry, especially that 45-footer.

I know you've mentioned this phenomenon before ... a seiche, right? I was wondering ... is it ever this severe during the regular sailing season? If so, how do you keep your boat from being damaged?

Edited by - on

dlucier
Master Marine Consultant

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Virgin Islands (United Kingdom)
7583 Posts

Response Posted - 11/06/2005 : 21:35:00

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by Buzz Maring
 I know you've mentioned this phenomenon before ... a seiche, right? I was wondering ... is it ever this severe during the regular sailing season? If so, how do you keep your boat from being damaged?
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">

Yes, Buzz, it is known as a [url="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seiche"]Seiche[/url] and they occur throughout the season. Usually the water level only drops a foot or so which isn't a problem if your lines are setup to let the boat rise and fall. Every once in a great while, the water level drops significantly, like it did today, but it is somewhat rare and usually happens in the late fall and very early spring. In the last ten years, I've only experienced two really bad ones while still in the slip that left me high and dry. One of those times happened about a month or so ago, and resulted in a winch being pulled off. The other time was with my previous boat which was left hanging from the dock.

Today's seiche was compounded by already low water levels and the seasonal drop.

This [url="http://glakesonline.nos.noaa.gov/glin.shtml?station_info=9044020+Gibraltar,+MI"]chart[/url] shows the timeline and depth change that occurred today.

Edited by - dlucier on 11/06/2005 21:52:46

Arlyn Stewart
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
2980 Posts

Response Posted - 11/07/2005 : 04:49:41

Don, interesting pics. I've experienced the results of this on the north channel where the wind driven water causes unusual currents to run in channels.

Noted in the first pic of the blown out genoa, the main halyard along the mast with a bungee or line pulling it from the mast toward the shroud to keep it from slapping. The owner would have been a headsail better off to have wrapped the genoa with it.

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tinob
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
1883 Posts

Response Posted - 11/07/2005 : 17:17:11

Don,

That's an impressive amount of water displaced.

Somewhere on lake Erie they're having one heck of a high tide.

Val on the hard DAGNABIT

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dlucier
Master Marine Consultant

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Virgin Islands (United Kingdom)
7583 Posts

Response Posted - 11/07/2005 : 20:45:13

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by tinob
 Don,

That's an impressive amount of water displaced.

Somewhere on lake Erie they're having one heck of a high tide.

Val on the hard DAGNABIT
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">

Val,

That somewhere is Buffalo. As this chart from yesterday shows, the water level drop in western Lake Erie (Toledo) coincided with a rise on the eastern end (Buffalo).

The difference in levels between the ends of the lake was around 8ft or so. A seiche in November of 2003 produced a differential of almost double that.

Edited by - on

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