Notice:
The advice given on this site is based upon individual or quoted experience, yours may differ.
The Officers, Staff and members of this site only provide information based upon the concept that anyone utilizing this information does so at their own risk and holds harmless all contributors to this site.
It looks like a weather front is moving in that will produce a huge water level difference between the easter and western shores of Lake Erie. Good thing I hauled out a couple of weeks ago, because I know my marina is gonna be bone dry!...Hmmm, maybe now I'll find my winch drum that lives in the muck beneath my slip!
How is the over-all, year round water level affecting your sailing? I heard a news report on CBC radio this morning about how low water levels are affecting commercial traffic on the Welland canal specificly, and the Great Lakes in general. It sounded fairly bleak.
<blockquote id="quote"><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"><i>Originally posted by stampeder</i> <br />How is the over-all, year round water level affecting your sailing? <hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></font id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">
My sailing hasn’t really been affected. It’s the coming and going from the marina that’s a problem. About three weeks ago, I packed up and left my marina to head to the boatyard where I haul for the winter, but I picked a bad water level day and ended up getting stuck about 100 feet from the travel lift. I then had to turn around and go back to my marina where I waited a week or so until I had enough water to get to the lift.
Last month, we had the marina slip lottery and after choosing my slip, I took my boat to the one I picked only to find out it’s too shallow. I’ll have to find a slip with enough water.
That is definitely not good. Reminds me of some of the port towns we saw in England. How would you like to deal with a daily tidal swing of about 18'? That's why many boats there have twin keels. Tide goes out and the boat settles on the two slightly canted keels and sits (un)happily until the tide comes back in and refloats her. Saw a C-25 set up that way.
<blockquote id="quote"><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"><i>Originally posted by delliottg</i> <br />Is this due to a sietch (sp?)?<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></font id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">"Seiche" (prounounced "saysh"). Yup--the term is used for the weather-related "sloshing" from one side of a Great Lake to the other. I remember them on Lake Michigan when I lived by it... I think they're more pronounced on Erie because the lake is longer E-W, compared to Michigan, and weather changes tend to be from west to east. Nonetheless, L. Mich. depths would shift from the W. shore to the E. as big fronts came through.
Water levels are also remarkably low right now on Erie. We hauled out 2 weekends ago in wind conditions that should have actually had the water level up about 10 inches.
For the first time all season we stepped down onto the boat. That equates to about a 2 foot swing in depth.
Toss your Seisch in there an who knows how shallow it will get.
Last Wed. in Denver while waiting in line at the car rental place, there was a program on the TV (Discovery channel or maybe a travel channel) about the Great Lakes, and they started talking about seiches. Having read this thread before the trip, I actually knew what they were talking about. So thank-you all for making it possible to say that I read (heard) about them here first!!
Wow, that is amazing; very interesting photos! When we have strong winds from the north, it blows the water out of the Chesapeake a little bit. A few weeks ago I came to my boat and found it to be what seemed like 1-2' below what is normal low tide. I thought my swing keel may have been stuck in the mud even raised, but she was afloat. I only had 3' or so of water and my rudder barely got stuck as I backed out of my marina, but my friends went on the bow to raise the stern and we were fine. I've then heard about 10' surge tides occurring from tropical storms which fortunately I have not had to deal with yet.
<blockquote id="quote"><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"><i>Originally posted by Justin4192</i> <br />...I've then heard about 10' surge tides occurring from tropical storms which fortunately I have not had to deal with yet.<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></font id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">Where were you a few years ago when downtown Annapolis was under water?
When we first brought Passage home to Darien, CT, the wind had been blowing 20-30 NW for three days (on the nose--rough trip), blowing water out of Long Island Sound. We arrived at low tide to find that our slip, which had at least 6' at MLW and 13-15' at MHW, was <i>dry</i>. We ran agound turning a corner before we could see that... Fortunately, when the tide turned and later the wind calmed, the Atlantic Ocean took care of things.
Where was I a few years ago? Too busy with college and work, didn't get into sailing until after I graduated. I bought my C-25 in January 2006 and the first time I sailed on the Chesapeake was in my own boat.
I posted about keel damage due to an 8/06 seiche in Abino Bay. This past summer, I requested a deeper mooring and "held my breath" during some easterlies. Hauled out early Sept. and observed no damage, thankfully. My marina in Buffalo - rcryachts.com - is on a canal where lake freighters deliver sand and grain. The slips are deeeep. Decision about mooring or slip for '08 will have to be made soon......
Notice: The advice given on this site is based upon individual or quoted experience, yours may differ. The Officers, Staff and members of this site only provide information based upon the concept that anyone utilizing this information does so at their own risk and holds harmless all contributors to this site.