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Time to pull the boat out

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tomh
1st Mate

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USA
83 Posts

Initially Posted - 08/27/2012 : 08:19:34

Stuck halyards and low water have created a lot of discussion lately. In the past week, I have had trouble with both.

My brother and nephew came out from New Jersey to Sandusky Ohio last week to go sailing. As we left Bay Point Marina for the bay, we ran aground. The inlet is normally shallow but there is usually enough water in the center of the channel to make it out and back. The lake is down about 5 ft so the safe part is even narrower. Karma is a swing keel so I had to lift the rudder out of the water and use the out board to get off the bottom.

We continued out and made it to the lake OK. We lowered the keel and raised the main sail but the jib was stuck. There was not very much wind so we lowered the sail, raised the keel and made it back in.

I was able to get the marina maint. crew to help me lower the mast and found that the wire rope pigtail that connects the head of the sail to the halyard was twisted around the furler. I took the sail off, straightened to pigtail and we raised the mast again. After messing with the jibb and the furler for a while, we raised the jibb, began to roll it and it jammed again.

If it was just to jibb, I would have kept working on it but since I couldn't control the low water, I've decided to trailer to boat for the season.

It's true that my sailing season is over but the good news is that I have a whole list of improvements that I can start working on for next year and good weather to do them in. I'm going to use this time to rewire Karma with a new panel that includes amp gauges and to run new lines back to the cockpit.

I'm also looking for a new marina close to Toledo, OH so that I don't have shallow water issues next year.

Looking forward to thoughts, suggestions and comments.

Tom

1978 C25 "Karma" #790
Toledo Beach Marina
LaSalle, Michigan

Edited by - on

Stinkpotter
Master Marine Consultant

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Djibouti
9087 Posts

Response Posted - 08/27/2012 : 10:33:12

Sounds like the classic "halyard wrap" on the forestay... (EDIT: This post is replaced with the following.)

Edited by - Stinkpotter on 08/27/2012 10:59:31

Stinkpotter
Master Marine Consultant

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Djibouti
9087 Posts

Response Posted - 08/27/2012 : 10:58:21

Oops! Re-reading your description, I realized the twist was between the swivel and the head of the sail. The bottom of the swivel should be forced to turn with the foil as you roll up the sail--is something not connected there?

Edited by - on

John Russell
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
3444 Posts

Response Posted - 08/27/2012 : 10:59:09

Port Clinton might be an option for you. There's a member here that has his bot at Brand's Marina there. It's still a bit beyond Toledo but closer than Marblehead.

If you were interested in sailing the bay, The Sandusky Sailing Club could be an option as could a couple of other marinas including mine, Sandusky Harbor. But, that would increase your drive 30-45 minutes at least. That's particularly true if you go to any of the marinas that are in the city, mine's out on the edge and it's easy to avoid Cedar Point and Sandusky traffic.

You were talking about the channel from you marina to Lake Erie, right? Getting into the bay from the lake there's a channel that's dredged to 30 feet near the Cedar Point breakwall.

Edited by - on

tomh
1st Mate

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USA
83 Posts

Response Posted - 08/27/2012 : 11:17:24

John,

The channel that I was talking about is between Bay Point Marina and the Bay. The center normally runs about 8 ft in the center and 2 - 3 ft toward the sides. From what I have been told, a lot of the big power boat people in Bay Point are upset about the current low water level.

I live in Fort Wayne so moving to Toledo will reduce our travel time by 1/3.

Edited by - on

John Russell
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
3444 Posts

Response Posted - 08/27/2012 : 12:33:59

Here's an interesting website about water levels.

[url="http://www.lre.usace.army.mil/greatlakes/hh/greatlakeswaterlevels/waterlevelforecasts/weeklygreatlakeswaterlevels/index.cfm"]WEEKLY GREAT LAKES WATER LEVEL UPDATE August 24, 2012 [/url]

You'll notice that Lake Erie is actually only 9 inches lower than its August long term average, 13 inches lower than the same date last year and still 20 inches above chart datum.

As long as I've sailed the Bay and Lake Erie, I never knew there was any way in and out of the bay other than the main channel. I've seen a number of boats aground trying to cut the corner heading toward Put-in-Bay so, I've stayed in the channel. I've never even attempted to go between Johnson's Island and Marblehead. I've been told by several sailors that the water there is just too skinny. I assume that's where the channel from your marina enters the bay

.

edit: I just to a closer look at your marina on Google. I always thought your marina emptied into Lake Erie. I noticed only 2 or 3 sailboats in there. I think the skinny water is the reason.

Edited by - John Russell on 08/27/2012 12:42:13

tomh
1st Mate

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USA
83 Posts

Response Posted - 08/27/2012 : 12:41:56

The "down 5 ft" was from the maint. crew at Bay Point. They told me that there use to be a lot of sailboats at Bay Point but that they all left because of the water level.

There is a channel from Bay Point directly to the lake but you have to go under a bridge so no sailboats or tall power boats can use it.

Edited by - on

panhead1948
Captain

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345 Posts

Response Posted - 08/27/2012 : 21:13:02

Last season at this time the lake was about 33" above low water datum. the last time I checked it was 28". I wouldn't pull out early

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