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Catalina/Capri 25/250 Sailor's Forums

General Sailing Forum

Low water levels

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Scotd
Navigator

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USA
136 Posts

Initially Posted - 08/26/2004 : 20:31:26

I am sad to say that the last ramp at the lake (Angostura Reservoir)is unusable. We got the boat out on Monday night. First of all I want to thank, Steve Mangelsen, Paul and Suzie Menard, Mark and Tilda St. Pierre, David Roth and Loretta Muehl for helping me get my boat "Getaway" out of the Lake Monday night. I don't think we would have gotten it out if I would have waited another week.

We did manage to get 4 boats out Monday night. (Steve and Jans (Tanzer 7.5), Mark and Tildas (O'Day 272), Paul and Suzies (Schock 23) and My Catalina)

I think all the boats had dual axles on the trailers. We backed the trailers till the front tires were just about to fall off the concrete and the rear wheels where hanging off with no support. We used many methods to get the boats loaded. (from ramming speed to dish soap on the bunks and even Steve using his pick-up to pull my pick-up up the ramp)

The lake is currently dropping about 2.5" per day. BOR will continue to draw water at this rate for a few more days. They will then decrease the "outflow" (to what, we don't know) but will continue to draw water out until mid September.

As of Monday 8/23, the end of the "low water" ramp (north side) has less than a foot of water over it. The state has extended the ramp a short distance with concrete planks. The problem is that there is a severe drop-off only a couple of feet past the end of the extension. They will not be able to extend the ramp any further without MAJOR effort and investment, which seems unlikely. One person stepped off the last slab and was neck deep. (visualize backing your trailer over a cliff).

http://www.usbr.gov/gp-bin/boatweb_spec.pl?north%20ramp

Has anyone launched there boat from the beach?

Scot Dannenbring
"Getaway"
#3376 1982 SK/SR
Rapid City, SD
http://rap.midco.net/scotd6/

Edited by - on

Lightnup
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
1016 Posts

Response Posted - 08/26/2004 : 20:38:42

Good Grief! Your lake is down 21 feet from full pool?! What a horrible way to bring your summer to a screeching halt.

You have my sympathy.

Steve

Edited by - on

lcharlot
Master Marine Consultant

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Antigua and Barbuda
1301 Posts

Response Posted - 08/27/2004 : 11:42:57

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by Lightnup
 Good Grief! Your lake is down 21 feet from full pool?! What a horrible way to bring your summer to a screeching halt.

<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">

ONLY 21' low? HA! Folsom Lake is down 64' from full pond, and our marina closed for the year over a month ago, on the second weekend in July! The slip renters got only 12 weeks use of their slips this year, making the monthly cost average out to $400! Heck, even the best marinas on San Francisco Bay don't charge that much for a 25' slip!
At least we can still launch boats; it's only the marina docks that are closed, there is still one low-water ramp that should remain useable at least through the end of September, unless BuRec starts drawing down the lake even more. Scot -sorry you had to pull out so early, I feel your pain!

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JimB517
Past Commodore

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USA
3285 Posts

Response Posted - 08/27/2004 : 12:47:26

They are saying its going to be an El Nino winter. Since San Diego water is very warm and swarming with exotic fish, I tend to agree. People are catching dorado (Mahi Mahi) only a couple of miles out. Marlin are eating yellowtail jigs. Bonita are back in massive schools. Yellowtail are here in huge numbers. All of that is very rare and tends to indicate an El Nino event. This, of course, tends to indicate a mild, wet winter for the southwest (with good fishing all fall to boot!).

Hopefully your lakes will get a good amount of El Nino water.

Edited by - on

Lightnup
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
1016 Posts

Response Posted - 08/27/2004 : 15:22:02

Sorry, but I can't even imagine a 64' drop in lake level. The most our Corp of Engineers lake in Georgia ever dropped was 17 feet and that almost seemed catastrophic. But 64 feet? Damn!

Must be a fun time for treasure hunters. You're probably seeing entire lost cities down there.

Steve

Edited by - on

Lightnup
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
1016 Posts

Response Posted - 08/27/2004 : 15:53:05

Did some research and found these two shots of Folsom Lake Marina. Guess it tells the story.

Edited by - on

Charlie Vick
Captain

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USA
423 Posts

Response Posted - 08/27/2004 : 16:33:46

Now thats a sad sight!
Well at least maybe they can find all the stuff they dropped in the water back in the spring!

CVick
PanaceaII '81 C25 #2439 SRSK

Edited by - on

Jeff McK
Captain

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USA
389 Posts

Response Posted - 08/27/2004 : 17:42:24

Those of us blessed with lots of water(Chesapeake Bay)can't truly understand what this is like. Here's hoping El Nino & the rain gods are kind to you soon.

Edited by - on

Ed Montague
Captain

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USA
499 Posts

Response Posted - 08/27/2004 : 17:44:21

Folsom is a basic bowl in the lower foothills, now if the Corp of Engr could ever get the Auburn Dam built just a few miles farther up the American River, you Sacramento sailors would have a lake hundreds of feet deep. Don Pedro Res. is a canyon lake with areas that broaden out but stay very deep. Over 400 feet deep along the canyon. We are down 52 feet from full and I still have 90 feet under me at the marina. As the lake goes down the marina moves down the slope of the shore and the depth under my slip stays steady at 90 feet.

The good news for Folsom is that one really good Pacific storm and the lake is full and overflowing.

Edited by - on

Bubba
Admiral

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USA
542 Posts

Response Posted - 08/27/2004 : 19:37:11

I'll never complain about salt water again!

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Lightnup
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
1016 Posts

Response Posted - 08/27/2004 : 21:25:51

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">I'll never complain about salt water again!<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">
Amen to that. Or low tide either.

Edited by - on

pwhallon
Admiral

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USA
694 Posts

Response Posted - 08/28/2004 : 09:21:22

I just read, in Backpacker magazine, that Lake Powell is down by almost 50%. Hikers are accessing areas that haven't been seen in years.

They say it's due to a drought.

p

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Lightnup
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
1016 Posts

Response Posted - 08/28/2004 : 18:27:21

Larry - if you've dumped any dead bodies overboard, you may have to go back and drag 'em into the water again.

Steve

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MattL
Admiral

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USA
990 Posts

Response Posted - 08/29/2004 : 02:49:09

Ed, Larry,
I remember back in 77 or so San Luis Res. at Los Banos was down something like 300 or 400 feet and I still went sailing. Kind of other worldly.

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Scotd
Navigator

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USA
136 Posts

Response Posted - 08/29/2004 : 19:41:06

I took some pictures today. I know that some of you are in worse shape, but it sucks to have the sailing season end so early.
Picture of marina

Pictue of Marina ramp

Nice to find stuff like this that you have been sailing over.

The only two Sailboats that are not out are a Potter 19 and a Mac 26.

Send Rain.... LOL

Edited by - on

MattL
Admiral

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USA
990 Posts

Response Posted - 08/30/2004 : 01:19:11

Is that last photo the mac 26?

Edited by - on

osmepneo
Past Commodore

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USA
1420 Posts

Response Posted - 08/30/2004 : 10:52:21

Thought we had bad a couple of years ago when our lake drapped to pull out level by Sept 15th. If we dropped 64 feet, like Folsom, we wouldn't have the base river that was dammed to creat the lake.

when we have a wet summer, it's hard to imagine the extent of the drought inother areas of the country.

Edited by - on

dbehling
1st Mate

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USA
68 Posts

Response Posted - 09/01/2004 : 00:57:34

Larry's right. We've only had our Catalina for a couple of months before we had to pull from Folsom. We we're able to use the courtsey dock a couple of different times. Even had to pull up the keel for unposted islands. But now the only ramp to use is the main ramp along with the rest of the boaters. And as the temperatures rise so does the anger at the launch ramp. Power boaters tend to be very inpatient and we've seen some heated arguments. We've decided to avoid all of this by taking our boat to the delta for the fall. At least she'll be in the water. Lots of bugs and short tacks, but floating. Hopefully we'll have a great winter with lots of snow to fill the lake back up.

Edited by - on

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