After a late and lengthy spring (almost summer) commissioning, Errant is as ready as she’s going to be. Sitting pretty in her slip at the Willsboro Bay Marina, relearning the rhythms of Lake Champlain, and presiding over still-mostly-empty docks she cuts a fine figure agains this sunsetting scene. Aaahhh… sailing in the Adirondacks!
In my estimation there’s no finer time to sail on Lake Champlain than September. Bluebird skies. Crisp autumn air replaces humid August air. And generally the winds are wonderful.
One month ago today I sailed Errant with my brother and nieces. An unchallenging but thoroughly enjoyable afternoon with moderate wind, plenty of sunshine, and leisurely hours to catch up after too long apart.
A virtually snowless winter, followed by a relatively drive spring and an extremely dry summer has resulted in the following precipitous drop to Lake Champlain water levels.
Lake Champlain Level, August 22, 2016
One month ago (July 21 recorded approximately 94.75 feet) I hit bottom exiting and entering my slip. Despite some recent upticks in water level due to heavy rain over the last week, Lake Champlain water level has nevertheless dropped below 94.5′ So at least a 3″ drop since I rubbed Errant’s keel on the bottom.
In other words, nature hasn’t solved my problem. Far from it!
Mooring Malaise
It’s an odd feeling, eleven thousand pounds (and change, plenty of change) of sailboat stuck in a slip at the marina. Unnerving really.
And my options were few. Haul out. Hang tight and hope for rain. Think about other problems. I’ve tried and applied all three options. Denial worked best. For a while.
A fellow sailor suggested that it’s possible to push Errant sideways away from the dock enough (6 feet? 12 feet?) that she’ll miss the “hump” when I reverse. He knows because he lived through the same problem some years ago when his sailboat was in my slip.
No other good ideas have presented, so the plan is to follow his instructions. I’ll be requisitioning helpful dockhands plus line handlers aboard. But given persistent reverse-steering troubles this summer, I’m not feeling overly optimistic.
And there’s another obvious problem. If/when I manage to liberate Errant from her slip, what then? There aren’t any other deep water slips available…
I’ve come across a hopefully viable solution. I’m replacing one of my existing moorings at Rosslyn with a Hazelett mooring system.
Hazelett Elastic Moorings
Classic Sailing Yachts on Hazelett Elastic Moorings
Relatively shallow water depth in front of our beach and boathouse combined with a relatively open moorage (we’re exposed to heavy seas especially during strong north winds) combined with a heavy sailboat with ample windage makes mooring challenging. Our existing 200 lb. mushrooms with conventional chain and buoy moorings are grossly inadequate for mooring Errant. But it turns out that industrial rubber bands offer some interesting advantages over chains and mushrooms.
Hazelett Mooring System
Less scope. Less jerking. Less corrosion, wear and tear, ice damage, etc. I’ve spoken to a nearby sailer with similar exposure who’s had great luck with his sailboat on a Hazelett elastic mooring. Todd, the fellow who runs the waterfront at Point Bay Marina (across the lake) has also testified to the performance and reliability of the system. They’ve switched over their entire mooring field. Seems like I should have explore this route long ago.
The first installer recommended by Hazelett never followed up despite a half dozen communications and a couple of weeks, so Todd from Point Bay will be installing our new mooring. It’s a two elastic band model with a massive 4’x4’x2′ ballast. And it will hopefully be installed in the next few days. I’d been hoping for last week, but conditions delayed installation. A delay that ticked by painfully slowly as I monitored lake levels and worried about extracting Errant from her slip. Hopefully I’ll be able to share some good news soon!
One Month Lost
So today I’m checking in, performing some routine maintenance, and quietly consoling Errant. I’m apologizing for neglecting her. I’m promising to resolve her situation ASAP.
I’m admitting regrets, admitting and then letting them go. Moving on. Or planning to move on as soon as I have a mooring!
Tomorrow I’ll follow up with installer, and maybe the next day I’ll try to free Errant from her “landlocked” slip. Sideways. If I can muster an army of assistants. If I can overcome my hesitance to temporarily anchor her in front of our house until the permanent elastic mooring is installed. I have some reservations about that, but that soul-bearing another day.
This afternoon offered a mixed bag of sailing pleasures and pains.
Tiptop on the pleasure side of the equation was being joined by my brother and nieces. Beautiful conditions – sunny and dry, breezy and gusting 9 to 19 knots – offered the perfect bonus.
But, on the painful (or at least, not-so-pleasurable) side of the equation was “kissing” sunken debris with the keel. Yes, you heard that right. Big frown. Bottoming out is never, ever pleasurable.
Upside
Downtime with my brother, a globetrotting diplomat, is a rare luxury. Doing so while sailing was the highlight of a roughly weeklong visit by my brother’s family.
This is the third summer that my nieces have been enjoying sailing adventures aboard Errant, but it’s the first time that we have forgotten to bring their comfy life preservers. Both nieces were less than thrilled to wear the onboard emergency jackets, but they were good sports nonetheless. In fact, it turns out that the oversized orange PDFs make pretty good pillows!
Downside
Unfortunately the day’s painful element was bumping the keel on the bottom. Twice. Lake Champlain water levels continue to drop, drop, drop. I still have enough water in my slip, but there’s a hump (debris?) in the bottom that I bumped on the way in and out of my slip. Not hard enough to cause significant damage, but concerning nonetheless.
A fellow boater who used to keep a sailboat in the same slip some years before suggested that I try what he had done: have several people on the dock push the boat out sideways to clear the hump before reversing. Sounds doable but dodgy, especially given the steering problem I’ve been experiencing. So, what next? I still don’t know. Stay tuned…
Happy Thanksgiving from windy (but still not frozen) Lake Champlain!
Thanksgiving Windsurfing on Lake Champlain
What better way to celebrate Thanksgiving than scudding back and forth across the lake on a windsurfer?!?! For this adrenaline-charged adventure with my intrepid bride I give thanks to the wind, the lake, health, and dry suits. Oh, and I almost forget, an especial thanks is reserved for our oven that was busy roasting the turkey while we were chasing gusts and bumps. Happy Thanksgiving!
Any time water levels rise significantly I inevitably, anxiously flashback to the 2011 Lake Champlain floods. Until recently my concerns were first and foremost the flooding of our boathouse which spent nearly two months underwater during that miserable month four years ago.
This year the lake level roller coaster’s been a little different. We started the spring/summer with unusually low Lake Champlain water levels.
This year the lake level roller coaster’s been a little different.
For one thing, we started the spring/summer with unusually low Lake Champlain water levels. On the up side, this was exciting because it meant that we had 10+ feet of sandy beach in front of our stone retaining walls, typically what we experience in July. We anticipated enjoyable beach time with our nieces when they come to visit us soon. On the down side, boaters on the lake had begun to worry that extreme low water levels late in the season would be inevitable and potentially dangerous. (Think shallow bays, river deltas, shoals, etc.)
Lake Champlain water level continues to trend up, up, up. Rain is supposed to abate after today, June 23, 2105 (via USGS)
But there’s been another consideration too. This is the first spring that we’ve been balancing ski-surf boat use/planning with sailboat use/planning. And — as the graph above clearly indicates — those early season low water levels have dramatically and rapidly flip-flopped. Lake Champlain water levels today are high. Really high!
The rising Lake Champlain water level threatens our dock and runabout.
And this means that we’re worrying about the lift/docks. The runabout is nearly at the top of the lift range. If the water rises any higher we’ll have a problem, especially on a rough day. The dock is already getting doused with waves and will need to be pulled back in tomorrow.
Essex Shipyard’s docks are at best flush with the water level. In many instances they are actually lower than the water level.
And the marina, Essex Shipyard’s, docks are at best flush with the water level. In many instances they are actually lower than the water level. That’s not ideal for boats that rely upon fenders to minimize the change of damage. The fenders sit on top of the water, eliminating any protection, and instead boat owners cobble together “spider webs” of spring lines to keep boats from colliding with docks or other boats.
Lake Champlain water level has exceeded out Essex Shipyard dock, June 23, 2015.
The photos tell the story. Pretty. Inconvenient. Worrisome…
Fingers crossed that Lake Champlain water level begins to fall. Soon!
Lake Champlain water level has exceeded out Essex Shipyard dock, June 23, 2015.
My father at the helm and my sister assisting with Errant’s navigation. First sail of the season!
Today was the picture-perfect start to the sailing season. The sunshine and warmth and wind delivered an auspicious rebuttal to yesterday’s chilly, drizzly launch. And even more fortunate, I was joined by my father and sister for the sail south from Willsboro Bay Marina to the Essex Marina.
Lazy Day Log
The mostly north-northwest wind varied 6 to 12 knots with very minimal wave action. We motored north out of Willsboro Bay and raised our sales as we rounded the tip of Willsboro Point. Smooth sailing all the way, and approximately four hours of catch-up time. My father sailed most of the way, and my sister helped with the charts/navigation and even spent some time at the helm.
Docking still revs up my anxiety meter, and while I know this will change as my skills/confidence improve, I arrived at the Essex Marina with a twinge of dread. But light winds, forethought, and ample good fortune served me well. The boat responded perfectly, and my crew stacked the odds in my favor. A huge relief!
Projects on the Horizon
Errant feels ready for a summer of sailing. I’m excited as I look forward.
I still need to rig one or two reefing points. I’ll try to take care of that over the course of the week plus a handful of other projects that I still need to tackle including ordering and installing new halyards, ordering and installing new name, sealing a couple of slow topside leaks. But all in all, Errant feels ready for a summer of sailing. I’m excited as I look forward.
Water Level Worries
Unfortunately recent rains have elevated the Lake Champlain water level by 2+ feet, and the waves are now breaking over the marina’s docks and fingers. I had to set up a temporary spring stretched across the channel just to keep Errant off the dock. Fingers crossed that the rains will diminish in the lake level will begin to fall.
A perfect day for sailing! Warm and sunny, winds variable 0-15 knots, and — best of all — a chance to wile away the day on Lake Champlain with my father.
My dad taught me to sail 30-35 years ago (a story for another post). It seems appropriate that for my first day sailing Da Capo (soon to be Errant) without my friend Mark at my side, coaching and encouraging, I should have my father onboard to balance out the sailing team.
Thanks, Dad!
Winds were light but mostly steady making for easy, enjoyable sailing and plenty of time to swap sailing stories. My father didn’t grow up in a sailing family, but he learned to sail in his teens and twenties with friends. He shared a couple of fun adventures that I’ll recount anon if he offers his blessing.
From start to finish our sail was a delight. He sailed much of the time, and Da Capo performed predictably, reliably, and 100% enjoyably. Even docking, a hurtle I’m yet to perfect mentally or in execution, proceeded smoothly.
Sailing Errant “home” to Essex from Willsboro after purchase. (Sept. 7, 2014)
What a lovely way to take ownership of a new sailboat. Perfect weather. Perfect following wind. And a good friend (and great sailor) to accompany and coach me.
I have to admit that it still hasn’t fully sunk in that this is now my boat. All day it felt like we were borrowing it. I’ve had this experience before, most notably with Rosslyn, the home where my bride and I reside in Essex, New York.
Mark coached me on navigation, paying especially close attention to depth as we sailed through the Four Brothers Islands. We experimented with the equipment (auto pilot, etc.) and with the operation of the vessel. At one point in the afternoon, shortly after dropping the sails to motor into the Essex Shipyard, Mark suggested that I spin the wheel to discover what a tight turning radius the boat could execute if/when necessary. It was a little startling and truly informative. She can practically pivot in space!
Here’s a gallery of photographs from the day.
Willsboro Bay Marina with Errant (formerly DaCapo), a 2002 Catalina 310, in the middle.
Saying goodbye to previous owners at Willsboro Bay Marina. (Sept. 7, 2014)
Mark helming Errant out of Willsboro Bay Marina. (Sept. 7, 2014)
Sailing Errant “home” to Essex from Willsboro after purchase. (Sept. 7, 2014)
Sailing Errant out of Willsboro Bay. (Sept. 7, 2014)
Mark helming Errant out of Willsboro Bay. (Sept. 7, 2014)
In Essex with Mark September 2014
In Essex with Mark September 2014
In Essex with Mark September 2014
In Essex with Mark September 2014
Errant in Essex, September 2014
And here are a couple of fuzzy photos that my bride snapped as motored in to the Essex Shipyard.
Motoring Errant past Rosslyn en route to Essex Shipyard.Motoring Errant toward Essex Shipyard.
