Category Archives: Weather

Lake Champlain Water Level: Up, Up, UP!

June 23, 2015 virtualdavis

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!

Dry Dock, Weather

On the Hard 2014-2015

March 8, 2015 virtualdavis

On the Hard: Errant winter storage at Willsboro Bay Marina, March 8, 2015

Stopped by Willsboro Bay Marina today to check on Da Capo/Errant. So many whistling, flapping halyards!

The date is March 8, sort of spring, at least it seems like it should be spring. But the cold, humid wind and a lingering blanket of snow suggest that spring launch is still a good way off…

I was relieved to see that the winter storage cover has held up well, not a single tear or loose line. Frankly, I was a little surprised. I guess all of the hours trying to decipher the cryptic instructions paid off.

I didn’t climb aboard, but I will return in a couple of weeks if the temperature rises to inspect the interior and start a few projects like refitting the v-berth door and deep-cleaning the bowels so that I start the sailing season with a super clean vessel.

Maintenance, Weather

Winter Storage Cover On

November 15, 2014 virtualdavis

Errant's Winter Storage Cover, 2014-2015 — Errant’s Winter Storage Cover, 2014-2015

I’ve been worrying about installing Errant’s winter storage cover ever since hauling the boat. It’s not the sort of project you can whittle down slowly, a little bit at a time. It’s really a start-to-finish proposition. Or — as I learned once I finally made enough time to tackle the challenge — it can be divided into two separate stages completed on two different days.

Given the fact that the instructions were not a perfect match for the winter storage cover we inherited with Errant, this first-time installation took a looong, aggravating time.

Installing Errant's Winter Storage Cover, 2014-2015 — Installing Errant’s Winter Storage Cover, 2014-2015

Superstructure

In hindsight, the problem(s) all derived from a single issue. The instructions explain how to install the cover without a stepped mast. Except that’s not exactly true…

Basically the superstructure, a support skeleton consisting of tube steel ribs that need to be bolted together in the appropriate order, etc. was built 100% symmetrically side-to-side. In other words, the port and starboard side of the frame is identical, a mirror reflection on both sides of the center rail. In order for this frame to fit properly not the deck, the mast must be removed from the equation (which it wasn’t and isn’t.)

Lots of tinkering and “cob jobbing” enabled us to finally install the superstructure in a stable enough fashion…

In order to accommodate the mast, the superstructure must be installed off center. But this results in ribbing on one side or the other being too wide to fit on the deck… See the problem?

Lots of tinkering and “cob jobbing” enabled us (yes, my patient bride helped me muddle through this less-than-enjoyable debut performance) to finally install the superstructure in a stable enough fashion that we could proceed with relative confidence that it would not collapse beneath snow and wind loads over the winter. (Note: wire tires were used generously to secure the superstructure to the boat and to secure styrofoam pipe insulation to high abrasion areas.)

Winter Storage Cover

So the two-day discovery is that the best way to break up this project, if unable to do everything in one fell swoop, is to build/install the superstructure on the first day and then install the canvas cover the next day. Partially installing the canvas isn’t an option. The two sections must be connected and secured for it to be wind resistant. Attempting to install one section and then interrupting the installation until later would be extremely risky because wind would likely damage the partially installed cover.

But returning the following day to drape the winter storage cover over the ribbing worked well. It’s still a slow process, especially since it was the first time and the instructions were not particularly helpful as far as sorting out how to orient the large, unwieldy fabric sections, etc.

The good news? The fabric cover fits the boat quite well, mast, stays and all! Phew…