Who Pulled the Drain Plug?

[DLCameron2]

After Stormy's problem with the heads, then the pictures from Bohemia Bay and the loss of John & Rosemary's boat; it is hard not to lament about boat problems. Here in the Great Lakes basin we are having our own problem. Ice jams and "dams" in the St. Clair River between Port Huron and Algonac have restricted the water flow into Lake St. Clair and below. The water level here at MacRay has dropped nearly 3 ft! My depth sounder is reading 32 inches or so so we are nearly resting the keel in the mud. There has been extensive damage here to the floating docks outside where the moorings and shore power have literally been "ripped" from their attaching points in the sea wall. I could now board using my hard top instead of the side deck! We are hoping that the USCG ice breaking operations will increase water flow, but that will take time to replenish the millions of gallons that have been "drained". Anyway luckily all is OK so far. As Gary always says HAVE FUN BOATING!!!!!!

DC

 

[John Dickson]

DC

I am across from you in the front building. I draw 42", my slip normally has approx 5 ft beneath the hull and my varnish guy says she's now on the keel bottom and that he is also boarding via the aft cabin hardtop. At least the slip bottoms are silty so the keels hopefully won't take too much weight/pressure.

Going to send the admirial out to the boat tomorrow for an update. If the cutters can't free the dams, we are in for a mess because we are already down by half the depth. I would appreciate it if you would continue to post the status of your slip condition/level.

I am currently in Florida working till next Friday, going to Miami show tomorrow. Its only 60 today in Ft. Lauderdale. So whats with this global warming thing anyway??

 

[TopHattandTails]

Resting on the keel won't bother anything. Once the water comes up, check your strainers real good (ac/heat, genny, mains, heads). Went through this 2x's with the Lake Erie seiche's this past fall. Hopefully it's deep enough for any stabilizer fins.

 

[stormchaser]

Yikes. Good luck guys...this winter has been hard on our poor boats... oh, dont worry about your keels or props, gently sticking them in the mud wont hurt one bit. Remember when you are hauled...ALL the weight should be on your keel..the jack stands are just there to keep it from tipping...and these are Hatts...they can take it.

 

[Genesis]

The keel won't mind as noted, and with Hatts the props are reasonably protected. You should be ok.

Now stabs, if you have 'em, could be trouble. Let's hope not.

 

[Mardav]

Darn this global warming!

 

[yachtsmanbill]

2/18 - Algonac, Mich. – Shipping has resumed in the St. Clair River now that some of the ice that clogged it for more than a week has been cleared.

The opening allowed Canadian icebreakers to escort a pair of tankers to Sarnia on Tuesday, said Andy Maillet, supervisor of operations for the Canadian Coast Guard's Central and Arctic region. Maillet said a large volume of ice -- "too large an amount actually" -- began entering the river about 10 days ago and set off alarm bells. "Having the river completely full of ice doesn't happen very often. I can't remember the last time it did," he said.

The Canadian icebreakers CCGS Samuel Risley and the CCGS Griffon, along with two U.S. icebreakers, have been working at it consistently since then, Maillet said. By Tuesday, they'd cleared most of the lower river but an 18-km stretch between Courtright and Sarnia was still ice-packed, Maillet said. While the Risley continued working on the ice the Griffon went down river to escort the tankers.

The plan was to then escort a tug and barge that have been sitting it out.

Maillet said an "ice bridge" that formed in southern Lake Huron was some assistance because it held back additional lake ice from entering the river. "That little ice bridge has allowed us to do the work we've been able to do for the last week and a half," Maillet said "The situation could change any minute, but we've just been fortunate enough that it has held on this long." The ice bridge will break at some point, creating more work for icebreakers, he said.

A tug and barge, on its way to Chicago, is scheduled to pass next week through the ice bridge, Maillet said.

Coast guard officials have been keeping close watch on conditions with daily helicopter surveillance flights.

London Free Press

 

[Trojan]

This is the first year in many many that Lake Erie has frozen over. So if Erie is frozen over your St Clair river, Port Huron and Detroit river ice has no place to go.
It's supposed to reach 40 degrees today with a warming trend with rain on Monday and Tuesday. So maybe there is relief in the near future.

BILL

 

[Craig]

I am not that familiar with the area of the great lakes you are talking about, however; could it be the low water level is a good thing in the long run? With spring comming, ice breaking and the spring rains, that water needs someplace to go. I have heard the army corps of engineers can control the level of the lakes, not sure if this is true, I am hoping it's a blessing in disguise and Ma Nature knows what she is doing. One thing we do not need is floods.

 

[SKYCHENEY]

Lake levels have been too low for quite some time. Last year provided some relief as they were up several inches. Hopefully they will come up some more this year.

 

[DLCameron2]

The Cavalry is on the way:

WASHINGTON – U.S. Congresswoman Candice Miller (MI-10) today commended the deployment of additional U.S. Coast Guard resources to complete a three to four day mission to breakup the nine mile ice jam forming in the St. Clair River by the Algonac, Harsens Island area. This ice jam is affecting the water levels north of the jam which is causing the water to rise and some flooding, and the water levels south in Lake St. Clair dropping precipitancy by at least two feet. The mission cannot begin until Monday, February 22nd while the necessary ice breaking capabilities are in transit to the ice jam site.

“This mission can’t begin soon enough, to give relief to the area and the surrounding properties, and minimize any further damage caused by this ice jam,” Miller said. “I was recently aboard the USCGC Hollyhock and saw the ice jam and its incredible size – immediate assistance is needed. Additionally, the Harsens Island Ferry service will be suspended temporarily for several days while these cutters complete their mission. This is a very unique situation and it hasn’t been since 1984 that our area has seen an ice jam of this magnitude. The condition must be addressed and the Coast Guard is on the scene working hard to address the situation.”

The mission’s operations will be preformed by the USCGC Mackinaw from Cheboygan, Michigan, the USCGC Mobile Bay from Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin, the USCGC Neah Bay from Cleveland, Ohio and the Canadian CCGS Samuel Risley from Parry Sound, Ontario.

Hope they hurry up! Thanks for all of the posts!

DC

 

[SKYCHENEY]

Don,
What is the situation now? Is the water any lower than it was a few days ago?

 

[ppat324]

Read this on Boatnerd today!!!ppat

2/19 - A precipitous drop in Lake St. Clair water levels is the result of ice jams on the St. Clair River, officials said, and the shoreline should gradually return to its traditional state.

According to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the lake level has plummeted by 20 inches since Feb. 1. While the Coast Guard works to break up the ice on the river, the water flow into the lake remains restricted.

Keith Kompoltowicz, a Corps of Engineers meteorologist, said the ice floes that travel from Lake Huron into the river often break apart and jam up in the river delta, in the area of Harsens Island and Walpole Island.

"In the past, we've seen quite large swings. The lake level can fall quickly due to conditions, and it can go back up just as quickly," Kompoltowicz said. Coast Guard cutters have been breaking up the ice on the river since last weekend, when ferry service to Harsens Island and to Canada was halted due to non-navigable conditions.

While officials say the 25-inch drop in the lake level compared to a year ago is not surprising, some longtime waterfront residents are worried.

Dick Degrande, a 35-year resident of the Pointe Rosa canal near Metro Beach, said he's concerned that sea walls will start to buckle and collapse if water levels remain low for an extended period of time.

"I've lived here more than 30 years and I've never seen it this low," Degrande said. "It … is way down — there's practically no water left in our canal."

Corps of Engineers' data shows that lake levels are now nearly five feet lower than in February 1986, when high levels that spring topped sea walls and caused minor flooding along portions of the waterfront.

The recent snowstorm that dumped up to one foot of snow in the areas north of Port Huron are blamed for adding to the ice buildup in the river. Northerly winds associated with the storm pushed large sheets of ice into the river.

This past weekend, the Bristol Bay, Penobscot Bay, Griffon and Samuel Risley, were breaking ice in the lower St. Clair River, hoping to flush the obstructions into Lake St. Clair.

Gene Davis of the Coast Guard's Detroit Command Center said the U.S. cutter Neah Bay was working on the problem. Operations will continue until spring.

Neah Bay arrived from Cleveland on Wednesday and docked at Algonac. They departed Thursday and sailed downbound for Cleveland.

"We keep breaking up the ice jams," Davis said, "and Mother Nature keeps adding to them."

Macomb Daily

 

[ppat324]

Here is the latest from Boatnerd. It includes a link at the bottom ....ppat

Mackinaw heading to work the St. Clair River

2/20 - Detroit, Mich. – The U.S. and Canadian coast guards are scheduled to conduct ice breaking operations in the St. Clair River Monday morning, in order to mitigate possible flood activity due to a nine-mile long ice jam there, and address low-water levels on Lake St. Clair.

U.S. Coast Guard cutters involved include the Neah Bay, Mobile Bay and Mackinaw. The Canadian Coast Guard Cutter Samuel Risley will also be working the river.

“This year we have seen a large amount of ice in the river system; this ice stacks up and stops the natural flow of water, which may be contributing to lower water levels in Lake St. Clair and higher risk of flooding in communities along the St. Clair River above the jam,” said Cmdr. Joseph Snowden, Ice Officer at U.S. Coast Guard Sector Detroit. “We are working closely with our international partners to address these risks.”

These joint icebreaking operations with the Canadian Coast Guard will include the North and South Channels of the St. Clair River and have the potential to impact the operation of the Harsens Island Ferry. Residents of Harsens Island should make appropriate preparations should the three or four day icebreaking operation interrupt ferry service.

“While we understand Harsens Island residents’ annual frustrations with the temporary winter-time interruptions of ferry services, these ice breaking operations are critical to preventing flooding to the many communities along both sides of the St. Clair River,” said Cmdr. Kevin Dunn, Chief of Waterways Management for the Ninth Coast Guard District. “These operations are also necessary to restore water flow to Lake St. Clair, which has experienced a dramatic drop in water levels over the past few days.”

That drop in water levels on Lake St. Clair has threatened many marinas along the lakefront. As a precaution, individuals are asked to remain clear of ice breaking operations in order to avoid injury, property loss or damage. The U.S. Coast Guard provides ice breaking services for search-and-rescue, other emergency operations, flood mitigation and the facilitation of navigation to meet the reasonable demands of commerce.

The Coast Guard conducts two major operations during the icebreaking season, entitled Coal Shovel and Taconite, to ensure the most efficient movement of vessels through the entire Great Lakes region. Coal Shovel, under the control of Coast Guard Sector Detroit, encompasses southern Lake Huron, St. Clair/Detroit River systems, and Lakes Erie and Ontario, and includes the St. Lawrence Seaway.

Coast Guard Cutters Neah Bay and Mobile Bay are 140-foot icebreaking tugs, homeported in Cleveland, Ohio and Sturgeon Bay, Wis., respectively. Mackinaw is a 240-foot icebreaker homeported in Cheboygan, Mich. The Canadian Coast Guard Ship Samuel Risley is homeported in Perry Sound, Ont.

Satellite image Friday showing the ice coverage from lower Lake Huron to Lake Erie


It appears you will have to access Boatnerd or google earth to srr the ice coverage. SORRY!

 

[Nonchalant1]

No problem with the stabilizers in the silt either. When we went to a marina in Crystal River, FL (Big Bend) the marina was so shallow that you could only move a boat at near high tide. We had 1 ft under our keel at high tide in a 2 ft. tide area. At low tide, our 53MY with stabilizers, was resting in the silt and the waterline at the bow was a foot below normal. We didn't use anything (heads, genny, A/C) that had a water intake, but all of them were OK after the tide came back in. The seastrainers were clean too, before and after running briefly, so maybe the silt fills the scoops or seacocks but falls out or slushes through when there's water under the keel again, I would not go back there, but there was a 53MY that had a permanent slip in that marina and could only move it at high tide.

Doug

 

[Genesis]

I know where that marina is. At low tide the water is roughly at ankle level

We've gone there in the winter to swim with the manatees. Bring a THICK wetsuit or (preferred) a drysuit.

 

[ppat324]

The latest from Boatnerd........ppat

Flood relief icebreaking rare; effort starts Monday

2/21 - Port Huron, Mich. – Coast Guard ice breakers will break ice on a nine-mile span stretching from Algonac to Marysville starting Monday morning.

The mission aims to help relieve flood concerns and put water levels back to normal.

"This has been a very bad ice jam," Lt. Dixon Whitley said. "It's been more than 20 years since we've had (it) this bad."

The jam has plagued the Coast Guard for a couple of weeks. Numerous ice missions have temporarily relieved the situation.

U.S. Rep. Candice Miller said the piecemeal tactic isn't working.

"They have to attack it all at once ... with all various resources," she said. "It is a great thing the Coast Guard is taking the action they are to have all the different resources coming from the different areas."

Whitley said just north of the Blue Water Bridge in Lake Huron, an ice bridge is keeping more ice at bay. He said the bridge could break, compounding the situation on the river and increasing the chances of flooding.

Whitley said with warm weather helping the operation, "it is an opportune time" to conduct the mission,” he observed.

Mackinaw departed her home moorings at Cheboygan, Mich. Saturday night and was expected to stop at Port Huron Sunday. Port Huron Times Herald

 

[DLCameron2]

Update from MacRay Harbor: No change in water level here, it has stopped dropping but thats it. Good to know that I can rest on the bottom if needed but hopefully not! If this water level does not return to where it was, the area in Anchor Bay outside our fairways here will be "unnavigable" to all but some smaller outdrive type boats. I hope the Mighty Mac can flush the ice thru the St. Clair River delta, and that there is enough water above the ice bridges to "reflood" Lake St. Clair and the waters below us including the Detroit River. The good news is they need water for commercial shipping and right now the freighter channel has to be a maximum of 25'; since they draft 27' when fully loaded I guess the powers that be will make it happen. I will let you know how the icebreaking operations affect things here.

DC

 

[SKYCHENEY]

This forecasted snow storm can't help matters. They're calling for 5-10" at my place and the Detroit area may get more.

 

[DLCameron2]

Here is the "shocking" data from USACE: