Neil, Lake Erie is not higher than normal, but it is still above chart datum, which is I suspect what you meant to say.
http://www.lre.usace.army.mil/greatlakes/hh/datalinks/PrinterFriendly/DailyLevelsEnglish.pdf The lake levels were so low on Lake Erie this past year that our sailing club had to haul the boats out a month early. As you said, there are a lot of knowledgeable people, on both sides of the border, who are convinced that St. Clair River dredging is at least partly responsible for the Lake Huron Michigan situation. Some people have even proposed engineering solutions that would restrict flow and still leave depth for shipping. This site is a rich resource. http://www.great-lakes.net/envt/water/levels/hydro.html Steve Thomas C&C27 MKIII Port Stanley, ON -----Original Message----- From: CnC-List [mailto:cnc-list-boun...@cnc-list.com]On Behalf Of schiller Sent: Monday, January 14, 2013 6:49 PM To: cnc-list@cnc-list.com Subject: Re: Stus-List Stus-Trip Planning Chuck, The issue is more than South Haven. All of Lake Michigan is feeling the reduced precipitation of the last couple of years. The watershed for the Great Lakes is much smaller than most realize. We have suffered a couple years of lower than average precipitation (I use that term to include both rain and snow). With the limited drainage basin of the Great Lakes, that is a big impact. There is some discussion as to whether the dredging of the St. Clair River may have dislodged the bedrock allowing greater drainage of Lake Huron/Lake Michigan (one continuous body of water). The proposed evidence of that is that Lake Erie is higher than normal. I am an Engineer, I'll let the Scientists decide whether global warming is the cause. My Engineering sense looks at 1964 (the previous all time low) and wonders if SUV's were the cause of that. I also remember a storm in 1996 where a bunch of us were loosening dock line to keep boat from grounding on the docks during a particular storm. The docks haven't changed since then, we set our docks at 6 foot above mean low water. The great lakes change in a cyclical manner. I don't particularly want to sit out a year, but I have done it before. I have a fifth wheel trailer that we can use to keep me occupied, so shed no tears for us. The lake will come back up. Neil Schiller 1970 Redwing 35, Hull #7 (C&C 35, Mark I) "Corsair" On 1/13/2013 9:57 PM, Chuck S wrote: So sorry I wrote my earlier calouse message. They are hard choices. I missed a whole season due to work and family issues. Never again. You could have her hauled, or once afloat, move the boat. Either way, I would move the boat away from this problem, move her to a better sailing venue and drive to her. She'll thank you for it, I think. Life is short and we must adapt to global warming, not just accept it. Improvise and overcome! Chuck Resolute 1990 C&C 34R Atlantic City, NJ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ From: "Schiller" <schil...@bloomingdalecom.net> To: cnc-list@cnc-list.com Sent: Friday, January 11, 2013 7:53:54 PM Subject: Re: Stus-List Stus-Trip Planning Actually, it's both. I slip at the Municipal marina (Museum Docks). They have been dredging since closing and I seriously think that the water is a good 8-9 feet below the dock. The docks were place 6 feet above mean low water (MLW). When we had the boat pulled out we were showing a couple of inches under the keel and that was a foot and a half ago. The other problem is that I store upriver and the river is dredged to 6 feet below MLW. If we don' get a significant amount of snow (we usually get right around 72 inches in the season, we are currently are at 8 inches) then there is no way to get down river. It is serious enough that the city has already guaranteed that our slip fees are refundable if the water doesn't come up. We are taking a wait and see approach. Like I said, we have stayed out before. The last time we stayed out, I rewired the whole boat. This time, who knows (install the hot water heater that I bought 5 years ago, refrigeration?) I live about 15 miles west of South Haven, right in the bullseye of the Lake Affect snow belt. We normally get about 50% more snow than Kalamazoo. Neil Schiller 1970 Redwing 35, Hull #7 (C&C 35, Mark I) South Haven, Mi Sent from my iPad On Jan 11, 2013, at 5:35 PM, "wwadjo...@aol.com" <wwadjo...@aol.com> wrote: Neil, I am in Pentwater, Mi and feel your pain. Is it your dockage or your channel out to Lake Michigan that is the problem? We are all fighting the channel dredging issue with the State/Feds. Bill Walker Evening Star C n C 36 ----- Reply message ----- From: "schil...@bloomingdalecom.net" <schil...@bloomingdalecom.net> To: <cnc-list@cnc-list.com> Subject: Stus-List Stus-Trip Planning Date: Fri, Jan 11, 2013 2:05 pm Not quite that simple. The levels of Lake Michigan/Lake Huron have really crashed this year. We are at the lowest recorded level since they have been taking data. Lots of theories as to why (dredging out the bedrock in the St Clair river, two warm dry years, etc.). We have been in South Haven for 20 years. There was 2 inches of water under my keel when we pulled out at Labor Day. We have lost 17 inches since then. This isn't the first time that we have stayed out. Probably not the last. South Haven is a great town for sailboats, just maybe not this year. Neil Schiller 1970 Redwing 35, Hull #7 (C&C 35, Mark I) Corsair Sent from my Verizon Wireless 4G LTE DROID Chuck S <cscheaf...@comcast.net> wrote: Sounds like South Haven isn't a good choice for sailboats? You sound like a smart guy. Don't be a victim. Don't keep the boat where it can't be used. Move to a slip with deeper water? Chuck Resolute 1990 C&C 34R Atlantic City, NJ ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: "schiller" <schil...@bloomingdalecom.net> To: cnc-list@cnc-list.com Sent: Thursday, January 10, 2013 6:11:17 PM Subject: Re: Stus-List Stus-Trip Planning We are hoping to be able to get into the water next year, so we aren't really planning any trips yet. Lake Michigan is at all time low levels at the moment and we aren't getting any snow or ice cover to help bring it back up. Hate to be a naysayer, but we are not hopeful. We are at 1/3 of the normal snowfall so far this winter. Neil Schiller 1970 Redwing 35, Hull #7 (C&C 35, Mark I) "Corsair" Waiting for the snow to fly in South Haven. Mi On 1/9/2013 9:12 PM, Richard N. Bush wrote:
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