March 2008 - GSL-Marina - mailman.xmission.com

THE DREDGE REPORT
by gslharbormaster 14 Mar '08

14 Mar '08

GSL Slip Renters and Marina Users The last hurtle on dredging was cleared today. The schedule and plans posted yesterday is official. Thanks Dave

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THE DREDGE REPORT
by gslharbormaster 13 Mar '08

13 Mar '08

GSL Slip Renters and Marina Users Dredging is not a done deal yet. But we are 99% there. All elements have basically been addressed and delt with. Once we have the Army Corp permit in our hands I can say it is 100% done. That should happen within the next day or two. So, we are far enough along now, with enough hurtles cleared that I feel comfortable announcing the plan and the schedule. THE PLAN The current dredging project is for the marina mouth only. We were able to secure enough funding and the equipment to address this major problem. This will be a significant dredging of the mouth. It will remove silt, sand and mud from the marina mouth from where you make your right hand turn and out towards the green buoy. This dredging should also remove all the rocks that have been a navigation hazard inside the marina mouth by the west breakwater. Our target is to remove two to three foot depth in this target area. Another goal, if time and money permit, is to slightly widen the marina mouth by removing a small amount of material off the tip of the north breakwall. And, if time, money and equipment permit, we may also dredge along the north breakwall heading towards the ramp. The equipment being used will include excavators and a barge that will need to park in the marina mouth to complete much of the work. And this is not a small barge. This will create some problems with boating while dredging is going on. See "THE SCHEDULE" below. We are anticipating that dredging will take about two days. With the need of butting the barge into the breakwall for loading and unloading equipment, this whole process could take three to four days. Once the dredging is complete, the depth in the mouth should be more consistent with the majority of the marina (possibly slightly deeper). This dredging project is not cheap. If we need to stop work so that vessels can leave the marina, the contractor will not be stopping the clock. Therefore we are asking for your cooperation. If you don't need to go sailing during the dredging time, please don't. Scullers, Kayakers, if you could find an alternative launch site that does not need to utilize the marina mouth, please do so. Maybe you can launch near the observation deck. THE SCEDULE If we receive our permit when we are anticipating, then the dredging will begin this Monday. The barge will be showing up at the marina around noon on Monday. The barge will park itself in the mouth of the marina butted against the North breakwall. They will then begin loading equipment. During this time, the marina mouth will be blocked. Therefore, we will be closing access to the marina mouth by 11:00am on Monday morning. This closure will last all day on Monday. If you need to get your boat fix in, plan to be back in the marina by Monday morning at that time. Otherwise, you will be out, on the lake, overnight. Dredging will continue Tuesday and possibly into Wednesday from 7:00am through 7pm. If for some reason you just have to get on the water, we have arranged that the dredging can stop at 10:00am and 2pm each day for 15 minutes. To utilize these time slots you must check in with the marina office or Harbor Master first so that we can communicate with the contractor. Remember, the clock on our costs keep running and it may cut into how much dredging we can do, if you utilize these time slots. Once all the dredging is done that can be done with the barge, we will check our depths and for obstacles. If we feel comfortable with the results, the barge will be unloaded and clear the marina mouth. You will then have access to the lake. This could be as early as Wednesday afternoon. If there is still money in the budget, continued dredging will be done on other trouble areas that can be reached with the excavator. Well, there you have it. Thank you Dave Shearer Harbormaster Great Salt Lake Marina

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Parking this weekend
by gslharbormaster 12 Mar '08

12 Mar '08

GSL Slip Renters and Marina Users I know the timing of all these projects hitting this weekend is going to make parking a challenge on Friday and Saturday. I apologize in advance. But here is what's going on: 1. Crane Day Saturday. We will be blocking off the south parking lot on Friday Evening. Please plan on not parking there until Saturday afternoon. If you are bringing a boat into the marina before crane day, please park it on the gravel section of the North parking lot next to the other boats and trailers. DO NOT BLOCK ANY PART OF THE PARKING LOT. There are quite a few boats on this crane day so it will be a long day with parking challenges. 2. Mast Hoist. There is some very heavy construction equipment down our Ranger Dock Service Road. work will be ongoing Friday and posiby Saturday. Please do not block or park on this road. 3. Dredging Equipment (Yes, I finally said it). IF WE DO NOT RUN INTO ANY SNAGS TOMORROW, the dredging equipment will be showing up on Friday. We will try to actually store as much of this equipment on the breakwater as possible but some of it may be in the North parking lot. We will need unhindered access through this section of parking so please contain your vehicles to actuall parking stalls as best as possible. The arrival of dredging equipment should only be a problem for Friday. We do not anticipate equipment arriving Saturday or Sunday. The barge will not be arriving until Monday at the earliest so access to the lake from the marina will not be a problem until Monday. BUT, if you do not need to go sailing next week, we would request you don't until the dredging is complete and depth inspected. I will be sending an email either today or tomorrow that outline the dredging plans. It will have a plan for brief lake access time periods each day of dredging. But, Again, if you don't need to go sailing, please don't. We would prefere to check the marina mouth after the dredging to make sure no debris or problems have created a hazard. The timing of all these projects just happened to make for a busy weekend. But Two of these projects will create a significant improvement to the marina. I do not want to delay either one of them. So many people have scheduled for time off for Crane Day that I don't want to affect their schedule either. The parking in the south basin is going to be the toughest for the skullers and kayakers. I apologize for this inconvenience. This will mainly be a Saturday problem for you. I hope you understand and we will free up access as soon as possible on Saturday. Thank you, for your understanding. Dave Shearer Harbormaster Great Salt Lake Marina

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Marina News in brief
by gslharbormaster 12 Mar '08

12 Mar '08

MARINA NEWS IN-BRIEF GREAT SALT LAKE STATE MARINA The marina is getting very busy now with the return of warmer weather. We have seen many people working on their boats for the new season. And may sailors are now venturing out on the lake. The GSLYC race season is about to begin. And the scullers and rowers are now showing up on a regular basis. We also have a new addition to the Great Salt Lake. This is the Hawaiian Canoe Club. We would like to welcome them. Current Conditions Water Level 4195.9 Water depth in the marina mouth (at optimum approach) 5.2' Snowpack for the Great Salt Lake Drainage area 105% Water Temperature (Today - expect a small cooling trend by weekend) 53 degrees Events this weekend, March 15-16 Crane day is this Saturday. It will be a very busy crane day lasting most of the day. Therefore we are asking people to Please avoid parking in the south parking lot. It will be needed for maneuvering boats and trailers around the crane. The Great Salt Lake Yacht Club will also be having a race orientation program along with an afternoon social. This could make for a busy parking lot weekend. There is a large 400 ton crane and equipment now in place along our Rescue Dock Service Road. For this reason, there will be no access or parking along this road until work on the mast hoist is complete. Build inc, the contractor, prefer if people keep clear of their equipment while work is being done. I would expect their equipment to be gone by early to mid next week. Mast Hoist As mentioned above, the mast hoist is now here and being installed. Once it is installed we will try to work on procedures for the use of this hoist. The mast hoist is located on the Rescue Dock. To utilize this hoist you would pull your boat between the Rescue Dock and the Service Dock. Dredging Almost ready to announce complete dredging plans and a lake access schedule. All but the last hurtle has been overcome. We are working on that last hurtle heavily today. We are still hoping that some very large equipment will be blocking the marina access starting Monday and will continue to block the marina mouth until mid to late next week. This schedule may have to change though. I will keep you posted. Water Level Predictions OK, I am ready now to make a fool of myself and make my Annual, Unscientific Lake Level Prediction for the Great Salt Lake. Predicted high for the 2008 season ---- 4197.4 on June 8th Predicted low for the 2008 season ---- 4195.4 on November 5th Drought Forecast NOAA still has the Great Salt Lake Drainage Area listed as a moderate to severe drought area. Yet they are also predicting "Improvement" in drought conditions with the impact of the drought easing. This forecast is valid through May 2008 Water to the Docks and Pump-A-Head Dock Water is scheduled to be turned on around the first week of April. This may change based on cold temperature forecasts. Registration Stickers The rangers were out last weekend, as they promised, and cited 27 boats for "Failure to Display" registration stickers. They wanted me to remind you that it is not enough to register your boats. You must also properly display stickers on the boats. This includes the Monthly sticker, the Yearly sticker, and the UT numbers. Reef Channel Buoys as opposed to Deep Channel Buoys Remember that although the lake is rising, the reef outside the mouth of the marina is still very shallow. We do not recommend using the Reef Channel Buoys yet. In fact we still have not replaced "RR2". We will not do this until the water comes up more. The recommended path is still the Deep Channel buoys. Remember to pass the buoys on the proper side. Veering outside the buoys could end in an abrupt halt and grounding on a very hard reef. Remeber "Red-Right-Return". Pass the Red buoys on your Right side as you are returning to the Marina. Weather We are still in a Winter Frontal Weather Pattern. This pattern may bring strong south winds, lasting for a day or two, followed by moisture, north winds, and large waves that may last as long as a day. Keep a close watch on forecasts whether by NOAA radio, Television or the internet. We are continuing to use the storm warning flags at the marina. But this should not be a substitute for a proper forecast by professional meteorologists and your own good judgement. Wakeless Speed vs Safe Speed With all the new activity out here I would like to remind everyone that there are two speed requirements. One is Wakeless Speed. The other is Safe Speed. Please be advised that the one that applies to the marina is Safe Speed. This is often a speed slower than Wakeless Speed. Remember that as you are traveling down the main marina channel you may have a boat, kayaker or sculler that is entering the channel in front of you. Will you be able to stop your boat, consisting of a lot of lead, in time before contact is made? Please remember to keep your boat speed down in the marina so that we do not have an unfortunate accident in the marina. Boats Restricted in their Ability to Maneuver Another reminder I would like to make is that we have situations where a boat may be limited in their ability to maneuver. "Island Serenade" and "Rescue One" (when towing a vessel) are limited in their ability to maneuver when operating in the marina. These boats have "Right-of-way" in this situation. It does not matter whether you are a kayaker, sculler, sailor, etc. You must avoid "Island Serenade" and "Rescue One" or "Rescue Four" (when towing another vessel). "Island Serenade" will make several horn blasts when leaving or entering the marina. Both Rescue Vessels will do the same and may have their lights on when they are in a situation where they are restricted in maneuvering. Boat Maintenance Now that the water is warming up, it is a good time to check your through-hulls and all hose clamps. Warm-to-cold-to-warm temperatures have the ability to loosen hose clams or cause leaks at hose to through-hull or valve connections. This can lead to a sinking or water damaged boat. Another item to check (if you are connected to shore power) is your plug and your receptacle on the boat. That same warm-to-cold-to-warm temperature problen can lead to screws backing out. This can lead to a faulty ground. This can melt plugs, circuit breakers, cause fires, lead to injury or even death. It is very good practice to unhook your boat from shore power, pull your receptacle, look for damage, melting or backed off screws. Check the condition of your cables. Repair and replace if necessary. We have already had two boats this season with problems that could have turned very serious. Oh, and check your dock lines while you are at it. Check your standing rigging, clevis pins and cotter pins. every once-in-a-while a non stainless cotter pin will make it into a dealers bin. This can lead to rigging failure. Make it a practice to check your rigging every spring and fall. Have a safe boating season Thank you Dave Shearer Harbor Master Great Salt Lake Marina

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Mast Hoist
by gslharbormaster 10 Mar '08

10 Mar '08

GSL Slip Renters and Marina Users Build Inc. will be bringing their large crane and other equipment out this week to the marina in order to install the mast hoist. Their work should have little impact on the boating community other than the few who utilize the road to our fuel pump and rescue dock. This road will be closed while the work is done. We request that nobody use this road, park on the road or behind the marina offices. Build Inc will need unhindered access to this road. Thank you Dave Shearer Harbor Master Great Salt Lake Marina

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Marina Mouth Restrictions
by gslharbormaster 06 Mar '08

06 Mar '08

ACCESS TO GREAT SALT LAKE THROUGH THE GSL MARINA MOUTH - RESTRICTIONS GSL Slip Renters and Marina Users We still have a couple more issues to tie up before we can make any announcements but I thought I would give you some advance warning about being able to use the marina mouth. Please be advised that, at this time, it looks like we will have to limit access to the lake from the Great Salt Lake Marina from March 17th through March 20th. Some very large equipment may be blocking access for several hours at a time. We will work on an access plan for each day so that we will not have to block access the whole time for four days. If you had sailing plans for this time period, you may want to rethink them so you or your guests are not inconvenienced. After this date, we hope that ALL our marina users will have access to the lake again. Of course, plans could change or fall apart rapidly. But this information and dates look good at this time. Thank you Dave Shearer Harbormaster Great Salt Lake Marina

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Marina News in brief
by gslharbormaster 03 Mar '08

03 Mar '08

GSL Slip Renters and Marina Users MARINA NEWS IN-BRIEF. Monday, March 3rd Current Conditions Water Level: 4195.7' and rising quickly Depth at Marina Mouth: 5' at optimum approach Water Temperature: 44 degrees Snowpack for GSL Drainage: 110% Slip Contracts Many of you may have received an email by now requesting you send in your 2008 slip contracts. Contracts must be completed each year in order to occupy a slip at the marina. For those that are on popular docks, you risk loosing your slip to the waiting list if you do not complete and send in your contracts. Please send these in as soon as possible. Boat Registrations Yes, The Rangers will be walking the docks this week checking that registrations are current. Many of you emailed me last week that registrations are not due until the end of April. This is correct. Most registrations expire at the end of April. Many others expire at any given month and many others did not registered their boats last year. These are the boats that the rangers will be looking for. Remember, not only do the boats need to be registered, they also need those stickers displayed properly on the boats and "UT" numbers must also be properly displayed. Several citations were issued last summer. I have been informed that the Rangers will be walking the docks, not only this week, but on other occasions this year. Slip Fees March is the last month of winter rates. April will begin summer rates. Below are listed the slip rates beginning April 1st: 21' Slips w/ power $126.00 (B, E, I docks) 21' Slips w/o power $105.00 (C, D docks) 25' Slips w/ power $150.00 (I dock) 25' Slips w/o power $125.00 (C, D, J docks) 30' Slips w/ power $180.00 (B, E docks) 30' Slips 'K' dock $150.00 (K dock - old dock) 35' Slips w/ power $210.00 (E dock) 40' Slips w/ power $240.00 (E dock) Crane Day Crane Day is March 15th Dredging Expect news in the very short future about dredging plans and dates. If all goes well, dredging will happen sooner than later. Thank you Dave Shearer Harbormaster Great Salt Lake Marina

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