GSL Slip Renters and Marina Users.
I know this is a very long email. But there are many thanks to deliver.
There is also much needed information to get out about future plans.
Well it was an incredible and record haul out of boats this week. The final
tally was 81 boats in just over two days. A record 45 boats pulled the
first day in record time. We averaged 4.09 boats per hour. 34 boats the
second day before wind shut us down. Our average went up to 4.89 boats per
hour. And seven boats on Saturday in just one hour and 10 minutes. That is
an average of 6 boats an hour!. Truly historic!
SAR Volunteer Team - I cannot say enough about the Volunteer Search &
Rescue Team (known as GSLERT - Great Salt Lake Emergency Response Team).
They formed the team for the purpose of helping out on vessel assists and
search & rescue efforts. They did not sign up for the purpose of being
grunts. But many of these guys donated their time over the span of weeks
helping to prepare for the big event as well as working very long days
during crane day to make sure crane time was kept to a minimum for those
pulling out, to help pack 81 boats into a very small parking lot, and to
make sure everyone was able to safely pull their boats. They towed boats
who didn't have working motors or were stuck in the mud. They drove
tractors pulling boats to their new temporary homes in the parking lot. You
guys are the best!
A few of you that pulled your boats tipped when you paid. That money will
go to the volunteer search and rescue team. They are the ones that truly
deserve it and it will help them fund needed equipment and supplies.
Slip Renters community volunteering. This is an amazing community that I
think those outside of it do not understand. I saw many boat owners
sticking around after their boats were lifted so that they could help others
get their boats out. Many owners could not be here for crane day because of
other commitments. Yet their boats were safely pulled and put on cradles,
stands or trailers by others in the community. We even had some boat owners
here for all three days to make sure this was pulled off without a hitch.
One person that helped all three days had already sold his boat but wanted
to help hook boats to straps just to help out the community he cares about
and is still a proud member of. And others cooked and brought food to make
sure everyone had something to eat on such a busy day. Some boat owners did
not know how to unrig their boats or drop masts. They had never been to a
crane day. The community chipped in and helped them out.
Two ingenious members of the community even spent the time to find business
to donate products to make sure the volunteers were fed all three days.
Thank you to them and those businesses that donated product:
* Chick Fil A donated chicken sandwiches
* Jimmy Johns donated sandwich platters and a fruit platter
* Einstein's Bagels donated an incredible amount of bagels and cream
cheese
* Starbucks Coffee donated coffee
* Tiff Jackson made incredible pulled pork
* Jackie Harwood made an awesome chili
* If I forgot a sponsor I am sorry. I know someone will let me know
of the omission and I will make sure you are recognized.
It was so nice to be able to just go into the garage real quick and grab a
quick bite to eat while continuing to work.
And two slip renters generously donated the use of their trailers so that
those who did not have trailers could be transported to areas where their
boats could be lifted onto stands or cradles.
Others brought pressure washers after one of the State's pressure washer
failed.
I am not aware of ever having two cranes on-site before. It may have
happened but I am just not aware of it. We had to bring a 240 ton crane out
to haul the boats out of the water. Because the lake has dropped so much
the crane has to reach further out in order to pick the boats up now. Every
time the lake drops lower than before it requires a bigger crane than
previously needed. We also brought a smaller 90 ton crane out to pull boats
from trailers and put them on stands or cradles. This was quite an
orchestration of events. And EVERYONE made it work incredibly smoothly. I
was absolutely and cheerfully impressed! With so much going on in such a
confined space there was plenty that could have gone wrong. But it didn't.
Amazing! We contemplated closing the marina off to all traffic except the
boat owners pulling their boats so that we could operate safely and have no
traffic snags with cars or tractors towing trailers to and from the two
parking lots. But, with Great Salt Lake being so internationally known and
being an international tourist destination (visitation being just shy of
400,000 per year), I didn't want a tourist not to have an opportunity to see
what the lake is all about. The main office backed whatever decision I
decided to make. But thanks to the Coast Guard Auxiliary, Ken Tabish and
two Park Rangers doing traffic control we were able to keep the park open to
tourism with minimal disruption in traffic flow. Thank you.
A last thanks goes to Wagstaff Crane. Ron Wagstaff generously gave us a
discount on travel costs which helped keep costs down for the boat owners.
He also provided very experienced crane operators. That experience helps
keep the cranes moving faster in a safe manner which also keeps costs down.
I was very afraid of down time on the cranes. If the 240 ton crane sat idle
waiting for the next boat that costs all of us. Same with the 90 ton crane.
But we had almost no down time on the 240 ton crane. The biggest down time
we had was caused by me when I halted operations for 15 minutes due to wind
gusts. We eventually suspended operations that day for safety reasons. We
did have some down time on the 90 ton crane. It just couldn't be helped.
But the efforts of our incredible volunteers kept that down time to an
absolute minimum.
I admit, my stress level has been pegged on maximum for over a month.
Worrying how to pull this off, where we were going to put all the boats,
traffic flow issues, getting the deep draft boats through the mud to crane
out areas, people possibly getting hurt, boats being damaged. But as you
have read here the volunteers and the whole marina community pulled off an
enormous undertaking flawlessly. THANK YOU!
And now planning begins for the next Crane Day. I am afraid that the bulk
of the boats still in the marina will have to come out soon. I am studying
the lake level models as well as watching how fast the lake is actually
dropping. This most recent storm deposited nearly an inch of water. Trust
me, the irony of pulling half the boats from the marina due to low water
during the largest rain storm of the year was not lost on me. But this last
storm did not help snow pack. Today snowpack for the Great Salt Lake is a
dismal 31%
And for those that were here to watch some of the boats being dragged
through the mud in order to get to the crane out slip, you know how bad our
water level in the marina truly is.
I also do not know where we will stack all the boats. We are quickly
running out of parking lot. If you have a trailer and can pull your boat
home or store it elsewhere until dredging is done it would greatly be
appreciated and would make room for someone who has to pull but doesn't have
a trailer.
The tentative date for the next crane day is May 28th.
I do not know any new information about dredging. But I do know that
dredging WILL happen sometime this summer or early fall. I still hope the
engineering process and permit process can start earlier. If it does we may
be able to pull the trigger on dredging soon after the July 1st start of the
new fiscal year.
We will keep the south parking lot closed for the next few days as we begin
to relocate the boats from the west parking lot to the south parking lot.
We will begin notifying people who still have boats in the West basin that
they need to move to the south basin where it is a bit deeper (and I mean a
bit). Boats on C dock are already in the mud. We will begin shuttering the
vacant docks. You may keep your dock boxes on the docks but please remove
anything else. B dock has already been shuttered. The gates are chained.
Water and electricity has been shut off. C dock and D dock are next.
In a few weeks we will be shutting down the South parking lot again. This
is so we can bring in a long reach excavator to dig parts of the break wall
away from the docks and gangways. This is to allow the docks to drop level
as the water goes down so that the docks do not buckle and break by hitting
the break wall. It is also to allow the gangways to also fall level and
rest on the docks like they are supposed to. In a few months those gangways
are going to be very steep.
And for those boats remaining on J dock, I have not forgotten about the
water leaks. I hope to have the last of the repairs finally done and water
on this week.
ONE LAST CRITICAL NOTE: Many of you will be dropping your masts in
preparation for the next crane day. As you do so and finish up, PLEASE
REMEMBER TO SECURE THE HOOK AND CHAIN BACK UP TO THE PILING. During the
last wind storm the chain was not secure and did quite a bit of damage to
the new dinner/cruise boat.
Well, if you made it through this whole email I appreciate it. I know it
was long.
Now we await dredging
Thanks
Dave
Dave Shearer
Harbor Master
Great Salt Lake State Marina
Antelope Island State Marina
801-209-9142
