GSL Slip Renters. OK, I've had several people ask what a dead head is. In maritime parlay it does not mean a fan of the Greatful Dead. Dead heads are logs or timbers. They freely float or are stuck into the mud or sand. They can stick out of the surface of the water or be just underneath the surface. A log would be a log floating horizontally on the surface of the water. A dead head has most of its surface underneath the water much like an ice berg. Great Salt Lake once had a wooden trestle crossing it. As the trestle fell into disrepair many of the timbers and pilings became free and began floating around the lake. They can get caught in the currents or become wedged into the mud on the bottom of the lake. Over the years most of these dead heads have landed on beaches or island. As the water comes up in the spring these dead heads can be dislodged from their resting places and float around the lake. Dead heads are particularly dangerous because only one side is barely exposed above the surface of the water. And the other end can be lodged in the mud at the bottom of the lake. Usually an impact with a log, as bad as that can be, will usually cause the log to move. A dead head won't necessarily move meaning the damage to a boat that hits one of these will be much more serious. I hope that clears it up Dave Shearer Harbor Master Great Salt Lake State Marina Antelope Island State Marina 801-209-9142
