Current News

Middle Island Access Restricted

Be aware that the Candian Government has designated Middle Island (located between Kelleys and Pelee Islands) a restricted area.

Read more here.

Club Mailing Address Changed

For the improvement of club function we have moved the club's mailing PO Box to a new location. The old location had restricted hours and presently was note as accessible due to work on the Erie St lift bridge. The new location is on Colorado Ave at the mail processing building east of the club. This facility has 24 hour access and is on the same side of the river as the club.

Please update your records to reflect the new PO Box for the Club:

PO Box 1134
Lorain, OH 44055

Please note that BOTH the PO Box number and Zip code have changed.

LHBC Basin Opens in Two Weeks - Friday April 15, 2022

Adding some joy to the traditional "Tax Day" of April 15, the LHBC Basin opens for dockers too!

Below please find a link to a brief review of policies for launching your boat and occupying your dock. For those that have not yet reserved a dock for the 2022 season the time to act is now. As of today the club has only eight (8) docks open for rental this year. Contact our Marina Manager, Bob Coffman (330-730-4225), to reserve your dock.

The club's members-only bar is planning on opening the first Friday of May -- May 6th. New this year are added facilities to support an expanded food menu.

Read the 2022 LHBC Launch Policy letter here.

Club Sunday Brunch - Sugar Creek Restaurant - 2/27/22

The club will be holding a Winter Sunday Brunch at Sugar Creek Restaurant (5196 Detroit, Sheffield, OH -- Cobblestone area) on Sunday Feb 27, 2022 from 11AM to 1PM. Space for up to 30 people at a time has been reserved. Each attending will pay their bill directly to the restaurant. The club is just facilitating getting the membership together for a time of fellowship and good food.

The Brunch Buffet is $10.99 per Adult. Kids 10 and under eat for $6.99 each.

Sailing Vessel Gathers Climate Change Data

An interesting article about an 82' French sailing vessel deploying water salinity and temperature floats around the Atlantic to feed more detailed information on Climate Change effects in the Atlantic. The work is designed to gather extensive and hard facts that connect Climate Change to present day disasters. For example Stronger and more frequest Hurricanes, destruction of habitat restricting seafood production, and trouble for Europe's climate as melting icebergs alter ocean salinity and divert the Gulf Stream's warming effects on Europe.

Read the article here.

After 26 months the Golden Ray Car Carrier Salvage Done

After over two years of work including one pandemic and two Hurricane seasons the salvage of the Car Carrier Goldnen Ray is done. The last of eight segments of the hull was pulled from the water and placed on a barge for shippment to Louisiana and final recycling. The hull had been cut into eight segments by a giant, diamond-encrusted chain that worked back and forth through the structure and the over 4,000 cars in its cargo holds.

A findings of the accident found that the first officer entered wrong cargo size/distribution numbers into a calculator which determines the ship's stability for handling turns and the ship capsized as it attempted to round the final channel turn on its way back out to sea.

It is amazing how many of these Car Carriers are roaming the earth. While I was sailing through Baltimore harbor I counted six in the harbor as well as meeting two others on passages through channels in the Chesapeake bay.

The attached article has a collection of photos documenting this multi-year recovery.

Read more about this salvage here.

Schedule your Haul-out NOW to Avoid Delays

If you need your cradle to haul your boat between October 4 and October 28 please schedule your date and intent with Commodore Coffman now so he can pre-position your cradle in the yard. Those that don't schedule by October 4 AND require their cradle returned from storage in order to haul-out may have to wait until the end of October.

Changes to Club Calendar and Events

Due to a lack of supply of clams the annual Clam Bake scheduled for 9/25 has been cancelled. Supply chains continue to be a problem.

The October Board Meeting has been moved up one week to Tuesday, October 5, 2021 at 7pm.

The Fall General Membership meeting has been moved back one week to Saturday, October 30, 2021.

Getting Ready to Store your Boat - Some Reminders

It's time to start thinking about winter storage and a dock for next season. Please find below a handy collection of reminders so you're ready for the coming storage season and able to keep your present dock should you choose to.

Click Here for Storage/Dockage Reminders

After Almost Two Years - Golden Ray Wreck Nearly Salvaged

Two years ago today, 8 Sept 2019, the Korean car carrier Golden Ray capsized making a turn out of the port of Brunswick Georgia carrying over 4000 cars. This past week the salvage company completed its last cut preparing the last two sections of the hull for transport. In all the vessel was carved into eight (8) sections with seven (7) cuts using a diamond-encrusted chain.

Read more about this salvage here.

LHBC Active Members' Benefits Expanding

Active members of LHBC qualify for a $10 discount on the annual cost of a US Sailing Membership. US Sailing is the national, amateur sailing organization for the United States.

US Sailing members get a 15% discount on in-store purchases of $100 or more at West Marine. See your digital US Sailing membership card for more information.

Team Foghorn take Falcon Cup Second!

Led by skipper Ron Rychel, Team Foghorn (S2 10.3 at D5) took second in the non-spinnaker PHRF class in the 84th annual Falcon Cup race from CYC to MHYC.

49 boats registered for the 84th running of the annual event, traditionally a spinnaker sleighride from CYC (Rocky River) to MHYC (Mentor on the Lake). Actual elapse times varried from 3:18 as the fastest time to almost six hours for the last to finish. Ron corrected to about 4 hours in a race designed to favor those that flew a chute. The wind stayed in the WSW with a relatively consistent speed throughout the day, building a bit later in the afternoon.

Congrats Ron, Denise and Crew! Thanks for representing LHBC in this annual classic!

Find the race results here.

Hurricanes, Water Spouts and Rain, Oh My!

This past weekend Lake Erie was treated to water spouts, in July! To the best of recollection this is the first time we've seen spouts on lake Erie in July. I recall the first running of the Gibbs/Kelleys Island race some twelve years ago started in the presence of water spouts off Lorain. But that was in late August when it's not unusual to see them develop.

Water spouts are Tornadoes on the water, but not as strong as tornadoes. They are caused by warm water being overrun by turbulent cold air. I've been loving the cool air in a time (late-July, early-August) that is usually known as the "dog days of summer." But these lower temps also create spouts. The lake water is presently 75-77 degrees. I remember when the lake would struggle into the low 70s by August. Now the past few years we've routinely seen over 70 degree temps in early July.

On broader news NOAA continues to expect this to be an "above average" season for Hurricanes in the Atlantic basin. NOAA gives the 2021 season a 65% chance of being above normal and only a 10% chance of it being below normal. I'm hoping for our two members who are taking their boats south along the east coast this fall that Hurricanes will give them a pass.

On a related item the fickled jet stream continues to haunt everyone as it guides massive rains where they may not be wanted (Germany and Lake Erie) and away from areas that desperately need it (like the American west and the produce meca of California's inner valleys). A recent article mentioned that for every degree of temperature rise (for example what we're seeing with global warming) the atmosphere can hold an extra 7% of moister. And that rain will eventually go somewhere.

Fasten your seat belts folks, it's going to be a bumpy ride.

2021 Hurricane Season Predictions.
Global Warming and the Jet Stream.

Copter Talk at LHBC for LBEF

About 30 people showed up to listen to retired USCG Lt Ann Henkelman describe her years in the pilot seat of a USCG Dolphin Helicopter running Search and Rescue missions over the Great Lakes and the Gulf of Mexico. If you weren't there you missed a great talk and a fascinating view from the pilot's seat.

Ann mixed a number of yarns from her days rescuing stranded boaters with an underlying theme that the simplist way to survive a ship disaster is wear your life jacket. She pointed out that these accidents are not predictable so the best way to assure your survival is to make PFD wearing routine.

The event was also a fund raiser for the Lorain Boating Education Foundation (LBEF), our 501c3 non-profit educational organization affiliated with LHBC. Over $200 was raised to support the educational work of the LBEF. Many thanks to the members of the LBEF board who facilitated the event!

Over the past four years LBEF has offered "learn to sail" courses for Adults and Teens alike. Many of our graduates have come aboard as crew for Wednesday night racing or have purchased their own boats. In the past (pre-COVID) LBEF also offered the "FirstSail" program (a sailing "open house" on the water) to help the public learn if sailing is for them. Future plans include expanding courses to include basic powerboat handling and a series of seminars focused on maritine skills.

Car carrier Golden Ray approaches 2 year anniversary

The car carrier M/V Golden Ray is approaching it's 2 year anniversary of sitting on its side after capsizing in Georgia's St. Simons Sound. The carrier toppled over in September 2019 while heading for the open ocean and landed on a sand bar abreast of the maintained channel.

In July two sections, 3 and 6, have been removed. This leaves one more cut and two sections (sections 4 and 5) yet to complete before the wreck disappears from the sound. The sections are cut-off the wreck and lifted by a massive ship salvaging crane, the "VB-10000," and moved by barge upriver to be further carved into pieces for their trip to a recycling center in Louisiana.

Learn more about this work here.

LHBC Wednesday Night Racing in Full Swing!

After getting off to a slow start, including a number of races cancelled due to weather, Wednesday night racing for sailing auxilaries has found it stride. We now have ten (10) boats taking the ride and enjoying some perfect Wednesday night sunsets.

Why not consider joining us on the course. Starts are scheduled for 7pm in the harbor between navigational markers Green #5 and Red #6. Finishes are also on the same line with each skipper taking his/her own time. In between the boats travel out around the "New Light" and route through our four-mark fixed course located to the east.

Learn more about all the racing happening at LHBC here.

And many thanks to our Race Committee, members Andy Wilson and Joe Spainhourd, for running excellent starts and course selection!

LBEF USCG Helicopter Talk, 7pm, Saturday, 7/31/2021

The Lorain Boating Education Foundation is hosting a talk by Ann Henkelman, Lt USCG (Ret.) on her days flying Search and Rescue missions out of both Air Station Detroit and Air Station New Orleans. During her time in New Orleans she was an Air Boss coordinating the rescue of about 30,000 victims of Hurricane Katrina. In the pilot's seat she also ran many missions out over the gulf including a number of rescue missions to nearby oil production platforms. As a pilot out of Air Station Detroit Ms Henkelman conducted SAR missions over both Lakes Erie and Huron.

The Lorain Boating Education Foundation, the 501c3 foundation through which the club's Boating Education programing is run, will also be hosting the talk.

In an earlier posting concerning this event we indicated a spaghetti dinner as a fundraiser for the LBEF would be included. Due to very low interest in the meal we have decided to cancel that dinner.

Dinner canceled -- but the talk will still proceed at 7pm on July 31st!

LHBC July Fourth Picnic

The club had a terrific July Fourth picnic this year with almost 90 people attending the all-you-can eat spread of hamburgers, hot dogs, potato salad and baked beans. Regretably the fourth fell on a Sunday and our bar was not open, but that did not seem to quiet the festive mode.

Many thanks to the staff that turned out to work the picnic including Bill and Connie Robb, Greg and Kim Wood, Bob Coffman, John Crews, Wes and Christie Scott, and members of the extended Robb family. Once again Connie's brother David provided lively music throughout the evening.

Of course everyone and then some stayed for the annual Lorain Fireworks and they were terrific too!

The club's next social event is a Spaghetti Dinner to benefit our non-profit Educational foundation - The Lorain Boating Education Foundation. The event is on Saturday July 31 with dinner starting at 5:30pm. Following the meal will be a talk by Ann Heckelman, a retired USCG Pilot. The talk is at 7pm and is open to the public. But come early for the dinner, support the LBEF, enjoy the raffle and stay for what's sure to be an interesting presentation.

LHBC Memorial Weekend Picnic

Given how awful the first part of Memorial Day Weekend was, an change in day from Saturday to Sunday provided the club with a terrific day for a picnic. About 61 members and guests originally RSVP'ed and the final count attending was 61. However, some of the RSVP respondents could not attend after we shifted the picnic's date, but their absence was made-up for with 11 walk-ups who did show-up.

Included in the day was an afternoon of free, USCG Auxiliary Vessel Safety Inspections by a staff of five. The team from the Auxiliary reviewed ten boats. The club invited those in the Auxiliary group to stay for the picnic and five were able to accept our invitation.

Many thanks to all who helped make the picnic a success, especially to: Don and Claudia Kaspar, Bill and Connie Robb, Tim Brunk, Wes and Christie Scott and Bob Coffman.

Thanks also the following USCG Auxiliary team members who spent Sunday afternoon with us doing inspections: Bill Ferry, Greg Little, Jack Benton, David McCollum and Russ Cromwell.

If you were unable to get your boat inspected but would still like to please contact Gregory LIttle, Division Commander, at 865-441-4244 or glittle48@gmail.com.

The club's next social event is a Steak Fry planned for Saturday June 19, 2021

Mem Weekend Picnic Moved to Sunday (5/30)

Due to the lousy weather (rain, high winds and temps in the 50s) we have moved the Memorial Weekend Club Picnic to Sunday, 5/30 -- still starting at 5pm. Sunday forecast is for temps in the 60s, light winds and plenty of sunshine!

The event is still bring your own drinks. Regrettably the club does not have a Sunday Liquor license so the club bar will be CLOSED.

LHBC Housekeep News

Hello Members. As the season kicks off in earnest this seems like a good time to review some basic "housekeeping" items about the club.

A volunteer-run club. That's how we keep the cost as low as it is. But everyone wants a well-run club with a clean and attractive facility. To that end we are often doing volunteer work-days. Usually these are at the beginning and the end of season to "wake-up" and "put-to-bed" the club and these dates are listed in calendar. Likewise, there are sometimes activities going on during the season when need requires. We're always looking for members with various skills who are willing to contribute their time. The skills of most help include:

• Catering or running a kitchen to help-out with our various non-catered meals
• Welding, plumbing and carpentry to keep up with maintenance of the dock system and clubhouse
• Or general ability in support of those with these skills

Gate Protocol. We maintain a policy that the last person out of the facility at night closes and locks our security gates and walk-thru entries behind them. Probably the best approach is to check for cars parked inside the fence line as an indication of anyone still there. The club spends a higher than typical copy price for our gate keys, but this investment in security is easily sabotaged when we forget to lock the gates at the end of the day. Thank you!

Mast Management. For our sailboat owners, storage at the club requires that your mast comes down at the end of the season and back up at the next start. This action using our blue travel lift rig is free to all sailboat owners with a storage contract. Recently the board elected to allow a subsidy to those owners who want to use a crane instead of the travel lift rig. Using a crane allows owners of larger sailboats to continue to store with the club.

But there is an additional charge for the use of a crane as it must be rented and that's not part of the club's cost structure. Each owner using a crane will get a $35 subsidy against the rental of the crane to raise or lower their mast. The balance of the cost is the responsibility of the one or more owners using the crane during that rental. Obviously the difficulty here is that not everyone is ready for their mast at the same time so groups of owners should coordinate their dates when they can all use the crane together.

End of Your Storage Term. June 1st is the end of the winter storage term. Boats storing with the club should plan to be launched by then. This deadline is enforced to clear the yard for summer activities including storing small boats using our river-side lifts and dry-sail storage. We understand that there are unexpected problems that can delay your launch and the club trys to be flexible. However, the board has a policy that if your launch is delayed past the middle of June you will be assessed an additional per-day storage charge. Please keep the club informed when you know you may be late launching so we can coordinate your placement in the yard and support the club's summer needs. Thank you!

Water Everywhere ... Now! Over the past weekend the basin's water system upgrade was completed. The new system provides multiple sub-runs of supply lines to the five dock systems (Docks A, B, C, D and E) so as to spread the demand for water across multiple sources for better pressure. It also allows us to turn-off only a section of water when needed to effect repairs keeping most docks watered. Please report any leaks you may have noticed to wscott@LorainHBC.org.

Boat Auctions. The club is getting closer to conducting its auction of various boats being offered either by our 501c3 foundation (to raise funds to support programming) or because the vessel has been abandoned against unpaid debt to the club. We'll have more about the auction later.

Lifting Masts with a Crane at LHBC

A crane visited LHBC on Wednesday, 5/19/2021, to help set some masts. Originally organized simply to set Scott Peterson's big rig on his O'Day 34, others joined in to benefit from the ease of having one's mast so easily lifted and suspended over each boat. From lift to set each mast took about 15 minutes to complete. But various delays in set-up and completing the attachment of standing rigging add extra time to each set. And with the crane we were able to stage two boats at a time.

In pursuit of welcoming larger sailboats (bigger masts and more income) to our winter storage program the club has authorized a modest contribution to each owner's extra expense for the crane's services. Using the crane also saves wear and tear on the club's travel lift mast "crane" so it seems an even swap. We hope in the future to refine the process. The more masts we can raise the less cost per boat owner is incurred.

Please keep in mind. Sailboats that winter store with the club already have free mast lowering and raising using our Travel Lift Crane included in their storage contract. Use of a larger crane such as this is totally optional and at an additional charge to the owner.

Interesting Archive of Past Navigation Charts

For those that have been over to the Oasis offices you may have noticed some old navigation charts framed on the hallway wall. Very interesting to look at what was the Lorain port in 1903 or a comparable image of the Cleveland waterfront. I, for one, can spend hours looking at charts and maps -- especially older ones to see what was as compared to what is today.

Seeing those charts motivated me to look for their source and I found a very interesting NOAA page that allows you to delve deep into old views of any chart -- including that of the port of Lorain. From this I learned the following:

• 1903 - The two stone primary breakwaters (east and west of the mouth) first appear in the 1903 chart as "under construction."
• 1926 - State names for streets first appears on the east side of the river
• 1937 - The Lorain Yacht Club first appears marked on a 1937 chart in the building that is now Hot Waters. That building itself first appears in the 1933 chart.
• 1948 - The coal/ore docks west of the Black River first appears and the Brush Beryllium plant (part of the Manhattan Project) appears by the Lorain Water Works
• 1956 - Our basin and the sewage plant first appears
• 1963 - Our basin is known for a while as "Capt Nick's Marina" while LYC moves to the east side of the river by the Erie Street bridge
• 1965 - The pier that later becomes Oasis Marina appears
• 1971 - A third dry dock is added at American Shipbuilding. The oldest drydock later is filled in and the other two, which still exist, are renumerd in 1977. Also notice how the original east river breakwall is shortened making the Sewage Plant property the new furthest northern extent of that wall.
• 1977 - The half-circle spoil area east of Oasis first appears
• 1991 - LYC, on the east side of the river since the 1963 chart, disappears
• 2008 - Our floating dock system finally replaces the fixed pile docks

Do your own historical investigation here.

LHBC Memorial Weekend Picnic - Saturday May 29 5:30

What are you doing Memorial Day weekend? The club is hosting a picnic on Saturday May 29th from 5:30-?. We'll be offering burgers, hot dogs, potato salad and dessert for the price of $6 per person -- payable in cash or check that day. Food will be served between 5:30 and 6:30. Everyone attending should plan to bring their own drinks and the club bar will be open during the picnic too. Guests are welcome!

Due to COVID restrictions and current Bar operations this will be an outdoor event with tables, chairs and tents provided. Please come dressed for the weather and bring a mask if you are not yet vaccinated.

Also that day we have members of the US Coast Guard Auxiliary on-site from Noon to 5pm to conduct free vessel safety inspections. Each inspection will take about 45 minutes and current COVID restrictions require those interested to sign-up for a specific time although walk-ups will be accommodated if open slots allow. Unlike being boarded by the US Coast Guard, an Auxiliary inspection carries no fines for safety equipment difficiencies. Infact displaying the sticker you get for successfully completing an Aux inspection reduces the likelihood you'll be boarded by the Coast Guard this season.

Again due to COVID restrictions if you are getting your vessel inspected please remember to wear a mask while Auxiliary personel are aboard.

To attend the picnic and/or to get an inspection please RSVP with 1) how many will be attending the picnic and/or 2) what time you'd like to schedule your inspection.

RSVP via Email to wscott@LorainHBC.org

See the Picnic and Inspection Flier here.

Lake Erie Water Level and Harmful Algal Bloom Projections

Due to lower than normal rainfall Lake Erie is expecting to see a reduction in both water levels and algal blooms this year. The reason is mostly rainfall. All lakes except Superior have seen below-normal rainfall so far this year. Rainfall, or input to lake volume, is the primary driver for water level rise. A contributor is also how much ice we see in the winter. Ice cover prevents evaportation retaining more volume in the lake. A third driver is water temperature. Basic physics tells us that warmer water takes up more volume than colder water.

Rainfall also drives the Algal Bloom. While municiple sewage plants can be a cause, they are (obviously) a relatively consistent contributor (everyone flushes the toilet). What changes over the course of the year is how much fertilizer and manure is collecting and being washed into the lake due to rainfall. Lower rainfall means less nutrients to fuel future blooms.

The current waterlevel projections show a possible rise of 3" over current levels by late June and then a significant drop of 7" by late October (8" lower than the level seen same time last year).

Read the full Water Level projection here.

Harmful Algal Bloom, which makes swimming dangerous and reduces fish populations is also expected to be down in volume in 2021. While still higher than most years, it is projected to be seventh highest of the last ten years.

Read the full Harmful Algal Bloom project here.

LHBC Members-only Bar Open!

The Lorain Harbor Boat Club members-only bar is now open. A good turn-out was seen on opening night. Maybe you're in one of these photos? Through May 10th all purchases will be cash-only while the bar irons out some credit card processing issues.

Club Announcements -- Basin Water Upgrade Delayed

The Club has experienced a delay in the delivery of parts for the water system upgrade. They were suppose to arrive the last week of April but now aren't expected until later in the first week of May -- a one-week delay. We are still hoping to get the work done by sometime in mid-May but it may be a little bit later due to delivery delays. Please bear with us.

Club Announcements -- Basin Water and Honor System Beverages

Basin Water

Don Kaspar and Wes Scott are working on replacing our club's tired, rusty and broken Basin Water System with a replacement of the primary supply lines. The new lines are HDPE with brass fittings for each connection. Instead of the present "one supply line feeds all" we will be running individual lines to subsets of the dock systems. A and B dock will share one, C and D dock another and E dock its own (or possibly part of each of the other two). The water supply for the whole basin enters the system over by E dock so all runs originate from there.

Each dock group will have a separate cut-off in addition to sharing a main supply with fewer other docks. This should translate into better pressure at each pedestal and the ability to avoid having to turn-off the entire basin for any individual repair activity.

Due to the compromises in the old water system (including a major gap in the main circut by C dock) the entire basin water system will be off until the replacement runs are complete. We expect to complete the work sometime in May. In the mean time if you need water for some special need there are a number of hoses available that can be run from the clubhouse faucet. But this is just for a one-off need and hoses are to be gathered back up and coiled when you're done with them.

Honor System Beverages

The Robbs (members Bill and Connie) have graciously taken over stocking the Honor System Beverage refrige (black unit in restroom hallway) with pop and water. There is an honor system container for your contributions to pay for what you consume and all members are asked to remember to make appropriate contributions to the fund should they partake of this stock. So far the Robbs have been footing most of the bill and this is unfair to them.

Notice to Mariners - The Internet Makes it Easy

I'm sure you've all heard about how you should monitor the USCG Notice to Mariners that are published, typically monthly, with timely information about how your charts and expected navigation markers may be changing. Now with the internet and an ever more savy online media presence getting to those notices -- and so much more -- couldn't be easier.

The US Coast Guard Navigation Center (or NavCen) is a great place to start! This front page is your index to a cornicopia of information. Key items of interest are: Navigational Rules, Light List and Notice to Mariners.

I find the Light List a terrific source when planning my waypoints and understanding what I see when I'm out at night. Each light you can find on a chart you can find in the light list along with its official Lat/Long coordinates as well as particulars about light height, intensity, range, color and flash pattern. I use the list to identify key waypoints for any trip I take to enter into my GPS. The list is updated annually.

Back to Notice to Mariners. These notices keep you informed about changes of navigational aids. Sometime lights are out of commission for maintenance or perhaps have been replaced by non-lit markers. Sometimes lift bridge operations have changed. All that information is in here.

In the March 2021 notices we'll find these interesting items:

• April 6th the constellation of older GPS satelites had a date/count roll-over. This change does not effect the calculation of lat/long coordinates. But it will make the date on some older GPS units look weird.
• Paper Charts are going away in a multi-year schedule starting now. In its place are electronic chart files with an obvious focus that expects everyone has a chart plotter. For those that don't have a plotter there are a number of alternatives. A free product called Open CPN is a great product for plotting your routes and accessing charts. The online chart catalog also provides a free online tool that allows you to select an area you want a printed/paper/pdf chart created for. Find more about this tool here.
• The deployment of NOAA weather buoys are running 3-4 weeks behind schedule. So if you're looking for information from NOAA buoy 45005 off Vermilion you can expect it a bit delayed this year.
• Lake Erie water levels are expected to be about 4' higher than chart "low water datum" (LWD) elevations for the next month. This means any chart is possibly showing a depth that is shallower than it currently is. It also means that height and range of navigation lights will probably be lower and less visible due to higher water levels. Remember both the depth of water and height of navigation markers is based upon "Low Water Datum." You need to apply local variability to LWD to get the correct, current elevations you'll actually see.

Lots of good information at your finger tips, especially when you're planning a trip that takes you out of your usual stomping grounds.

US Coast Guard Navigation Center (or NavCen)

Live to Tell the Tale - Boating Safety with former Lorain Commodore Tim Yanda

The Cleveland Sailing Association holds annual pre-season breakfastes to inform racers about this year's CSA race series. This event is usually in person with a nice breakfast offered and a speaker. Of course COVID prevents an in person event, but they're going on-line with a "Zoom Breakfast" -- you provide your own meal. This year's event is a presentation by LHBC Lifetime member Tim Yanda who will discuss safety while racing.

Tim Yanda is a former commodore of LSYC who now keeps his J-120 at Edgewater YC. He's a vetran racers including a number of Bayview (Lake Huron) Mackinac races as well as a board member of the Cleveland Sailing Association. The Event is scheduled through Zoom for Sunday, 2 May 2021, 9AM. You can even attend in your PJs!

The Cleveland Sailing Association sponsors inter-club racing by esstablishing a series of races linking all CSA member clubs' regattas into a master scoring sheet. A nice benefit of joining the CSA to compete in this series is that you are permitted to keep your boat at each regatta's club for free Wednesday to Wednesday around each race. This is a great savings in delivery time and dock fees. Great Scot used to compete in CSA racing and found it very advantages to reduce the number of trips into Cleveland from Lorain with simple, one-hour transits between CSA clubs.

Learn more about the CSA pre-season breakfast here.

Club Spring Clean-up - 2021

We had a smashing success last Saturday (4/17) at the 2021 Spring Clean-up event with about 30 members showing up to lend their talents and efforts to get the club grounds ready for the season. The day was nearly ideal for outdoor work. No rain, mostly sunny and reasonable temperatures for a spring day in Ohio. After working between 9AM and 2PM the team broke for a lunch of burgers and dogs provided by Commodore Bob Coffman and cooked by Vice Commodore Bill Robbs and wife Connie. Planning and coordination of the work was provided by Trustee Don Kaspar and Rear Commodore Wes Scott.

Some of the major accomplishments include making sure that all docks now have their requisite number of floats installed. Major potential problems on the main piers of B and D dock systems were addressed. Member and electrician Dyle Swan employed his expertise to address some significant electrical problems on D dock and generally reviewed all pedestals for electrical issues. And a number of members took to the docks with power-washers to remove the bird residue left through a winter of gulls and geese.

The travel lift got a major overhaul including a replacement engine, reconditioning the throttle and lifting control valves and replacing the steering valve. Work was coordinated by Bob Coffman and Joe Spainhourd with Bob making a special trip to Toledo to pick-up an engine part to assure the lift would be ready for the April basin opening. In fact the Travel lift was then put to use on Saturday removing some large tree trunks that had floated into our basin -- one measuring over 4' in diameter.

Work on the clubhouse included new window trim in the kitchen, basic installation of a utility tub (plumbing still needed), a thorough cleaning of the bathrooms, cleaning the windows inside and out and un-stacking and repairing the picnic tables. And a general sprucing up of the grounds included collecting and hauling driftwood deposited during the off-season and dealing with grass and weeds around our club's sign.

The Gas Dock building continues to improve with a new bathroom expected to open for basin dockers and fuel customers in the next month or so. A special thanks to Trustees Don and Claudia Kaspar for all their individual work installing plumbing and drywall in the Gas Dock building and to member Scott Peterson for taping and mudding the drywall.

Two major issues, related to the dock system, have yet to be fully addressed. While all docks have their required floats positioned, many of these floats still need their securing mechanism switched out for new straps. Another issue is replacement of the existing dock water system. Presently most docks do not have water due to main-line damage and rust in the past nine months.

The board of Trustees has already authorized spending for a complete water supply line replacement switching from the old and rusty metal pipes to a new flexible tubing system. Included in this plan is a re-working of the supply line so that each dock subsection (A, B, C, D and E) can be isolated from the other docks to enable repairs that do not requiring shutting off the entire system -- a major improvement for on-going maintenance of the system.

A very big Thank You to everyone who showed up on Saturday and made this year's Spring Clean-up such a great success!

Marina Repairs for 2021 Season

Board members have been busy around the basin getting ready for the opening of the 2021 season. Don and Claudia Kaspar and Wes Scott have been working on repairing problems in our dock system to make them safe for our dockers. One operation is securing our floats under our floating docks. Sometimes this activity entails using a jig to lift the side-wall docks high enough to float the larger floats (we have three sizes of floats at our basin) back into position after their plastic attachment points have failed and then secure them with Stainless straps which will offer a more permanent connection. Most floats are already positioned and simply need to have their current connection device replaced with the straps. And of course there's lots of bird poop to clean-up after the gulls have had the basin to themselves all winter.

In other activities the Travel Lift continues to get brought up to date with major maintenance. Thanks to many but particularly Bob Coffman and Joe Spainhourd the Travel Lift got a new engine to drive its hydraulic system and re-sealed valves to control it. In fact Bob made a special trip to Toledo to collect a part for the Engine that otherwise would have taken over a week to deliver. There are still some additional refinements to be completed and the board plans to have the Travel Lift in full operation very shortly.

All club members are asked to pencil in Saturday, April 17, to attend a "spring clean-up" day with hopes that many hands will make quick work of a long punch-list of items around the club grounds that need attention after the winter months.

SeaBin - Marina Auto-Cleaner Installed

LHBC is joining a movement to install cleaning equipment from the international SeaBin project. A picture of the device, installed near dock C1, is basically a floating garbage pale that uses a pump and bracket to attract and collect floating garbage in our marina in an easy to clean mesh basket. From there it can be removed and dumped for disposal.

The SeaBin foundation is based in Spain and has deep penetration in Europe but also a growing presence in marinas and yacht clubs around the world.

Learn more here.

Cargo Vessel "Ever Given" Freed

The Container Ship, Ever Given, has been fully refloated today thanks to the efforts of ten (10) tubs and a 6' rise from the Spring tide. The vessel must now be inspected for hull damage before it can be moved releasing a six day blockage of the Suez Canal.

Read Current Updates Here.

Cargo Vessel "Ever Given" blocks Suez Canal

While the St Lawrence Seaway has just opened for the year, the next day (23 March 2021) the Suez Canal shutdown due to a mega-cargo vessel, the "Ever Given," jammed diagonally across the canal. At 400m long the vessel is longer than a Nimitz class aircraft carrier, longer than the Empire State Building is tall and obviouly longer than the Suez Canal is wide.

The vessel lost control in a dust storm and 40 knot gusts. Stacked 9 containers high above the main deck the vessel carried a massive sail that blew the ship partially sideways and lodged both its bow and stern into the shallower two sides of the canal. Removing the ship, despite the efforts of eight tugboats, has proved impossible and the shipowner is bringing in experts. At this point it may take more than two weeks to remove the blockage.

Meanwhile, over 200 ships are backed up across both directions of the canal and many are now opting to add 15,000 miles to their trips by sailing around the tip of Africa. 30% of all cargo vessels and 12% of all cargos overall transit the Suez meaning a major interruption in the world's "just in time" shipping process.

With the narrow ends of the ship (the bulbous bow and single-rudder/screw stern lodged in the shallow edges much of the center of the ship is lifted higher in the water than its loaded displacement warrants. This implies a growing danger that the ship could pivot on its grounded ends and flip. Such an capasize has caused a more than two year operation in Georgia to free the car-carrier Golden Ray. At this point the operation is approaching half-done.

Ever Given is part of the newest class of Mega Container ships allowing the industry to operate each vessel with 25 crew members and 10's of thousands of containers driving down the expense of moving cargo. But at what cost? In 2020, possibly due to climate change driven storms in the north Pacific, we have seen ever larger instances of lost cargo containers from such massive stacks. One container ship lost over a thousand containers on its way from China to the US. While the lost cargo interrupt commerce, the half-sunken containers represent navigational hazards to ships of all sizes. Have these ships gotten just too big for the structural integrity of their hulls and stacks of containers?

There are extensive links and stories available on gCaptain including some very interesting analysis and video. Start with the link below. In our ever globalized world ships move the majority of commerce across the oceans. While we have seen gas prices rise recently, this blockage is not a direct cause for the US as most super tankers already take the long-way around Africa. Most of the Suez traffic is heading for Europe.

Start reading more here.

St Lawrence Seaway Officially Opens

The St Lawrence Seaway officially opened today (22 March 2021) with the first ship (M/V Baie St Paul) locking through the St Lamberts lock. The Soo Locks are scheduled to open on Wednesday (24 March 2021). The non-Soo lock system uses 15 locks to move a vessel from Montreal to Lake Erie and the ship's path crosses the border between the US and Canada 27 times in this transit.

The Canadian border remains closed to non-essential traffic from the US. But vessels continue to be allowed to transit through Canadian waters as long as they don't stop at Canadian ports. Anchoring in Canadian waters appears to be allowed although you may be approached to explain your choice to anchor.

Read the full article here.

Changes in Canadian Border Closure Dates?

A recent interview with Canadian Prime Minister Trudeau indicates there may be some changes in the current Canadian Border Closures yet this year. President Biden is suppose to have brought up the subject of the border closings with PM Trudeau. But it's likely the main driver will be how each country is doing with keeping cases under control, observing mediation like mask wearing and avoiding crowds and more broadly vaccine roll-out.

Read the full article here.

PHRF-LE Ready for 2021 - No Regrets Featured

PHRF-LE (PHRF Lake Erie) is gearing up for another season promoting time-handicapped racing on Lake Erie. They publish a monthly newsletter to all members and the February 2021 newsletter includes some interesting content regarding various solo-racing opportunities on the Great Lakes and specifically Lake Erie. Featured in this edition is the August "Vermilion 45005" race -- a triangle including Vermilion, Huron and NOAA Weather Buoy 45005. Last August LHBC member Scott Peterson entered his O'Day 34 "No Regrets" in the "45005" race to polish his credentials to partipate in the annual Lake Erie Challenge (the "Challenge" is a solo race that runs from Toledo, out to Buffalo and then back to Erie, PA). Maybe this year Scott will hop-in the Lake Erie (Solo) Challenge?

The following pictures point out the good fleet position Scott enjoyed both at the start and later in the Vermilion 45005 race. Well done Scott!

The End of Paper Charts is Nigh

NOAA announced in the 2019 Federal Register that they will be phasing out paper charts in the next five years. Going forward charts will be available in electronic format only. I'm not sure if that includes ending their free distribution of PDF format or not. But the chart plotter is becoming ever more critical it would seem.

Meanwhile, this probably also means a change to Professional Mariners licensing requirements. Currently licensed mariners are expected to carry paper copies of the charts for the areas they routinely operate in. Phase-out of paper charts will be completed by January 2025.

Read the full article here.

GPS Pioneer Honored in Hall of Fame

Many of us think nothing of the complexities of GPS that are now so common in our handheld units and even miniturized into a chip in our smart phones. But the history of Global Position System goes back decades. GPS is all about time, location and the speed of light. GPS receivers acquire orbit location and timing from the constellation of GPS satellites orbiting in low-earth orbit. By knowing where three or more GPS satellites are at a specific time and what the speed of light (or radiowaves) our GPS receivers determine how far away from the satellite it is and can triangulate where the receiver is in three dimensions. The early GPS receivers from the 1980s were the size of small suitcases, a lot has changed.

Dr Gladys West has been inducted into the Air Force Space and Missile Pioneers Hall of Fame for her contributions in Earth Geography, Satellite locating and planet research. Her work supporting GPS focused on the planets geogrphy locating elevations around the world and in refining the location of satellites that orbit the globe. She was one of the many "Hidden Figures" memorialized in a recent film of that name. The country owes a debt of gratitude to all those that devised the GPS system and revolutionized how we think of "where am I?"

Read the full article here.

Canadian Border Closing Continues?

An interesting article on Canada's continuing border closing per the coronavirus pandemic. This one banning cruise ships from British Columbia waters through February 2022. In fact this restirction is partly due to the US Jones Act. The Jones act requires that only US built and owned vessels may convey cargo and passengers between two US ports (or out of and back into the same port). These cruises always include a stop at a Canadian port in their itinerary to avoid the Jones Act restrictions. And stopping at a Canadian port is where the border closing limit occurs.

Read the full article here.

Return of the Clipper Ships?

Another article in a professional mariners daily newsletter concerning a British firm's design concept for new bulk cargo (ore, oil etc) freighters using a diesel-electric, solar and wind propulsion systems with carbon capture for the diesel. Looks remarkably like a historical lake freighter in cabin layout fore and aft -- obviously sans sails. Return of the Clipper ships? I wonder.

Read the full article here.

Calendar Changes - Spring Meeting Date and Bar Opening

At the February LHBC Board Meeting (which was held virtually due to COVID restrictions) some changes were made to the club calendar:

• Spring Generation Membership meeting moved to Saturday, April 17, 2021
• Tentative date for Club Bar opening for year set for Saturday, May 1, 2021

Due to COVID restrictions we can not be certain of Bar operations this year and our May 1st opening date for this seaon's operations is still tentative. Plans are initially for the Bar to be open on Friday and Saturday nights as it was last season. This may change as COVID restrictions change and our operation gets more organized.

Until we see broader vaccine distribution in our state it's probably a safe bet to assume that our club meetings will continue to be conducted virtually. If you are interested in attending a monthly Board Meeting please contact a board member for access information. At this point we are assuming the General Membership meeting in April will also be conducted virtually.

Around the World in 80 Days

Last night marked the first boat to cross the finish line in the Vendee Globe Solo Around the World Yacht Race with five (5) finishers all within miles of each other at the French finish in the notorious Bay of Biscay. For a 24,000 nm race finishing within miles of each other is a remarkable demonstration of skill. The lead competitors did also finish the race in exactly 80 days.

The Vendee Globe is run every four (4) years and this race started out from France November 8, 2020. Boats that compete are specially designed to push the limits. They have lever-arm keels that can be moved to windward on each tack, foils extending from each side that add extra hydro forces to resist heeling and outriggers for the shrouds that add strength to the mast to carry higher sail loads. These boats often run at 30 knots or higher.

This year's race included a number of retirements including the drama involving three competitors about 800 nm SW of Cape Town. In the Cape Town rescue competitor Kevin Escoffier lost his boat when, surfing down a giant wave, the forward portion of the hull snapped off. He spent about a day in his liferaft until, through the help of two other competitors, he was rescued.

The rescue played a key role in the designation of the winner. While Frenchman Charlie Dalin was first over the line, fellow Frenchman Yannick Bestaven was awarded a 10 hour time credit for his Cape Town rescue efforts moving him to first on corrected time.

German competitor Boris Hermann also was involved in the rescue and received some time compensation. But not enough to adjust for two encounters on the high seas. One with a bulk cargo freighter off the Azores where his AIS display showed the possibility of a collision as the freighter, who was to the sailor's port side and on a converging course, initially refused to adjust course as international navigation rules require regardless of whether its between a power and sail or two power boats.

Later Hermann was also involved in a collision with a fishing boats in the Bay of Biscay just miles from the finish which damaged his starboard foil and limited his boats performance. In this case Hermann reports the fishing boat did not appear on his AIS display, which sometimes happens when fisherman are attempting to mask their favorite grounds from others. With further details yet to be released there are still two points of international navigation rules that may apply. One is that sailboats (and most boats) must give way to boats that are fishing IF trawling. But more fundamentally Hermann reported he was below deck a the time and was therefore breaking the most fundamental rule that all mariners are required to keep a constant watch while underway.

Learn more about the Vendee event, Vendee finish, recent collisions and the November rescue at these links:

Vendee Globe Official Site.

Low Lake Ice Coverage in 2021 - May Effect Fish and Fishing

Interesting article from MichiganRadio (NPR) on the lack of ice coverage on the Great Lakes this year. We are currently at an average of 2.4% coverage as opposed to the 11% coverage of your typical January. (Highest coverage usually happens in in February and early March) Less ice means more shore erosion from storms and possibly lower fish stocks next summer as fish leave their eggs along the shore relying on ice to protect the eggs from storm damage. Less ice coverage also means more Lake Effect snow, more water evaporation driving lower water levels and less opportunity for ice fishing (obviously).

Read the full article here.

LHBC Apparel

In case you've seen someone about with some classy club apparel on and wondered "how can I get one of those?" Now it's easy. Give Connie Robb a call at 440-759-5637. She can hook you up with hats, jackets and other items as provided by Lake Screen Printing. There's a wide variety of apparel available.

2021 LHBC Calendar Posted

A calendar of events for the 2021 season has been posted and is available below. Due to on-going mediation against coronavirus this calendar is considered tentative until the possibility of each event is more clearly known. But this calendar offers our best guess of this year's events.

SS Badger Continues to Sail Lake Michigan

The only coal-fired steamship on the Great Lakes, the car ferry SS Badger, will continue to sail between Ludington, Mich. and Manitowoc, Wis. thanks to the decision of the Interlake Steamship company, which acquired its parent owner Pere Marquette Shipping Co and elected to keep the tradition going.

First New US Laker in 35 Years

Fincantieri Bay Shipbuilding of Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin, has floated the first US-built, self-unloading, bulk carrier in 35 years -- since 1983. The vessel is a "river-class" freighter in the 640' range capable of going up most Great Lakes rivers -- such as the Black River. She is being built for the Middleburg Hts, Ohio based Interlake Steamship company.

New Roof on Clubhouse Complete

Work appears complete on the new Roof for the Clubhouse. This includes the main building, the restroom annex and the patio covering. Looks great!

Seasons Greetings

Wishing everyone a joyous holiday season and a safe and prosperous new year!

New Roof on Clubhouse

Work progressive on the new, blue, metal roof for the clubhouse. The Coast Guard station side appears already complete. Overall it looks to be about 2/3s done.

November 15-16 2020 Wind Storm - Cat 1 Hurricane?

When I heard this morning that they specifically called out the Lorain Lighthouse registering a 79mph wind gust yesterday I just knew I had to have a look. Below find a link to a PDF with Lorain (LORO1) details on wind (and NOAA buoy 45005 details on waves) regarding yesterday's storm. The 15-minute recording at the lighthouse revealed gust spikes above 64 knots (Cat 1 Hurricane strength). The Buoy recorded significant wave heights several times around 7.5'. Given that this was in 60' of water you have to believe these waves grew even higher in the shallows near shore.

So glad the club's basin was empty for this one!