2014 Icicle Series

[Deckhand]

Joan III is pretty to look at !

[Bee]

I agree with Maarten.  Lacy pictures are the best.  Thanks bunches.

[Christopher]

Correction to #3 finishes:

Upon review of the Lacy pictures: In the Spin Non-Sprit class, 4th place #5101 is Pingo which is a sprit boat.  Fortunately, the submitted list contained 10 finishes with a mix of sprit and non sprit.  Phoenix moves up to 4th and Tejas Blue #41940 takes 5th.

[Deckhand]

Philip Kropf From the TMCA just posted the following about some dredge work this Saturday. Please Read!!!
GBCA Icicle Series racers:

Here is the text of a notice that I have received on dredge work that is scheduled to start this Saturday.
Beginning on Saturday, January 25, 2014 Weeks Marine Inc., Dredge "Capt. Frank" will begin dredging a trench for a pipeline across the Houston Ship Channel just south of North Boater Cut channel. We estimate 8 hrs of dredging activities for the completion of the trench. The actual crossing coordinates on centerline of Houston Ship Channel: Lat 29d 34.712'  Lon 094d 55.842'.

Those of you participating in the Icicle Series Race 4 should be aware of this work as the race course may come close to dredge equipment or work vessels that may be mobilized for this project. The location of the trench that they are dredging is indicated by the red line on the chart below (and attached). A dredge pipeline will later be placed into this trench for the purpose of transporting dredge spoils from dredging work that will be occurring at nearby locations in the mid-bay area, passing under the HSC, and then to be deposited in the Mid Bay Placement Area (aka "Mid-Bay Marsh").

For those not yet aware, major dredging work is going to be occurring during most of 2014 in (1) the Bayport Channel and Bayport Flare and (2) in the Houston Ship Channel between Redfish Reef (approximately light 54) all the way north to light 78 at the Bayport Flare. (The most current chart of this area is at: http://www.charts.noaa.gov/OnLineViewer/11327.shtml ). Since this is the most active part of Galveston Bay as far as recreational boaters are concerned, it is very important that everyone become keenly aware of exactly where work will be going on at any given time, and especially aware of where dredge pipelines are going to be!

More information on this entire project can be found in a USACE press release that can be accessed on the TMCA website by clicking herehttp://www.tmca.nu/index.php?option=com_docman&task=doc_download&gid=178&Itemid=87. Additionally, on the morning of February 8th, Lakewood Yacht Club will be hosting a Captain's Roundtable event at which a USACE representative will make a detailed presentation on all this dredging work. You do not have to be a LYC member to attend this event, and information about the event is on the TMCA calendar (click herehttp://www.tmca.nu/index.php?option=com_jevents&task=icalrepeat.detail&evid=1668&Itemid=248&year=2014&month=02&day=08&title=captains-roundtable-at-lyc-mid-bay-dredging&uid=95aad6e2ef9be9c426a3ab8d7abfc117) and in a "press release" document from LYC (click herehttp://www.tmca.nu/index.php?option=com_docman&task=doc_download&gid=179&Itemid=87).

If you maybe have kind of forgotten how to tell which is the "safe side" and which is the "danger side" of a dredge that you may be trying to pass, click herehttp://www.tmca.nu/index.php?option=com_docman&task=doc_download&gid=117&Itemid=87 to access the "Sharing Our Bay" document that exists to help keep us all safe as we navigate in and around the commercial shipping channels.

Finally, dredge pipelines are fairly easy to see when they are floating on the surface, but when they are submerged (on the bottom, or in a trench), they are potentially far more dangerous when you encounter them than the dredges themselves! If you are trying to cross a submerged pipeline you need to know how much good water is on top of that pipeline!! In the past it has always been very frustrating trying to call a dredge on the radio and not have them answer. But during the entirety of these dredging projects in 2014, there is now a person stationed aboard each dredge whose sole duty is to maintain a radio watch. The USACE has required this of the dredging contractor in an attempt to keep all of us safe as we navigate around these worksites. A paragraph in the USACE press release tells you how to contact a dredge via VHF.

When I find out about specific dredging activities such as the one noted in this Alert, I will do my best to get the information distributed. But generally just be very careful out on Galveston Bay this year as you navigate close to the areas where dredging might be taking place. A fatality occurred a couple of years ago in the Anahuac Channel when a recreational boater hit a dredge pipeline, and no one wants any kind of reoccurrence of that!!!

Philip Kropf
TMCA Past Commodore (www.tmca.nu)
Recreational Boater Rep to the USCG Area Maritime Security Committee (AMSC)
Recreational Boater Rep to the USCG Port Coordination Team (PCT)
Recreational Boater Rep to the Lone Star Harbor Safety Committee (LSHSC) www.lonestarhsc.org
s/v Silhouette
713-598-6454 (c)
pkropf@flash.net

[Maarten]

Thanks for posting this. The links don't work. Could you post the links as well.

[Deckhand]

Try the links now. A few open up PDF files from TMCA and others go straight to the website. The chart link takes awhile. Philip does a good job of keeping up with what is happening on Galveston Bay.

[Stellar of Course]

Will Kevin have a chance to look into his crystal ball and come up with new handicaps for the Club Handicap for Icicle 4??

Ron E
Stellar of Course

[Deckhand]

El Supremo Pollo is working on it.!

[Stellar of Course]

Tell him to be kind, I need all the help I can get.

Ron E

[Hamburger]

Does anyone know if we will have to cross any dredge pipelines during icicle 4? It's not clear to me from the doc's posted.

[Charles]

They should be putting the spoil on the other side of the channel, so there shouldn't be any pipes on the west side.  Just my opinion.

[Eric713]

Hey Ron! You're already a plus 39 secs per mile.  Even Santa has his limitations.

[Kevin Box]

Sorry for the delay. El Pollo was on the fritz there for a bit.
Results in order of finish time received:
Stellar of Course
Gemini
Skalawag
Second Wind
Escape Hatch
Royal Crescent
Firewater
JK3
Figaro
Lil Bit a Sol
Ananda
High Hope
Amore
Other Woman
Seafarie
Vigilance
Knot on Call
Dream
Free Spirit
Chapa'ai

Ratings:
http://www.regattanetwork.com/clubmgmt/applet_registrant_list.php?regatta_id=2575&custom_report_id=2

[Veljko]

Three boats participated with RaceQs tracking running on their phones in yesterday's race #4:

Other Woman
Stinger
J92 (sail #77)

Although we tried to hook the finish, it was an exciting loss by inches to Stinger:

[Bee]

I forgot to set mine up.  Chalk that up to memory loss.  Will do better in the last Icicle.

Nice finish --- J109,J109,J105,J105,J92.  Why is that?