Water Levels For 1/25 (Icicle 4)

[Eric713]

The water looks pretty low for Saturday.  Windfinder shows Thurs. 9pm N23kg30k, 12pm Fri. shows N14kg16k, Sat. W8kg10k. Compounding matters is Clear Lake low @ 1021am. 28 in Houston Sat. morning.  Could make for an interesting day! 

[svShearwater]

We ran aground (a muck?) 3 times last Saturday.  Once in the channel and once at our marina entrance.  I guess it is a good thing we have to skip #4. 

[Bee]

When the water is low its usually best to stay to the left in the channel - at least until you pass 5 and 6.  There has always been a birm through there We were right next to you when you drug it through the muck.  Luckily Stinger's draft is about a foot less then your 120.

[Bee]

OOPS sorry, can't spell ---- burm not birm --- but then birm sounds a bit like beer which is always good.

[JayZ]

If Banjo Girl can get out of the slip she'll be there.  ...5'10 draft

[racinbill]

berm

[Bee]

Thank you Billy.  I need all the help I can get.

[Funk]

Is that the left heading into the Bay or going towards the lake?

[Charles]

Is that the left heading into the Bay or going towards the lake?

Left going out (northside)

[Tye Dyed Gary]

Guy's, the north side of the Seabrook/Kemah channel had a spoil bank from marker #4 to marker #8 (use to be #6 a few year ago). It was the spoils from a channel cut next to the bulkhead on the north side of the Seabrook point for shrimp boats. BUT you have a high spot in the channel around marker #5/6, but that fans out to the south some. Anyway put everyone on the low rail and heel your boat over and don't worry about it. 

[svShearwater]

I think we found the high spot around #5/#6.  Unfortunately, with only two of us aboard our 15k boat, it doesn't heel very much.  Sails help, if there is enough breeze. 

[Terry Young]

Firewater was doing some plowing through the Watergate channel last week to get to Legend Point, if it get any lower I don?t we will make it out.

[JayZ]

This came to me via email concerning dredge work in the bay 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.

[Deckhand]

Thanks Jay! There is also a few links to click on under the 2014 Icicle Series page 4 http://discussion.gbca.org/index.php?topic=1445.45 about this dredge. Also a chart of the area around the North Boaters Cut.  The dredges work on channel 13. If in doubt, call! There should be a dedicated crew to operate the radio. Stay safe and warm.

[shawn]

We plowed out agin and made it with the mud dobber on the keel