Around the World of Sailing
16 January 2002
This weeks features:
Finish Line
Paul Cayard formerly of America One, Oracle Racing and
EF Language will sail with Grant Dalton's Amer Sports
One on Leg 4.
Ben Ainslie 2000 Laser Gold Medallist has left One World
AC team and will be getting back into Olympic Sailing
perhaps in the Finn class.
Water Level Update
Weekly Water Level Update
Available on line at:
http://www.torresen.com/atwos/2001/oc/1024/frw.htm
Below you'll find water level info that pertains
to Lake Michigan and Huron.
For information on other lakes see:
http://huron.lre.usace.army.mil/levels/weekly.html
Reference Point
Difference from Chart Datum 0
Difference from last month -2
Difference from last year +9
Difference from long term average for January -13
Difference from Record High -46
Difference from Record Low +17
Forecast for 11 February 2002 -2
Rowing Reporter
The Rowing Reporter is a weekly column of commentary and
observations by Ike Stephenson, Marine Informationist. It
concentrates on the home waters of Around the World of
Sailing, Lake Michigan and Muskegon Lake.
****************
Weather Rant
I rant towards the weather. There are rules for everything
including complaining. One is that People complain about x
but do nothing about it. The other is that they complain
about the weather and yet can't do anything about it!
Despite that second one I am here to enter complaints about
the weather. My complaint is that the current winter season
is inferior!
One of the best features of Great Lakes weather is that it
has differentiated seasons. January with snow, cold weather
and ice is different from July which is often warm, humid
and sunny. 1/3rd of the world lives in a little changing
tropical climate. I want my fair share of seasonal
variation!
Over the years I've decided that a good climate and well
delineated seasons are synonymous. You get used to it and
internalize the seasonal calendar. You can swim in July,
but not in January. However, in July you can't walk though
powder snow.
Except that we haven't actually had a January. Rather than
freezing cold we've had melting warmth. A recent snow cover
map shows snow removed from all parts of Michigan with one
small exception. Compare this to 1979 when Chicago had 29
inches of snow on the ground. Bring it on weather give us
some challenge not the mushy black, grey and green world we
now have!
Nature constrains me- I can't change the weather. All I can
do is state that as an avid follower of Michigan weather and
it's seasons I will take the perhaps unpopular stance that I
want cold, snow, ice.
****************
French America's Cup Sponsorship Backstory
Recently the French corporation Areva announced a
sponsorship with the French America's Cup team Le Defi.
Value of the package is 21.5 million US. The company was
formed by the French government.
France, New Zealand and nuclear issues have an
interesting history. In 1985 the Greenpeace vessel Rainbow
Warrior was blown up in Auckland harbor. This as the ship
prepared to leave to protest French nuclear weapon tests.
French intelligence officers from the Direction
Generale De Securite planted bombs on the bottom of the ship.
One Greenpeace crew perished in the incident. Two French
officers were later sentenced to 10 years in prison for
"deliberate terrorist actions."
Combine this incident with New Zealand's generally
anti nuclear policies and anti French and anti Nuclear
protests could occur during America's Cup 2003.
***************
Great Lakes Water Levels
As the winter season moves the projecting of water
levels begins. The lake level determines the loads ships
can carry, and how much dredging must be done.
To date things look somewhat positive. Although
Lake Michigan is still 1 foot 1 inch below the long term
average, the water is up 3/4 of a foot from last year.
Corps of Engineers projections show a decrease is not
expected.
If you're not the scientific type then how might
you go about making predictions. One observational method
is shown below.
The frequency of iceboating should be of interest
to those who sail when water goes back to being itself.
Typically a colder winter where there is more ice cover
means better ice boating and eventually higher water levels.
The ice keeps water from evaporating, keeping the lakes
topped up.
Snow also has an effect. Too much snow equals too
much friction and no iceboating. Snow in certain locations
on the Great Lakes such as the Northern shore of Lake
Superior will eventually melt off and replenish the lakes.
Other snow such as lake affect snow at Buffalo or Muskegon
is actually water drawn from the lakes by cold, dry air
masses. This actually can negatively affect the water
level.
So, if you're a warm weather boater you can look
for iceboating news, snowfall measurements and ice
thickness and attempt to divine how water will be under
your keel next summer.
While there has been spots with good iceboating
ice cover is not general. For instance Muskegon Lake has
yet to freeze solid. There hasn't been a lot of snow either
and there has been some water sucking lake effect snow.
Generally, it seems as if the weather doesn't cool down
any water level gains could evaporate!
************
Old Man of Old Man and the Sea Dies
Gregorio Fuentes who worked with writer Ernest
Hemingway recently died in Cuba at age 104. Fuentes was
Hemingway's boat captain and cook. He served as inspiration
and model for the Old Man character named Santiago.
Fuentes outlived Hemmingway by decades and lived
through social change in Cuba. He became a tourist attraction
and like many a sailor would accept payment in rum.
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