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Around the World of Sailing20 March 2002This weeks features: Finish Line
Rowing ReporterThe Rowing Reporter is a weekly column of commentary and Ice Coverage and Water Levels
Last week we looked at the conflicting view of two
government agencies on water levels for the upcoming
season. It would seem unusual that disparate conclusions
would be drawn from essentially the same data. Perhaps
there are new factors that are changing the circumstances
in which water levels are deciphered.
For instance for the 5th year in a row ice coverage
on the Great Lakes is slim. According to Raymond Assel
of NOAA, "If we get another two or three or four [winters]
like this, then you start to suspect a new ice cover
regime in the lakes." Could it be that this new ice
cover regime is already in effect and scientists just
haven't figured out how it affects water levels?
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Aids to Navigation/Notice to Mariners
With boating season coming up, a regular reading
of the Notice to Mariners should be a regular part of
your routine. The Local Notice to Mariners for Great
Lakes waters is available at
http://www.navcen.uscg.mil/lnm/d9/.
The first edition of the 9th district notice to
mariners dated 12 March carries the following
important information.
The Aids To Navigation commissioning schedule
for Lake Michigan is as follows. Chicago April 1,
Holland April 14, Grand Haven May 1. Other areas of
Lake Michigan from March 21st to May 25th. These are
dates when you can expect to see winter aids to
navigation be replaced with their warm weather season
counterparts.
Several aids to navigation have current
discrepancies. The Saugatuck south pier head light
is extinguished. Further the fog signal is not working
and the daybeacon has been damaged. The Waukegan Harbor
light and the Menominee pierhead light are operating at
diminished intensity. Check to make sure your harbor's
aids are working properly before you assume they are
and meet up with a pier as a result.
Another pierhead with a change is in Ludington.
The Notice to Mariners says that the word 'floodlighted'
should be removed from the description of the Ludington
North Breakwater Light. You'll have a new visual sign
to look for at this aid.
Changes in depth soundings have been made to the
Mantiwoc/Sheboygan and Ludington Harbor charts. With
depths under 10 feet affected you should make certain
of these locations.
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Commercial Shipping
The 2002 shipping season is ramping up- but slowly
after a down year in 2001. For instance iron ore
shipments were down 11 million tons. Coal shipments
rose just slightly with other cargoes down a combined
11 million tons.
The cement carrier Paul H. Townsend is already taking
time off at Muskegon's Mart Dock. The Townsend arrived
in Muskegon this Sunday. The lay up will last until May.
South along Lake Michigan Holland had a halting start
to the shipping season. The Barge Great Lakes Trader and
its tug recently were unable to enter while drawing 19 feet.
This has put Holland in line for immediate dredging.
After this Grand Haven will get dredged.
From Pennsylvania comes news that the Richard Reiss
won't work this year.
Another issue related to commercial shipping is ballast
water and invasive species. A recent study has shown that
eggs of certain water borne creatures can survive even
without water. Even though ships empty their ballast outside
the St. Lawrence seaway creatures can still survive. Then
when they add fresh lake water to the slime and sludge in the
tanks the eggs hatch. Then when the ballast is dumped the
creatures spread.
The State of Michigan has initiated a program that
seeks to help control the ballast water/invasive species
problem. One of the goals of this program is to compile a
list of ships which conform to certain ballast water standards.
The list is posted at
http://www.michigan.gov/deq/1,1607,7-135-3307_3667_8278-16203--CI,00.html.
The Paul H. Townsend currently is Muskegon is on this list.
Ships not on this list are not eligible for a new grant,
loan, or award administered by the Michigan Department of
Environmental Quality (MDEQ).
Even with the newly announced steel tarrifs which
affect the iron ore shipments to steel mills the 58 ships
US flag fleet is not optimistic.
Follow the Shipping Industry at
http://www.boatnerd.com/news/
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Small Items
Last Friday crewman found a glittering metal object
on the cat's between hull netting. This lucky get
turned out to be the maxi cat's main headboard pin.
To show the scale of Orange the pin was 50 CM or in more
familiar measurements 19.6 inches or 1 foot 7 inches!
Milwaukee's Tim Kent is readying the Open 50 Everest
Horizontal for Around Alone. Reading over the weekend it
turns out that there is a book titled 'The Horizontal
Everest Extreme Journeys on Ellesmere island'
by Jerry Kobalenko.
Here's hoping Tim doesn't reach as far south (70°)
as Ellesmere Island is north!
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