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Around the World of Sailing

22 May 2002

Finish Line

Last year Coast Guard Group Grand Haven responded to at
least 27 hoax calls. This cost taxpayers $ 67,217.

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 +8
Difference from last month +6
Difference from last year +11
Difference from long term average for May -12
Difference from Record High -41
Difference from Record Low +19
Forecast for 17 June 2002 +3

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.
****************

This is a longer version of Rowing Reporter.  Please send
comments on this to ike@torresen.com
********
Studies.Observations.Participaton
	With the three day Memorial Day weekend coming up,
boaters are eager to kick off the 2002 season.  Lately the
weather has not been so eager.  For two consecutive weeks
Muskegon has experienced below normal temperatures.  This
was capped by a record low of 27° Tuesday morning.  None
the less, the east shore of Lake Michigan has been filled
with boater preparing and participating.
	Last Friday I delivered a boat to it's summer home
on Macatawa Bay in Holland.  It was cold, but a full canvas
tent dodger helped with warmth.  Even if I would not have
been dodgered, the wind was behind me.
	I passed through a trio of evenly spaced fishing
boats.  I saw the first of two red light houses on the
trip- this one at Grand Haven.
	Off to starboard was a freighter.  The commercial
boat overtook me.  About 20 minutes out I determined the
freighter was also Holland bound.  It beat me in by 6
minutes, taking an entire minute for it to be swallowed
by the Holland Channel guarded by the trip's 2nd red light.
	That was the first of three consecutive days that
I would spot a freighter.  Saturday while on a cold and
wavy Muskegon Lake I saw the 1000 footer Indiana Harbor.
In addition to the ship, there is an actual Indiana
Harbor located 19 miles SE of Chicago.  It is strictly a
commercial harbor.
	I capped my three day skein of boat watching by
seeing the Wolverine on Muskegon Lake on Sunday.  It was
the Wolverine that I had followed into Holland on Friday.
	Commercial shipping and its facilities are gaining
attention in the ongoing war against terrorism.  In the
form of the Harbor Watch/River Watch program the Coast
Guard has brought homeland defense to the marine community.
The Coast Guard envisions it as a neighborhood watch for
the water with citizens looking for things such as unusual
night operations, divers near bridges, lights flashing
between boats, people snapping photos.  The Michigan ACLU
sees it differently saying,  "it's inevitable result is
for us to take a step toward a Big Brother society."
	I visited Pere Marquette beach along Lake Michigan
on Sunday. While walking I picked up a Styrofoam hamburger
container.  These have not been used since 1990!  Brought
back, "Styrofoam boxes for the ozone layer"...
	On the good news side Muskegon's Pere Marquette
beach has received Blue Wave certification.  Given by the
Clean Beaches Council this means that public safety,
cleanliness and environmental quality at the beach meet
or exceed EPA and other standards.  I recommend a visit
to my home town 'sugar sand' beach.
	The beach and the area around the channel have
seen several ship wrecks as I learned at a presentation
by Elizabeth Sherman on Saturday. Several of the wrecks
are stories that stick to your grey matter.
	For instance the brig Neptune in late November
1839.  It came ashore at Pt. Solitude AKA Little Sable
Point.  Only 3 survived.  The Captain of the ship walked
south to Muskegon get assistance for the others taking
3-4 days.
	Or the sidewheel steamer Muskegon measuring
233 feet by 33 feet. At 0400 early on a late October
day in 1919, the steamer came into the Muskegon Channel.
At that time the outer, wider arrow head breakwater had
not been built.  A rogue wave threw the steamer onto the
south pier holing the starboard side.  31 of 91 people
were lost, the worst in Muskegon history.
	Meanwhile in France the America's Cup grew yet
another angle. Greenpeace's French branch rammed the
newly launched French America's Cup boat.  Greenpeace
says it was an accident; the Le Defi team on purpose.
Damage occurred to the boat amidships near the chain
plates. The controversy is in regards to Areva a nuclear
power company serving as  sponsor.  From video I watched
at http://www.tf1.fr/news/france/0,,914322,00.html it
did not look accidental.  The Greenpeace inflatable broke
away from a pursuer and went at full tilt towards the
travel lift slip where IACC 69 was moored.
	Part of Greenpeace's statement read as follows:
"Greenpeace is committed to exposing corporations that
utilize 'greenwashing' practices to divert attention
from their environmentally destructive practices."
Unfortunately their method may have diverted attention
from an important issue back to them and their methods.
	While it's easy to simply deplore Greenpeace's
method and hide behind the delusion that's the America's
Cup is simply a sporting event, I don't think this is
valid.  If Styrofoam containers last for 12 years, how
about nuclear waste?
	If it were simply a sporting event sponsors
wouldn't be needed. Germans wouldn't sail with France,
New Zealanders with Switzerland.  A simple bank loan
rather than a multi million-dollar sponsorship would
make the payments.
	Even with the America's Cup teams there is
acknowledgement that the environment is an issue.  One
World Challenge wants to win the Cup "in the name of the
health of the World's oceans."  By choosing Areva as a
sponsor Le Defi chose the issues that come with it.
	This is not to say that Greenpeace is blameless.
It is entirely appropriate to question whether causing
damage to Le Defi's boat is an appropriate non-violent
protest.  Also Greenpeace like many organizations today
it not unversed in media spinning tactics.  Their protest
included many prosaic non-motorized kayaks.  Almost as
if they were a cover for the inflatable that did the
damage.  On the Greenpeace website video was posted that
didn't show the actual ramming.  They are out to tell a
story from their own point of view as are many other
people and organizations.
	The past week has been busy maritime-wise.
The desire to separate these events can be strong.
However, whether there is nuclear waste being transported
by sea or more air pollution because their is less nuclear
power, and how commercial shipping fairs is al connected.
They are connected to how we care for beaches and how we
use our boats.  The butterfly in chaos theory could be
anywhere on our oceans or in our watery experiences.
	These myriad events should matter to those of whom
enjoy the water.  They can affect our experiences in many
ways and we should act on concerns we have in order to
ensure our experience is all we desire.