Low Tide

This landscape is so very different from any place I've sailed.  It's a lake, sure, but it is snaky and irregular at the edges, the contours of the valley that was filled by a huge dam.  And yet it looks tidal, because the water level is so low that docks and piers are stranded high above where the shoreline is.  To me it looks like a very low tide, with all the rocks and underwater obstacles revealed.  But the tide has been low here for a couple of years.  Last week the lake level rose 6 feet, because of hard rains in the area.  There are pictures of the clubhouse submerged up to the top floor, but right now it's at least 40 feet above the waterline. 

Setting marks is very difficult, because the depth of the lake varies wildly, between about 20 feet and 150 feet.  I can't tell from the contours of the lake where the channel is and where the shallows are, so when I drop a mark I can't tell how much scope it needs, and I've fouled the motorboat propeller twice while trying either to release more line or to coil up the excess.  I feel like a rookie.  I've had marks drift downwind, not anchored to the bottom.  I've tossed out marks with plenty of line only to find it is very shallow water, and all the excess line means the mark was way out of position.  Sigh.   

At least the jet ski and the speedboat fleets have only made brief appearances. 

Comments

[turboglacier]

A perfect use for a portable depthfinder!

http://www.vexilar.com/products/lps1.html

[Carol Anne]

Welcome to inland sailing.

If you're fortunate enough to be on a lake where fishing is a major pastime, look for the Fish'N'Map for that lake. It gives really good depth contours that you can use in combination with lake level reports to figure out how deep you really are. It also gives information about "underwater structures" that fishermen want to be near but sailors want to avoid. An added bonus is that the Fish'N'Maps are printed in waterproof ink on plastic, so they stand up to a lot of wear and water.

And yeah, I agree with turboglacier that a portable depth sounder can be useful. But for the most part, I haven't used one.

[Elfie]

How was the meet and greet?

[yerba mate tee]

I love this photo, such a creative scene, captured this way! Also i enjoyed reading your article on tidal condition...Thanks...