Category Archives: Sailing

Lake Travis reopens

Posted on July 16, 2007 | Comments Off on Lake Travis reopens

At 1 p.m. today, the lake is to reopen to recreational boating, although given the warnings, one has to wonder why:

“’It’s not quite the same lake that it was before the flood,’ [LCRA’s Tim] Bradle said. ‘While much of the debris is gone, some still remains, especially just below the lake’s surface, and it could be hazardous to watercraft and people.’”

One of the aerial shots I saw showed a dead cow floating along. I suppose it’s been taken care of. But there’s also three floodgates open on Mansfield Dam, though one is supposed to close today. Well, now I can go ahead and reschedule the sloop’s rerigging, possibly as soon as next week. And start dreading the refurbishing of the teak.

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Posted in Sailing, Texana, Weather/Climate

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Circling the drain

Posted on July 15, 2007 | Comments Off on Circling the drain

Travisfalls.JPG

Lake Travis is the lowest it’s been since the morning of June 27–687.22 at this hour–and continues to fall, even with only three floodgates open. The fourth one was closed Friday and another one is expected to be closed tomorrow. Drove out to the marina today, only to find the docks still about eight feet from the shoreline. Decided not to wade out to them, although it was shallow enough, but to wait until tomorrow or Tuesday before going back out to check the sloop. In particular, I need to run the outboard. It’s been almost a month since I did that.

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Lake Travis lowering

Posted on July 12, 2007 | Comments Off on Lake Travis lowering

At this hour, with four flood gates still open on Mansfield Dam, it’s down to 693.01 feet msl. But Anderson Mill Marina says the family sloop won’t be accessible until the lake drops another seven feet, to about 686, which won’t likely be this weekend. The marinas on each side of ours, Cypress Creek and Riviera, already have access, but their slip rental is a lot higher. Anderson Mill also has terrain problems (when the lake is above 686) which they don’t have. You can get a sense of how high water would flood the marina’s little available land in this unflooded photo.

UPDATE  LCRA was set to close one of the flood gates at 3 p.m. Friday, when the height was down to 691.01. I suppose it was dropping too fast for them. Also there’s rain forecast downriver. 

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Posted in Sailing, Texana, Weather/Climate

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Howdy dry

Posted on July 10, 2007 | Comments Off on Howdy dry

After weeks of soaking rains, it’s a treat to see the sun and a near-empty weather radar screen. It was getting so bad there for a while I could hear the grass growing a couple of inches a day. Of course Lake Travis is still flooded, though it’s declining about a foot a day and at this hour is a mere 697.04. At this rate it’ll be about two weeks until I can get the family sloop a few miles uplake for a replacement of the 22-year-old standing rigging–about 12 years more than it should be for safety’s sake, even on a freshwater lake. ‘Course I’ll probably have to start over again cleaning the mildew in the cabin, which I expect will be renewed after almost a month of being closed up. Still it’s good to be dry for a change. Howdy dry, sit down and stay a spell, if you please. You will? Great!

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Posted in Sailing, Texana, Weather/Climate

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Fourth from the left

Posted on July 6, 2007 | Comments Off on Fourth from the left

SloopAtDock.JPG

The family sloop. So near and yet so far. Beyond reach for the moment, with Lake Travis apparently peaked at 701.2 feet msl. That’s 20 feet above normal, sort of normal. Full, anyway, although it’s normally lower than 681 this time of year. The radar is mercifully clear and the lake is actually falling a tiny bit, now at 700.97, though it looks like another week, maybe two, before I can get back to work on the cabin. Probably be full of mildew by then, and I’ll have to start over. It’s the outboard I worry about most. Not good for it to sit out there without being run every few days.

UPDATE  Fresh Bilge reminds me, via this link, how easy we have it compared to Lake Texoma. 

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Posted in Sailing, Texana, Weather/Climate

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Canoe exit

Posted on July 5, 2007 | Comments Off on Canoe exit

CanoeExit.JPG

The reflections in the water in the foreground make this a little artsy. The point of it is the way the dock extension at Anderson Mill marina leads into the water, with a canoe strategically placed presumably to help one get to shore. It’s probably worse than this by now, Lake Travis having risen about 3 more feet since July 1 with two more to go according to the latest LCRA forecast. More rain forecast today. It might be Monday before we see the sun again.

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Posted in Sailing, Texana, Weather/Climate

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Captain Nemo’s highway

Posted on July 2, 2007 | Comments Off on Captain Nemo’s highway

CPTNemoHighway.JPG

So called. This is (or was) the entry to a park and boat ramp on Lake Travis. It’s one of the reasons the lake is closed to recreation for July 4. Worse is what’s going on out in the watershed to the northwest. Almost 3 inches has fallen near the Colorado River at Lampassas today, which means the lake probably is going higher than the 701 feet above msl already forecast. Radar shows most of today’s rain is in the watershed, and some of it is of the red and yellow variety. So the lake’s flooding problem is going to get worse soon.

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Posted in Sailing, Texana, Weather/Climate

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