Tag Archives: Anderson Mill Marina

Lake Travis drought ending

Posted on October 23, 2009 | Comments Off on Lake Travis drought ending

This week’s rain, particularly storms out in the Hill Country along the Pedernales and Llano rivers, and the subsequent runoff, have raised Lake Travis by more than six feet. The rise is expected to continue today, eventually bringing back about half of the fifty feet lowering by the drought.

That would still leave the lake about twenty feet lower than normal for this time of the year. But one more flash flood out there should be enough to fix that. Then I’ll have to scurry out to the lake and get some pictures to add to the befores I’ve already posted. Because, if things stay true to form, by Christmas we’ll be talking about the flooding on the lake. Heh.

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Posted in Sailing, Texana, Weather/Climate

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Family sloop’s free scrub

Posted on November 5, 2007 | Comments Off on Family sloop’s free scrub

Steve, a rare reader who recently bought a used Hunter 22 sloop at Anderson Mill was using scuba gear to inspect his new craft’s bottom Sunday and afterwards swam down a few slips to check ours. Said scrubbing the algae off revealed clean blue paint from the cleaning job we got done at Commander’s Point in the fall of 2001, and the swing keel and cable looked fine. Appreciate it, Steve. Sorry the motor isn’t behaving. Steve picked up the recalcitrant Suzuki DT4 I left at the dumpster not long ago and paid for some fixup. It ran a while for him, even idled okay, but then it quit and refused to start. Good luck with that. I hope finally to get the new trolling motor working this week.

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Posted in Sailing

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Lake Travis declining

Posted on August 20, 2007 | Comments Off on Lake Travis declining

The road to the docks was covered by rising water yesterday at Anderson Mill Marina. I had to turn around on the steep hill descending to the road, in order to retreat. I noticed half a dozen cars and trucks parked on the hill, as if their owners had come early to taken their boats out before the water came up. They would be be in for a surprise, I thought, when they came back and found the water had risen to block their retreat. But I see now that it didn’t. In fact, it has fallen a little, by this morning, to 686.43 feet msl. Mr. B. and I might be able to sail, after all, in this last week before school resumes– if Hurricane Dean stays well south of Texas. So far it looks like it will.

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Posted in Mr. Boy, Rancho Roly Poly, Sailing, Weather/Climate

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Up she rises

Posted on August 18, 2007 | Comments Off on Up she rises

Lake Travis is getting an unfortunate boost from heavy Hill Country rains (12 inches in 24 hours along the Pedernales River which feeds the lake) generated by the remnants of Tropical Storm Erin. The LCRA is forecasting the lake to rise to 690 feet msl by Monday–and higher if we get more rain by then–which is about four feet too high for the dock extension to shore at Anderson Mill Marina. Six ninety is one foot below the height that the Army Corps of Engineers allows flood gates to be opened on Mansfield Dam to quickly lower the lake. Once again, lake levels are taking the family sloop out of our reach. At least we got the rerigging done. Too bad we can’t use it. What a year!

UPDATE  This morning, they revised the peak rise to just 688 feet msl by Sunday afternoon, still two feet too high for the docks at the marina. Also three feet below where they’d open flood gates, though they are running the hydrogeneration gates which lets some water out. So the 688 will linger awhile. Then, we’ll see if Hurricane Dean sends us a lot more rain to raise it still higher.

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Posted in Sailing, Texana, Weather/Climate

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Return journey

Posted on August 3, 2007 | Comments Off on Return journey

The family sloop, newly rigged, returned to its slip at Anderson Mill Marina about 1 p.m. this afternoon, with a tired and sunburnt captain at the tiller. The outboard only quit twice on the two-and-a-half hour trip, both times when it had almost sucked its tank dry. Amazing little gas-eater, especially considering it has very little oomph left after almost twelve years hanging off the stern mount. The journey, which took me down around Arkansas Bend to Lakeway for the first time in almost a decade, was enlightening: many new marinas, much shoreline development, and a definite trend to sailboats judging from the bobbing masts. Probably reflective of the rise in gas prices. I was only buzzed once by a boy-toy cigarette boat. Saw mostly ski boats and party barges. No sails as there was no wind. Maybe there’s hope for Lake Travis yet, if not a complete return to its 1980s status as primarily a sailing lake.

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Posted in Sailing

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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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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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