Dredging Operations

Our Marina is located on a salt water tidal river.   Because it is connected to and fed by the ocean, it ebbs and flows with the tide.  I share this with you so that you might understand the huge volume of water that rushes in from the ocean for six hours then rushes back out again.  Our tidal changes average out to be about seven feet.  Sometimes it’s higher than that and sometimes a little bit less.  The speed of this current flow is four and a half miles per hour at peak and dead calm at slack.

 

This movement of unbelievable quantities of water is a huge force to be reckoned with.  It moves things, particularly the silt and soil that the banks and bottom are made of.  This causes shoaling in certain areas and washouts in others.  The banks of these tidal rivers shift continually.

 

Our marina is subject to this shoaling and we have to dredge out the bottom about every ten years to keep the depth in and around the marina deep enough.  To do this effectively is a huge engineering feat and takes careful measurements, planning, and execution.

 

The first problem is where does one put all the mud and silt that we are going to suck up off the bottom to make the river deeper?  There are very rigid regulations concerning an operation like this and the permitting process is a long and drawn out affair involving the Corps of Engineers and the department of Natural Resources.  The process usually takes about two years just to obtain the proper permits.  The permit is not granted without a detailed account of how you are going to dispose of the spoil material.

 

There are three means of disposing spoil material legally.  One, you have a piece of land designated as a spoil area where you pump the material onto.  Two, you haul the material away by trucks to an approved spoil area.  Three, you pile the material onto a barge and ship it out to sea to an approved spoil area and dump it in the ocean.  In our case, we own the island across the creek from the marina and have kept it for many, many years as a designated spoil area.

 

Two months before the dredging operation began, a huge barge was brought to the shore of the island and heavy equipment was unloaded to plow and shape the area to receive the spoil material.  The area is surrounded by a tall dyke and shaped so the spoil material settles on one side and the water drains to the other and is filtered, clean, back into the river or creek.

 

Here are two aerial views of our spoil area.  The dredging had already begun when these were taken and you can see the solid material accumulating on the one side as the water settles to the other and drains.

 

  

 

The challenge for me, as Dock Master, during the dredging project is to clear the boats out of sections of the marina to allow the dredge to operate in the marina safely without the risk of damaging the boats. Moving the boats also allows the dredge to dig out areas where the boats would normally dock. Here is a picture of the dredging equipment tied up in an area where I had just moved out all the boats.  Notice the boats still left in the marina.

 

 

Here is another shot from a different angle.

 

 

The way the manager of the dredging operations and I worked out the plan, each section we cleared out would take about one week to complete.  So, each week, I had to clear out a section of the marina and park the boats in other parts of the marina.  Then, a week later, I had to move those boats back to their spots and clear out the next section to be dredged.  Here is a shot of the next section to be dredged after the section shown above.  Notice the boats have been moved back to the right side of the right hand dock and the lack of boats in the area between these two docks.

 

 

The equipment for this kind of operation can be just as interesting as the operation itself.  The company we hired for the job had a small little tugboat custom made for them to use with their dredging barge.  Here is a shot of “The Mighty Mouse” tug.  The tug was aptly named!

 

 

This next photo is a shot of the dredging barge shot from the rear.  The little skiff and the Mighty Mouse are docked in front of the barge.  The dredging barge has no engine for propulsion.  It is moved around by the tug and the little skiff.  The tall things that look like legs are called spuds.  Each spud is dropped down and digs into the bottom to hold the dredging barge in place to allow it to dig up a particular area.

 

 

The barge has an arm that moves up and down and can be manipulated to the right and to the left.  On the end of that arm is a rotating drill head with a pipe in the center of the drill head.  The drill head digs up the bottom and the pipe sucks up the material much the same as a vacuum cleaner would suck up dirt.

 

 

Here is a close up shot of the drilling head.  I’ve seen steel pipe that was laying on the bottom that was cut clean in two when hit with this drill head.  It is driven with awesome power and really did a great job in our marina.

 

 

Marina operations had to continue all during the dredging operations and I was continually radioing instructions to boats who were trying to get past the dredge while dredging was taking place.  The dredging in the creek, where all the above pictures were taken, is completed and they are now dredging out front in the river portion of the marina.  The entire project should be wrapped up in another two weeks, just in time for our summer boating season.

 

The dredging operation progressed through our marina in a very calm and orderly fashion.  This was due to great planning and good execution on the part of the marina staff as well as the dredging staff.  I am very pleased with the outcome and am already receiving congratulations from my boss on a job well done.  I have to say, though, that I am very glad this has to be done only once every ten years.

 

I’m going to leave you with one more aerial shot of the spoil island only because I think it’s pretty and I wanted to squeeze it in.

 

 

Today is my lovely wife's birthday and she has taken the day off.  I have plied Paulette with cards and gifts and will escort her later to the restaurant of her choice.  I think we're going to have a nice meal and a great time.  I hope you all have a great week!

A Bit Of A Bug!

It’s been a while since I’ve posted.  I wish I could say that I have just been very busy and only now have had time to sit down and write.  That actually is true, but there is more to the story.  We have been sick here, very sick.  I came down with it first, only a couple of days after my last post.  Paulette got it about five days later and Sandy had a brush with it, too, although she never had the cough and congestion that Paulette and I contracted.

 

This bug has been going around.  My doctor says it’s a virus but did not call it the flu.  Many who have had it that I know have referred to it as the flu.  First you start aching and get a fever.  These symptoms are soon joined by diarrhea, upset stomach and then the most massive cold type symptoms I’ve experienced in years.  Your chest is filled with congestion and it’s hard to breath.  The first several days of this and you can’t lie down to sleep at night because of the sensation of a very heavy weight on your chest and the wheezing.  It feels as though you will suffocate if you lie down.  The recliner was my salvation and later helped Paulette, too.

 

Paulette ended up going to the doctor twice and the emergency room once.  I got off with just two trips to the doctor.  Thank God it’s over for me and Paulette is on the tail end of it.

 

Of course, it could not have come at a worse time for me.  I mentioned in my last post that this is always a busy time of year for me at the marina.  I generally lose my assistant every year just before the marina goes into the longer hours of operation that stretches through summer and beyond.  It’s usually not because they are unhappy; they just realize that there is little room for promotion.  I plan on keeping this job for some time to come and they want to move on to a position somewhere that offers more room for growth.  This year was no exception.

 

I cannot tell you how much fun it was interviewing applicants while I sat there sweating with fever and working seven day work weeks a couple of weeks in a row.  I was able to take two days off at the beginning of the illness, but then I had to work straight through this past Sunday.  I am well now and recovered.  I have a newly hired, but quickly trained, assistant with two more new hires starting mid week this week. 

 

Yesterday was a day filled with three weeks worth of errands and chores.  Today I get to rest and finally post a new entry in this journal.  Oh, don’t bother suggesting I take a flu shot next year.  I already plan to.  I hate shots, but if it will prevent what I just went through, sign me up!

 

Under the very best of circumstances, I don’t do sick well.  To have to work expanded hours while I was sick and seven days a week, to boot, really put me off my game.  I have not been online longer than it takes to do a quick check of Email over the past few weeks.  I have not been able to concentrate on this small screen long enough to read journals so I have not even tried.  I hope to remedy that now that I’m felling better and I hope to be around soon to visit all my friends’ journals and, of course I’ll try to leave comments again.

 

During all of this the dredging project at the marina has been under way.  I’ll do a post very soon and share some interesting pictures I’ve been able to put together to show you how it’s been going.  By the way, the manager of the dredging project came down with the same bug I had. He is recovering now but had to work through most of the illness, too. 

 

Look for another post from me either later today or, if not, by Friday night, for sure.  I’ve got some aerial shots of the dredging project that are really cool and I think you’ll enjoy seeing them.  In the meantime, take care and watch out for this bug that’s going around.  It’s a killer!

 

 

It was a year ago this month that “Dock Lines …,” the journal, was conceived.  I did not actually start the journal until April because I was much too busy in March to implement my ideas for my journal and get it all set up and working.  It was not just a case of procrastination, I now realize.  March is a busy month for me.  However, here we are once again and, busy as I’ve been, I feel it’s time to pause and catch this journal up with what’s been going on in my life.

 

Trenton has moved to Oregon to rejoin his mother and father.  In the last post that I talked of Trenton, I made a huge error when I typed that he would leave March 22.  I should have typed February 22.  I did not go back and correct it as I did not realize the mistake until days later.

 

We have heard from Trenton several times since the move and he is fine and enjoying new friends and his new home.  His mom and dad are doing well, he assures us, and he is happy.  He is well ahead of the other children in his new class I am told, so his new school is not too hard of an adjustment.

 

His departure took quite an emotional toll on our household.  It took a few weeks to get used to a routine that did not revolve around a seven year old.  We have adjusted now and are doing fine.  I am sure Trenton will let us know if he needs us in the future and all any of us can do now is pray that the little guy has a good life ahead of him.  But, yes!  We miss him dearly!

 

A new season approaches at the marina and there has been much doings getting ready for it.  We are in the process of dredging out the marina to make it deeper.  I’ll fill you in on that project in an upcoming post.  This week I want to share with you the Fiftieth Anniversary of the Deep South Regatta that was held at our marina this past weekend.

 

This regatta is for Lightning sailboats only.  They are nineteen feet long and are manned by a crew of three persons during a race.  It is called a one-design race meaning every boat entered is of the same design.  This is the first stop on the annual Lightning race circuit each year and we try and kick off their racing season in a big way for them.  We are told continually that we are the best stop for them each year offering the finest facility and friendliest staff on the entire circuit.

 

Just to give you some idea of the circuit, the teams are from all over the United States, and one team even comes each year fromChile.  After Savannah, they drive down to Miami for a series of races the following weekend.  They travel up and down the East Coast each weekend for the remainder of the series each year stopping in places like St. Petersburg, Fl, Daytona, Fl, Charleston, SC, and Wilmington, NC.

 

This year marks the fiftieth anniversary of the event and we were expecting a larger than normal fleet of boats.  We were not disappointed.  A typical year will see thirty to thirty-five boats entered.  This year fifty-two boats crossed the starting line and our facilities were pushed to the max.  We handled it in stride, though, and the event went off flawlessly.  We were also blessed with some of the best sailing weather this event has ever seen.  Here is what the parking lot looked like as I arrived at work on Saturday morning.

 

 

Here is another shot taken from the docks looking back up at the staging area and flag pole.

 

 

By the way, if you go to the Lightning 19 Racing Association web site, you may see some of the same pictures on there.  The director of the association saw a CD of all of my pictures lying on a desk in the office and took it without asking.  I had transferred my pictures to a CD as a favor for the racing committee so that they could play them back on a big screen like a slide show during the cocktail party in the evening after the races.  The next day I was told no one could locate the CD I had left and I had to make another copy for them.  We later found out that the president of the racing association had seen it in the office and took it for the purpose of using the pictures on their web site. He commented that he had wondered why no pictures had been shown the evening before.   Grrrr…….

 

There is always a good hearted rivalry at the marina between the maintenance department and the docks department. Each year the maintenance personnel chip in along with our director of security to man one of the sailboat hoists at the marina.  We have two hoists, one is a one-ton hoist out on the end of a pier, and the other is a two-ton hoist at the edge of the sea-wall.  The maintenance folks do a great job each year and enjoy doing it.  Here is a picture of them in action.  Now, remember, this is the smaller hoist.

 

 

Notice how many maintenance people are required to man this station.

 

 

My crew is tied up at our power boat hoist and the fuel docks.  Look who mans the huge two-ton hoist each year by himself.

 

 

 

Yes, that is yours truly in much need of a diet running that giant hoist all by himself.  He, he, he…  I think I just got the last word in on that rivalry thing, LOL!

 

I put together this collage showing some of the teams prepping their boats.

 

 

 

I took way too many pictures to show here, but I want you to get a feel for the event.  After we launched all the boats, I hopped on a power boat and went out to join up with the fleet during the racing to get more shots.  I’m just going to end this entry by posting several of the shots I’ve chosen to share with you.  I hope you enjoy these.  I’ll be back soon to tell you all about the dredging project at the marina. In the meantime, take care!

 

 

 

        

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Guest Editor's Pick of the Week!

I was very pleasantly surprised to receive an Email from Dornbrau letting me know that she has been chosen as a Journals Guest Editor for this week.  The real shock was learning that she has chosen "Dock Lines..." as one of the five featured journals for this week.  Thank you, Dorn! 

To go and see her entry as Guest editor, click on this link: 

HI WORLD, ITS ME... THIS WEEK'S GUEST EDITOR!

I encourage you all to go and read about the other journals she has chosen to highlight this week.  I am flattered to be included in this fine company of journals.  Once again, Dorn, thank you!

A Birthday Party

Right off the bat, let me share with you that Bill, mentioned in an earlier post, did indeed come by my dock shack a week from the day he had the accident.  Bill looked healthier than ever and made good on his promise to give me a big hug!  The doctors have said that he has had a complete recovery.

 

Our days around the house have been filled with many sounds since Christmas.  Happy sounds, serious sounds, mischievous sounds, the sounds of a young boy that reached age seven yesterday.  I’ll have more on the birthday celebrations in a bit. 

 

It has been quite an experience for our household to serve as a permanent home for a little boy for these last few months.  In that amount of time there has been a lot of bonding and shared experiences.  The weekly bike rides that Trenton and I take have become a staple of our lives and will be so missed when Trenton rejoins his mom and dad.

 

That is what I am coming to now.  On Saturday, March25, Trenton will board a flight to Oregon to join Trace and Danielle.  I am not happy abo

ut this, but I have no say, in my humble opinion, it would be wiser to let him finish out the school year here and send him to join the others in Oregon at the end of the school term.  Trace and Danielle say absolutely not!  They do not want to be away from him for that long.

 

Trace has taken a job with a fellow he’d worked with in the past and has rented a house and, together with Danielle, has made it ready to receive Trenton.  Plane tickets have been bought and an escorted flight has been arranged for the little guy to get there.

 

I have some problems with all of this because the two of them need professional help due to their addiction to controlled substances.  All of the promises to go to counseling and drug rehab have fallen by the wayside and they feel they are ready to accept the responsibility of raising their son once more.  I have heard this as though it was a broken record and I am helpless.  Trace is not my son, but my stepson.  He is not my flesh and blood and since I am not his father, I have no say in how he leads his life. 

 

I will not go to war with my wife over this issue, our relationship and the feelings we share are too dear to me to risk.  It is her opinion that we must bow to the wishes of Trenton’s parents and return him when they request it.  Paulette assures me she will keep a pulse on the situation in Oregon and call Family Services at even the least hint of impropriety on the part of Trenton’s parents. 

 

We have been teaching Trenton our phone number and making sure he has it memorized and knows how to dial us long distance collect.  He has promised to call if things are still the same with his parents.  It seems to me to be too big of a burden to thrust into the hands of a seven year old.  As Trenton steps on that plane we will be praying that God has a good life planned for that little boy.

 

Now, on to the celebrations!  Trenton did not want a big party, just the four of us Paulette, Aunt Sandy, Trenton and me.  He was allowed to choose the meal and pizza was his meal of choice to be followed by Cheesecake and Tin Roof ice cream.  He chose cheesecake on his own with no coaching from Grandpa Sam, honest!  He remembered the Cheesecake variety wheel Grandpa Sam was treated to on his last birthday and wanted the same! 

 

The pictures tell the rest of the story, and I’ll add a little line with each one to keep us all on the same page.  Oh, I deferred to Aunt Sandy’s wishes and took no pictures with her in the frame.

 

Let the Party Begin!

 

This Group looks ready for a good time!  (Paulette, Trenton & Sam)

Trenton Reading The Cards

Grandma lending a hand with the reading

Emmie sizing up the scene before deciding the party was for her!

Trenton showing off the spoils

Give a kitty a wad of paper and she is in heaven!

Emmie was so happy she got a box for Trenton's Birtday!

Paulette entertaining a party guest.

Emmie plays with the birthday boy!

Trenton chose the cheesecake wheel all on his own, no influence from Gandpa, honest!

Add a little Tin Roof ice cream and now we are talking party!

The Birthday Boy enjoying the spoils!

Success!

My thanks to all of you who commented on my last post, and a very special thanks to all who sent tips on how to get all of my "Other Journals"  Into the space to the right of this text in my "Other Journals" section.  As you may notice, I have a single link there now.  Click on it and it takes you to a page that contains the links for all of the journals I wanted to include.

I could not have done this alone and I thank you all for your support and suggestions.  Wil provided the hints on the method I finally chose to display this information.  Thanks for your help, Wil, it worked!

Well, now that that is done and no longer a burden, I must hold true on my promise to write a newsy post and catch you all up on the happenings around here.

Tomorrow (Wednesday 2-15-06) is Trenton's 7th birthday.  I want to wait 'til that's over then I'll share how it turned out with all of you.  Who knows?  I might even be able to post a Picture or two of the celebration.  I know that it's rare these days for me to post twice in one week, but this will merit the extra effort, I am sure. 

There you have it.  I've promised a second post, probably Thursday evening to bring you up to date and share a bit of the celebration.  You now have it in writing, LOL!  See Y'all then! 

In the meantime, Happy Valentines Day!

I Give Up!

To those that got an alert about a new entry here and came by only to find symbols and scripting signs, I apologize! 

I have been trying to update the "About Me" section of my journal.  I have put this chore off way too long and have spent quite a bit of time going though all the links I keep in my favorites area checking to see if they are still viable links and that the authors are still writing.

I've been promising myself, as well as a few others, that I would update the "Other Journals" section here for quite some time.  This week I set out to do it.  It took hours going to every journal and compiling the list of 147 journals I am trying to display.

Right off the bat I found out that the "Other Journals" space that AOL provides us can store only 50 links.  I've seen other journals were they put a link to a page that has their entire lists when the lists are over fifty. 

I thought when I finally learned how to manipulate pictures in my journal I had mastered this domain.  Hah!  Fat Chance.  Yes, I have the knowledge and ability to insert links in this space and have them work, but I give up trying to figure out how to show 147 links on one page.

Ok, any of You out there who has figured out how to do this, please Email me with some hints or instructions.  I've wasted three days trying to do it the way I thought it should work with no luck.

I want to write a nice newsy entry, but I've promised myself I will not post again until I can list all the wonderful journals I visit.  Help!  Please?