Summer 2013

Its that time of year again for boating around Oyster Harbor and the Chesapeake Bay.

Here are a few tips for having a safe and low stress time.

Launching

If you plan to use the boat launch to launch you boat from a trailer, please be respectful of others in the launch area, and of the people living around it.  If you can, please drive your car and trailer home after you launch your boat.  If you can't do that, please park your car so it allows room for others to launch and park.

One great suggestion from a local resident is to leave a note with your name, cell phone number and time you think you will be returning.  That way, if someone parks in a way that blocks you, they will know when you plan to be back.  Also others can call to ask you to move your car when they are blocked in.  Food for thought.

You can't park your car and trailer on the Washington Ave. as it would cause too much congestion.  Also parking on Shore drive makes it hard for those trying to park at the beach.

Slips

We have a wait list for slips that is now automated and prioritizes by first come and boat size.  Use the button at the top of the blog to request a spot on the wait list.

Slip assignments or reassignments are made in the following order: 

1. Currently leasing a slip, fully paid and in no violation of Rules

2. Slip holder who must be moved due to construction or due to other changes

3. Slip holders who are over- or under-slipped, i.e., the slip size is too large or is inadequate for the boat

4. Slip holders desiring relocation

5. Waiting list (entered via the Slip Request form)

6. Those with a slip that has not been fully paid 

Overnight docking

We have had requests for transient dockage, for friends that come to visit residents by boat, or for residents who bring their boat to Oyster Harbor for the weekend.

Currently we have very limited space for transients but a few spots available are:

• Back side of Fishing Creek Pier along the railing.
• Left side of Booker pier near the bulkhead
• Left side of floating dock at far end of Booker pier (if your boat is under 12')

If you or your friends are anchored in Fishing Creek, you may tie up to the white floating dock at Fishing Creek pier.  This is intended for short term or weekends only.

If you leave a boat longer than a weekend or overnight, your boat may be removed at your expense. If you have a problem, or need to stay for a few days, we recommend that you use the Slip Request button to tell us your contact info and boat registration number so that we don't have it removed.

Please note that any boat tying up to Oyster Harbor property must be legally registered and insured.

Also, we recommend that if you have a dinghy, you should contact Claire (manager@oysterharbor.org) for a boat sticker. 

Watching your wake

The only 'designated' No Wake areas in Oyster Harbor are the anchorage and pier area in Fishing Creek, and the Oyster Creek Canal.  But no matter where you are, you are responsible for your wake.

Wakes damage the grounds behind the walls and causes erosion issues, as well as can damage other boats and cause injury.

It is the law not to operate your vessel at greater than 6 knots within 100 feet of any piers, docks and shoreline.

Please keep an eye our for kayaks and small sailboats. You must slow down for them when you pass.

(A thank you to Tom Cagle of the MD Natural Resources Police for the updated information above.)

Dock electric

There is electric power on all the Oyster Harbor docks.

Pump Outs

Oyster Harbor maintains a pump out for boats.  We modified it to also handle potable holding tanks.  The pump is located on Slip 2 of the Booker pier.  

The State of Maryland paid for the pump out and it is open to any boater.

If it wont turn on, the circuit breaker is located at the wooden platform near the dinghy rack.  PLEASE ENSURE THE POWER BUTTON IS TURNED OFF when you are finished using it.  You can hit the off button more than once, just to be sure.

Dock projects

We are planning a few dock clean up projects now that it is warm.  We are looking for volunteers on June 1 in the morning, before the beach party to replace some of the posts on the floating docks (both Booker and Fishing Creek) and remove rocks and stumps from Fishing Creek, old oyster floats from Booker and general debris from the boat ramp area.

Please contact me to sign up.

Storms and flooding

The occasional summer thunderstorm can cause damage and flooding in Oyster Harbor.  Please ensure your boats are tied up properly each time you use them, as these storms sometimes sneak in when least expected.  

Lost boats

Occasionally boats float away from moorings, beaches, and off floating docks.  Please ensure you get a sticker for your boat from Claire so that we can locate the owner quickly should one go missing.

We have contacts with neighboring communities and we all call one another when we find a lost boat.  With an OHCA sticker, we can recover lost boats much more quickly and with a lot less effort.

Crabbing and fishing off of piers

Its always fun to crab and fish off our our piers.  Sometimes people forget that our piers are shared space, and that privately owned boats there are not for public use.

• Please do not walk on, enter, or use privately owned boats, floating docks, or dock boxes.   
• No overnight crab pots are allowed off of the docks.  
• Please don't leave old hand lines, bait or trash on the docks.
• Please don't throw the rocks from the beach into the creek.  These rocks are necessary to stop erosion, and people, dogs and boats can hit them in the water.

All persons fishing are required to have a proper fishing license.  Oyster Harbor piers are controlled under Maryland fishing/crabbing laws.

We have lots of information on the Oyster Harbor Piers Blog.  If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me at anytime.

Please be safe and have a great summer on the water.

2013 Spring Piers Information

2013 Slip Renewals and Slip Availability

Spring is just around the corner and its time for slip renewals to start for Oyster Harbor slip holders.

Contracts go out via email about March 1st.  If you plan to renew please send an email or mail in (via USPS) the completed slip lease & check for 2013 as soon as possible.  This way we can know what is available for those desiring slips.

FYI: Although we email contracts, OHCA requires checks and signed leases to be returned by mail.

Based on previous years, we expect to have 3 or 4 boat slips, and 7 or 8 floating dock spaces to come available for new leases as of May 1.

If you are looking for a slip, we should have a good idea by April 1st who is not renewing and what slips are available.

Slip leases run from May 1st to April 30th each year.  Slips are on a first come, first serve basis in the following order:

1. Currently leasing a slip, fully paid and in no violation of Rules
2. Slip holder who must be moved due to construction or changes in designated slip use
3. Slip holders who are over- or under-slipped, i.e., the slip size is too large or is inadequate for the boat
4. Slip holders desiring relocation
5. Waiting list - in order received from completed slip request forms 
6. Those with a slip that has not been fully paid 
7. Those who have yet to fill out a slip request form

Oyster Harbor currently has the following total slip/storage capacity:

Fishing Creek Pier

  16 Boat slips

    4 Floating dock spaces

  27 Dinghy rack spaces

Booker Pier

  14 Boat Slips

    7 Floating dock spaces

    9 Dinghy rack spaces

Washington Ave Pier

    3 Boat slips

    1 Boat launch ramp

For measurements on all slips, please click here.

If you don't already have a slip and desire one, be sure to fill our a slip request form.  If you are not planning on renewing for 2013, please let us know as soon as possible.

2013 Piers Projects

The following projects are planned for the spring to make the piers more useful to residents and slip holders.

• New security gate on Fishing Creek (by professional contractor)
• Rock and stump clean-up on Fishing Creek
• Water edge clean-up on Washington
• New (non-squeaky) dink launch ramp on Booker
• Crab pot and empty oyster cage clean up on all piers

If anyone wishes to volunteer for any of these projects, please let me know.  We will also publish the date of these, once known, on the OCHA Facebook page.

We wish everyone a safe and happy boating season.

Eric

Piers and Harbors Chair

2012 State of the Climate

NOAA Published its 2012 Significant Weather and Climate Event data map which shows some significant climate change records.

For more information, go to http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/sotc/national/.  It was an interesting year in weather.

Freezing temperatures and boats

As you probably noticed, its a bit chilly outside.

Now that the temperatures will be below freezing each night, and during many days, its important to check the bilge, covers, and low spots in your boats for ice.  After the extensive rains we have had, its possible water got into places you did not expect it to.

Ice can expand and do lots of damage

You can add non-toxic anti-freeze, or salt or drain areas with ice or water.

RV/Marine Antifreeze

Also, with winter will come extremely low tides.  So if you boat is in the water, you may need to check its lines.

Fishing Creek Pier February 2012

Hope everyone has a warm, safe and happy 2013.

Marylanders asked to share high tide photos

(The King tides are still present in Oyster Harbor due to local weather conditions, as of Dec 18th)

Reprint from Chesapeake Bay Magazine, Dec/Jan 2012 Issue with inserted local photos from Oyster Harbor.

Maryland is set experience some of the season's highest tides December 12 through 15 and theCoastSmart Communities program is asking for citizens' help in documenting the tides by taking pictures of high water and flooding around their neighborhoods and submitting them here. 

King Tides as they are often called, give researchers a potential look at what future sea level rise may look like. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/King_tide)

Step onto Fishing Creek Pier during December's King Tide

These photographs will be used in educational and outreach materials to build awareness on how coastal flooding affects Maryland's shoreline. Building a photo library will help researchers understand how floods are impacting area schools, homes, harbors, beaches, public access points and other public infrastructure. CoastSmart will then use this information to create a plan for communities that may experience coastal hazards and increased flooding in the future.

Fishing Creek Pier during December's King Tide

King Tides are not sea level rise and are not related to climate change. If the State and its citizens do not take action however, these tides show what communities could experience as a result of future sea level rise. As sea levels continue to rise, these areas will become more at-risk to the impacts of storm surge, flooding and other coastal hazards, such as Hurricane Sandy. An Environmental Protection Agency fact sheet on King Tides is available here.

For more information on the Maryland King Tides Initiative, including a chart showing when and where tides will be highest and instructions on how to submit a photo, participants should visit dnr.state.md.us/coastsmart/king_tide.asp.  To check out the photo submissions, visitwww.flickr.com/groups/MarylandKingTides.

Those with questions or comments may contact Maryland Department of Natural Resources' CoastSmart Communities Planner, Kate Skaggs, at 410-260-8743 or kskaggs@dnr.state.md.us.

Additional Fishing Creek Pier Photo

A Nor'easter's a commin'

We did really well making it through Hurricane Sandy at least from a Piers and Harbors point of view. We had some damage on the Fishing Creek pier which Cory Gassman offered to fix.  We also lost the flag halyard on the Booker pier as the block at the top of the pole rusted through.

Now we have to prepare for a Nor'easter.  This time with the possibility of snow and freezing temperatures with it.

Areas of wind warnings

Currently Annapolis is expecting rain and wind, with the possibility of snow from midday Wednesday until late Thursday.  Although there will be gusts to near 40 kts, the most threatening aspect of the storm is the duration of nearly 48 hours of winds.

As with Hurricane Sandy, please check your boats and boats in racks, to ensure they are tied well and have chaff protection.

As with Sandy, we will try to get updates onto the Facebook community page.

Hope everyone stays warm and dry.

Hurricane Sandy Preparation

OHCA is asking all slipholders to make plans to safe-

guard their vessels from Hurricane Sandy.

Forecasted Path of Hurricane Sandy

We are keeping a close eye on Hurricane Sandy. Some part of the storm is expected to have an effect in our area. Some models suggest the storm will be coming near, but not into the bay.

This means that some amount of wind, rain and storm surge will have an affect on OHCA piers.  The magnitude of the effect can vary greatly.

Storm Surge Effects

While most OHCA piers are shielded from high winds, the rising water from the wind and low pressure can cause a Storm Surge that can not be blocked. Storm surges can raise boats in slips beyond the limit of their lines and the height of the pilings which can pull the boat under water or cause severe damage. 

Here is a quick guide to storm surge effects in Oyster Harbor:

• Less than 2 feet - normal tide range
• 3-4 feet - Fishing creek pier may be covered with water and the boat ramp parking lot may be flooded.
• 4-6 feet - Booker pier may be under water, and Booker parking lot may be flooded. Fishing Creek pier will be well under water with only pilings showing.  Many boats at all piers will have significant strain on their lines and risk being pulled under water.  A risk of electrical shock from pier and other power services will exist.
• 6-8 feet - All OHCA piers and parking lots will be under water.  Access to boat slips will be by row boat. Washington Ave and Shore Ave will be flooded.  Boats on the dinghy racks will be at risk. Many boat's dock lines will be at their limit.  Fishing Creek boats may bang the top of the pilings and be damaged.
• 8+ feet - Most streets heading to the water will be flooded.  The emergency fire pumping stations will  be under water. Most boat dock lines will be beyond their maximum stretch and will either part or pull the boats under water.

Below is a link to the tidal surge for our area:

Tides online

The best way to prepare for Hurricane Irene is to pull your boat out of the water with a trailer or at a local marina.  

If you plan on leaving your boat in the water, below is some advice for hurricane preparedness.

What you will need:

• extra lines for dock lines and securing canvas and sails
• chafe protectors
• fenders
• duct tape
• flash light with spare batteries

What you should plan on doing:

• securing or removing biminis, dodgers, life rings, etc
• double line your dock lines
• add additional chafe protection
• use extra fenders
• verify batteries are fully charged
• leave automatic bilge pump on
• disconnect shore power
• close fuel valves
• close all through-hull fittings
• verify cockpit drains are clear
• duct tape any non-watertight hatches
• remove boat papers
• lock boat
• secure your dinghy on the dinghy rack
• assist your neighbors if necessary
• ensure the piers and harbors committee has your most current contact information - including cell phone
• do not park cars in any of the parking lots near the piers during the storm
• check with your insurance company to see if they will pay for haulout and storage fees during a named storm
• verify your insurance information.  All boats in OCHA rented slips are required to carry liability insurance.
• Electric power will probably be turned off to all docks during the storm.
• Don't put yourself at risk during the storm.  

If you have a boat in a dinghy rack, make sure its secured with line.  Don't assume because it higher up that it is safe from wind or water.

Here are some links from BoatUS:
Hurricane Prep Guide
Hurricane Prep Guide 2
(Thanks to Michael Paroby for sending these)

If you have questions, please feel free to contact me, Eric Epstein at 410-575-4001 (eric @ epstein.bz).

Aftermath of Category 3 Hurricane

Other sites to watch for status:  

• National Hurricane Center 
• Another National Hurricane Center site  
• Disaster Supply Kit 
• Take Action 
• NOAA Storm Surge GIS Data 
• US Coast Guard Storm Info 

Prepare early and be safe.  

Lets hope Sandy moves to the east and misses the Chesapeake Bay.