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Lift-in 2024

Lift-in will take place on Saturday May 25 starting at 7:00 sharp for those people volunteering for the lift-in. A pre-job briefing will be held prior to work starting. First boats will be going into the water at 8:00.

This year I propose that volunteers will not get club hours for lift-in but rather will not have club hours included in their lift-in bill. Hours worked at lift-in will not go towards the maximum hours. Members will be able to get club hours for other activities. This is subject to executive approval.

We will have 2 cranes from Stratford Crane Rentals as usual.

Volunteers will be required for:

    • lift captain x 2
    • Slings x 8
    • tag lines x 4
    • parking lot dock x 4
    • hydraulic trailer  x 3
    • safety officer
    • truck and driver x 4 for cradle moving. Stay tuned for date
    • cradle moving helper x 4

You can volunteer by emailing me at lifts@kyc.ca. Please include your name, boat name (or boat that you are working for) and if you are available to work all day. If you have special needs for your boat, such as not being lifted in or being moved away by trailer please let me know asap. I will post the list of volunteers here by first name and last initial or nickname as the positions are filled.

Food will be looked after by our social committee chair Christie.

I’m looking forward to working with you all again and your comments.

Jim Coffin – Lift-in committee chair.

Marina Update

Greetings all, marina opening activities are going well and see below points with much more to do:

Water is on to our washrooms

Office is cleaned up

amp has been cleared of sand and new walkway to floating docks installed

Longer ramps are in the grass area and will be installed on B & C dock shortly after lift in. I am not sure when they were last used but the decking is rotten and I will fix them soon.

Diesel sales are going well and Cottrils will be buying the last 300 litres early next week.

We have 4 people prepared to help lower A dock the weekend before lift in and looking for 4 more helpers

Piling for the new fuel dock is now on the ground and will be thumped in by dredging contractor

Pre job meeting for dredging is on 11 April.

Rob

Lift-In

Lift-in will take place on Saturday, May 25. This will be dependent on the dredging activities.

A committee to review our lift process is being formed. The committee will also be organizing the lifts.

Currently we are bringing in 2 cranes to lift about 60 boats. Each crane costs about $600 per hour (including the time to drive to and from Stratford), plus the cost of the lift crew. Last fall we lifted about 50 boats into the parking lot and 7 boats onto the north wall. It doesn’t take long to lift a boat from the water to their cradle usually 5 to 10 minutes. Each time we move a crane, the move takes 20 to 30 minutes. On the north wall, we need to move the crane for almost every boat. In the parking lot, the crane makes 2 moves.

Several years ago we successfully came up with a plan to optimize the lifts in the parking lot. With the purchase of the hydraulic trailer, we can move boats under 15,000 pounds further into the parking lot than the crane can reach. This will allow us to shorten lift time for many boats, because the lift is faster if the crane doesn’t have to reach as far. It will also give us room at the harbor side of the parking lot for some heavier boats. Possibly we could to lift all the boats onto the parking lot. The limitation is the ability to lift some of the heavier boats (4 to 6 boats) from the water, over the grass and onto the parking lot. That may or may not be possible, but the mandate of the committee is to see if it can be done safely.

We may still need 2 cranes, but if we can finish the day a few hours earlier, there would be crane savings.

We will have 2 cranes this spring for lift-in. One challenge will be to lift Chimera from the parking lot to the water. It is one of the heavier boats. If we can lift it, we should be able to lift all the boats next fall.

The committee is looking for people who can help organize lift-in and lift out and also people with the technical background to do the lift planning.

Marina Water Depths

The water depths below are provided for general reference only.   They were recorded on calm days using a depth sounder as well as a weighted line.  KYC and the Kincardine Marina assume no liability for the accuracy of the data.

When reviewing water depths, please keep in mind that the soundings are subject to variations due to:  measurement repeatability (e.g. silty bottom), barometric pressure at the time of measurement, time of day, local swells at time of measurement, etc..  Use accordingly.

Historical and Predicted water levels for Michigan-Huron tend to increase from the beginning of boating season through to end of July and then decrease from August through to the end of the boating season.  See excerpt at bottom of this page for additional details.

Please contact the marina office if you have draft-depth concerns prior to navigating through the marina basin.

(webmaster note 2023-05-02:    the charts below will be redrawn to improve legibility when time permits)

As of 2023-04-20:

As of 2022-04-05:

As of 2021-05-23:

Historical and Predicted Michigan-Huron Water Levels (2021-2023) ref:

 

Kincardine Waterfront Plan

FYI – this will affect the Marina as the plan is to address things such as parking, access to the waterfront, use of the existing parkland etc.

The Municipality of Kincardine continues to work on a Waterfront Master Plan, with a community workshop set for Wednesday, Nov. 2, from 6-7:30 p.m., at the Davidson Centre in Kincardine. The event features a short presentation, followed by group activities.

Those wishing to attend, can register on-line at www.kincardine.ca/WMP-RSVP or call 519-396-3468, Ext. 300.

“Attendance at our August session was great,” said community services director Jayne Jagelewski. “The community is passionate about our waterfront, so registration helps us know how many to expect.”

Kincardine staff and project consultants, plural, are hosting the event, and will present what they’ve been hearing so far, and continue to listen for the values and priorities important to the participants.

“The focus is on one-and-a-half kilometres of waterfront within the municipality,” said Jagelewski. “This will help form a plan that will help us organize and prioritize all waterfront assets. This event is an excellent opportunity for individuals to have input on the long-range vision for these public lands.”

Details and information from the first community engagement session and survey completed in September, are available on-line at www.kincardine.ca/Waterfront-Master-Plan.

Smart Beach Project Update, 2022 Apr 27

Once again the University of Windsor will be placing a buoy for monitoring waves as part of the Smart Beach project. It will be located slightly south and west of the south pier in the vicinity of the start marks for the KYC race course. The plan is to put this buoy in on Thurs. Apr. 27. Please steer clear. Thanks.

About the Smart Beach project:

Smart Beach project set to kick off 2022 May 25 at Station Beach, Kincardine

By: Liz Dadson
May 18, 2022

The Municipal Innovation Council will launch the first-of-its-kind Smart Beach pilot project at Station Beach, Kincardine, 2022 May 25.

The collaborative project will deploy an integrated sensor network that includes water level and wave sensors, as well as traffic and pedestrian sensors. Researchers will use the data collected to provide residents and visitors with highly-accurate, real-time local beach forecasts on rip current locations, rough surf, and dangerous areas to avoid.

“Our research team is excited to get to work,” said Houser, Dean of Science and a professor in the School of Environment at the University of Windsor. “Over the next couple of months, we’ll be busy monitoring and modelling the waves and currents at Station Beach and the potential hazards to beach-users.”

“This project has been a great opportunity to engage the grassroots community and tailor this initiative to the local area, developing thoughtful communications and outreach activities to complement the Smart Beach technology,” said Becky Smith, director of the Centre for Municipal Innovation at the Nuclear Innovation Institute. “I’m excited to see where we can expand this project over the three-year pilot and beyond.”

“The Smart Beach project is a prime example of the Municipal Innovation Council at work on an innovative solution that can be adapted to, and applied across, our member municipalities on the Great Lakes,” said Kara Van Myall, chief administrative officer of the Town of Saugeen Shores and chairperson of the Municipal Innovation Council. “Together with community partners, we are building smarter, safer amenities for everyone to enjoy.”

“We look forward to the data that Dr. Houser’s team will compile and analyze,” said Kincardine fire chief Brad Lemaich. “Being able to have predictive tools will allow Kincardine to provide beach-users the knowledge to enjoy a safer experience at Station Beach. The information will also help to minimize first-responder risk levels if we are called to the scene.”

Learn more about the Smart Beach project at smartbeach.ca.