Guilty of bonehead boating

[kenhoneycutt]

Like my SO always tells me. You weren't hurt and nobody else was hurt so learn from it and forget it.

[padean]

Having lived between the Ballard and Freemont Bridge for several years, I can tell you that the water in that "river" varies by almost a foot from highest to lowest regularly. Ask around, but when we used to fish and play down there on the water, there was a noticeable variation in the water level that did not seem to be on any regular cycle.

I can only guess as to the cause of this. When I was a student at UW, it was known that the current through the channel from Lake Washington into Lake Union was always stronger when the wind was out of the North, and I suspect that the water level in Lake Union was also higher (and consequently under the Fremont Bridge). This is not uncommon, since the water level in Saginaw Bay and the Saginaw River here in Michigan can vary by over a foot over the coarse of the day depending on whether the wind is out of the north or south. Maybe this accounts for the fluctuations.

Either way, keep on sailing and enjoying the beautiful water out there in the NW.

[ScuzzMonkey]

Funny (not like amusing funny, but interesting funny... I've got my own Fremont Bridge story, so I'm not likely to laugh at anyone else's) but I was just noticing yesterday when we pumped out at Morrisons on Lake Union that the lake was considerably lower than it had been last year the last time we did so--our deck was far lower in comparison to their pier than before. So the water levels do fluctuate... but I bet Tweitz nailed it. You most likely passed through in the morning at dead center below the bridge, which is the point of highest clearance. On the way back, if you were just a bit off-center, you'd scrape it.

I would think it would take a fair bit of time to raise the lake level that much, although I suppose it's possible. The other explanation seems more likely from my observations.

Either way, it's not as if anyone was hurt, and I can think of far more expensive ways to damage a boat, so I think it's unfortunate you are so affected by the incident. I know how confidence can be shaken even by relatively minor things, but at the end of the day, aren't these sorts of stories some of the best parts of sailing? I always enjoy the "There I was" narratives with an ending at the speaker's expense the most, and cherish my own humble collection more than just about any other sailing experiences.