Utah Lake Commission

Daily Wind forecasts, questions about weather, gear, locations, etc.

Utah Lake Commission

Postby mike loeser » Thu Jul 10, 2008 11:22 am

Reading the Des news today and saw a picture of Arpi and his son with some kiters in the background.
http://www.deseretnews.com/article/1,5143,700241967,00.html
The article talks about the Utah Lake Commission and some of their future plans for the lake. I think it would be in the best interest of all the windriders to make our voices know on what we want to see. There will be a meeting at the Utah County Health and Justice building July 30 at 7 pm and one the 31 of July at the Lehi Senior citizens center at 7 pm.
One thing the article talks about is the reed infestation problem. We could get a bunch more launch sites if they were able to clean the reeds in a few locations. Even Lindon beach could be much improved if we could get them to clean out the reeds. Being from Salt Lake, I would love to have a closer launch, maybe somewhere in Provo bay would be nice!
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Re: Utah Lake Commission

Postby RickHeninger » Sat Jul 12, 2008 12:14 am

I will be in the Gorge when this meeting is going to go down... I would definitely like to see at least a few of us at those meetings... FOR SURE!!!

There are so many things that we need from our perspective... IN FACT, I will start a wish list here for things that I would like to see at Utah Lake.

Being that I just got done sailing there at PBH... This is a definite hot topic!

Please post some of your wish list items so that those who go to the meeting can present them... Keep it realistic so that our real and feasible concerns don't get lumped into a laughable request. In fact, I'll mail a compiled list for them to have at the meeting...

Thanks for letting us know about this Mike...

5 MAIN WISH LIST ITEMS FOR UTAH LAKE: (please add some I've missed)

-A GOOD BEACH CLOSER TO THE SALT LAKE SIDE of the lake on the east side of Utah lake. One that presents easy access and has a large area for sandy beach or even for grassy area. Access to the water that doesn't present obstacles to access the water that only a Cirque d' Soleil performer would be able to navigate...

-Which brings up another important wish list item, A GRAVEL/SANDBAG ACCESS PATHWAY TO THE WATER off of the North, South, and West Jetties going into the main body of water and into the harbor itself. These pathways should have signs posted saying that the access is for recreational users only and NOT FOR FISHERMAN with warnings of citations!!! There should be at least four of these per jetty. Inexpensive to place and would be to fill just a few of the deep cavernous leg and ankle breaking holes between the rocks to allow access for windriders. Windsurfers have to carry gear over these areas.

-For development around the lake, there needs to be some kind of control or regulation that requires public access to the water every certain number of miles around the shorline... There might be regulations already in place, but I'd like to have them made more public if they do exist so that we can ensure that development is adhering to such regulations.

-It needs to be made clear that windriders make more use out of the lake's shorelines than people know. We should get just as much consideration as boaters.

-Could there be more policing of the treatment of the lake. i.e. Pallet burnings and left over trash from rituals from napes of crimson.
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Re: Utah Lake Commission

Postby Carl Christensen » Sat Jul 19, 2008 10:03 am

here, here!
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Re: Utah Lake Commission

Postby DimitriMilovich » Mon Jul 21, 2008 4:18 pm

I'd vote for a launch on the West side, not the East. Or better yet, both. The wind is better on the West side in general, from my experience. Many times have crossed back and forth from Saratoga Springs to find lighter wind on the NE corner and fresh breeze again on the NW corner.

I think the place that needs a launch is at Saratoga Springs, right off the old jetty that we used to sail from when it was still a closed amusement park. Or maybe better, right out from the newer part of Saratoga Springs, just south of there (yes, in the reeds).

I'd be at that meeting but will be in Europe, and no, sadly, not sailing.
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Re: Utah Lake Commission

Postby mike loeser » Mon Jul 21, 2008 6:17 pm

Dimitri,
Where exactly would be a feasible place to recommend that we work with the Commission on getting a launch? I am unfamiliar with that side of the lake. I went once over to Pelican Bay to check out the potential. I would like to recommend a spot that has existing vehicle access and good wind that doesn't encroach on private property. I used to wake board out by the long sand bar (the jetty you are talking about?), which would be a great location for kiting. I believe that location is locked and private. I can't imagine it being hard to burn a few of those noxious reeds to allow us an area to kite.
Could you post a google map of the spot/s you are thinking of?
Saratoga would still save us a half an hour of driving from SLC.
I still would like others to post what you would like to make Utah Lake a better place to sail and play.
Thanks for the input!
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Re: Utah Lake Commission

Postby Josh Shirley » Tue Jul 22, 2008 10:09 am

I think a good issue to point out is that almost all the public access around the lake is built primarially for motorized boats. All the marinas have big rock jettys to protect the marinas but provide no beach. Provo Boat Harbor just spent millions upgrading their marina but made launching wind powered craft very difficult. The lake commission thinks that only boaters use the lake and they need to know other sports have needs as well.

Even having a presence at the meeting would make a big difference if at the very least they recognize that more than motorized craft use the lake.
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Re: Utah Lake Commission

Postby bordy » Wed Jul 23, 2008 9:32 am

Up keep of current locations seems mor important to me than "creating" new launches.
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Re: Utah Lake Commission

Postby bordy » Wed Jul 23, 2008 9:33 am

Up keep of current locations seems mor important to me than "creating" new launches. I don;t care about saving driving time or anything like that. I just would like the spots that are there to be maintained for the saftey of all of us.
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Re: Utah Lake Commission

Postby Josh Shirley » Wed Jul 23, 2008 10:08 am

Saratoga Springs has built a city park right next to the lake, but they will issue tickets to anyone that launches from that site.
Also there are a lot of reads to walk through, but it is do able.

I would love to see a wood pathway out into the lake.

Not only could we use it but fisherman could use it as well.
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Re: Utah Lake Commission

Postby Carl Christensen » Wed Jul 23, 2008 10:36 pm

Dimitri or anyone: Do you think that all these evening sessions that get posted at SSB, Lincoln, and PBH have stronger winds at Saratoga? That would be interesting to know. Maybe someone has tried. Anyone? How can we figure it out? I know I like the swell on the east side but that's further south, after a significant fetch, not up in the northeast corner. For some reason the northeast just has never developed a reputation and it may be for good reason, as per your experience. Must be a flow phenomenon where Lehi wind just doesn't come down and contact the surface well.

There seems to be a real difference between post frontal north clearing winds. They have done well at Rocky Pt., Saratoga, Pelican etc but I have gotten some ripping days in at PBH on some of those days, often alone. The post frontals don't always fill in further south though. And it probably comes up sooner on the north west side so maybe that's why everyone goes there. With the weather cam it has gotten a lot easier to gauge PBH before going and that's good since redirecting to Saratoga is a real problem once you've gotten there. Sure would be helpful in deciding where to go and where to push for improved, wind friendly launches.
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Re: Utah Lake Commission

Postby DimitriMilovich » Thu Jul 24, 2008 1:47 pm

No idea about PBH vs. the NW side. Never sailed both those areas on the same sesh, usually becaue PBH would be so far downwind that I'd be scared of making it back if the wind died. What I am certain about is that there is more wind further north on the west side than further south. Any number of days have sailed up there from Rocky Pt. or El Nautica or even about 1/2 way up from the Pelican Harbor where we now launch (I keep forgetting if that's really the name, but y'all know where I mean.). It's always windier up wind.

As far as a launch goes from the NW corner, I've only launched back before the development went in, so I don't know what's there right now. There used to be an old residence with some big trees that I had launched from once or twice. Helped Brian Klemdad launch his kite there once, too. It had some treacherous nasty killer rip-rap rocks under water, so it was never attractive since we had Rocky Pt. But that's roughly the area. And its on the West-NW shore south around the corner from the old Saratoga Springs amusement park.

I put a few placemarks in. Easy, once I followed Rick's instructions. Thanks, Rick!

Maybe Josh can put a map together of where he went weed-walking. Might be the same.

Maybe in this time of depressed real estate values, the UWA should consider buying one of the shorefront houses or lots in Saratoga.

Or, MAYBE, if development has been frozen for a bit, we should contact the Rocky Point land owner and see if he's open to renting again?
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Re: Utah Lake Commission

Postby DaveHubbel » Fri Jul 25, 2008 12:56 pm

I second the observations that the farther North you are on the west side the better the north wind. I had a habit of sailing there a lot in the late 80's. The funniest thing I remember about launching near the old saratoga rv park there was having to body drag through the silty mud with only inches of water over it to get to the deeper water when the lake level was low. You just couldn't walk across it because you would post hole in about a foot. Then you would have to rub all of that mud off of your feet and deck so you could stay on. One day I was over-powered on a 5.0 and playing in the glassy smooth water and then suddenly flying through the air in a huge slo-mo forward flip without my gear. I must have been unhooked. Anyway whatever I did hit shattered the fin box out of my double stringer 8'10" Hi-Tech that was my pride and joy those days.

I then sailed from the old spot just north of the nautica marina and would cross the lake usually a couple of times each session, I would not say that there was significantly less wind over by the marina on the North east side which is where a beam reach usually took me. But the south end of the lake I do not know about on North winds.
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Re: Utah Lake Commission

Postby Carl Christensen » Fri Jul 25, 2008 3:38 pm

Then the question I come back to is whether it is blowing in the Saratoga Rocky Pelican Point on these evening sessions that happen so often at the south end, SSB, Lincoln etc. How can we figure that out?
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Re: Utah Lake Commission

Postby DimitriMilovich » Fri Jul 25, 2008 4:24 pm

Hmm...Gotta move the windicator that's near the new Pelican Harbor higher up, or to a better spot so you can make instant comparisons on the mesonet with the Airport (which I've never seen). I've never seen it but have the feeling it's in a wind shadow because it doesn't seem to read very high. Steve who lives there may know where it is.

Or, couple of us agree to go stand across from each other with windmeters and cell phones and trade notes. 'Course I'm not sure either of us would be ready to believe the other. ("Yeah, Carl, it's nukin', seagulls are walking upwind!" "Small craft warnings over here, Dimitri, jetskis getting blown over the jetty! Only the Dubbock boys are still sailing!"

OK , OK, - how about we both launch at the same time to cross and compare notes in the middle?

No, wait, how about we both light massive industrial smoke bombs and see whose cloud dissapates first?

Er, how about we both down some 16-oz Fosters and then measure how fast our beer cans will roll on a nearby road and compare notes via cell phone.

Think, think....
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Re: Utah Lake Commission

Postby Carl Christensen » Fri Jul 25, 2008 7:09 pm

Oh great stuff, good and scientific, especially the Fosters test. But seriously, I'm wondering, does anyone ever post on the evenings when people sail PBH, SSB and Lincoln? It doesn't seem like it or are we all missing something on the west side and nobody is talking? I only want to know so we can choose where to go. With the efficient light wind gear we are seeing good rides more than ever and it may be time to rethink what has been taken for granted because so much of it was based on being able, or not able, to sail a 5.8 on a slalom board.
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