Car-top carriers to go

Do you really, really need to keep that car-top carrier for your boat at the club? Like, really? Or is it just that you need the room in your garage for Grandpa’s dusty croquet set and an old Weber charcoal grill that you never ever use?

Well, while you ponder that question (we’ll think about it, too), another precariously hanging car-top carrier may have just fallen on yet another boat, like one did last year.  Next time, one might land on someone’s head instead.  You’d never be able to look at a croquet wicket the same, again.  Might be time to eBay the croquet set.

Following is an important message from our newest Board member, Michael Malone, about the current, no-joke, dangerous state of our pile of car-top carriers:

The PBC Board has decided that the car-top carriers stored on the aqueduct side of the house need to go. There are 30 carriers currently stored on that side of the house in enough slots for only 24.  They are cluttered and often have fallen, sometimes damaging boats.  The plan right now is to move the carriers during the June 11th Club Work Day.  In the meantime, I have volunteered to clean up the space to see if we can limit the amount of carriers to a reasonable, safe number, but I need your help to get it done.

First, members desiring to keep their carriers stored at the club must provide a justification as to why the carrier should remain at PBC instead of at home.   This will force us all to think about whether or not we travel so often with our boats on top of our cars that we really should have a carrier at the club.  Second, every carrier must have the owner’s name and phone number or email address clearly displayed on the carrier before the June 11th workday or it will be removed.  This will allow us to track usage of the carriers, and remove unused or unclaimed ones.

If you already know that you need to keep your carrier at PBC, please send a message to me at mwmalone@gmail.com with your justification.  Also, please start labeling your carriers now.  If you would like, I can print you a label for your carrier and leave it for you at the boathouse. Van Dusen carrier owners should make sure they get a label, too.

Again, this needs to be done before the June 11th workday to prove that we can efficiently manage the carriers before the Board decides for our own safety that they all must go home.

[Note: Rumor has it that even the "justified" carriers are going to be stored in the attic with a friendly family of about a million spiders. No, thanks. We'll take ours home to our garage, where there are only about a hundred spiders. -PS]

Freaky Flood Year?

[Chuck Selden and Mike Malone contributed the following regarding the seemingly endless bad water we've had this year.  Apparently, it could be a lot worse!  We feel better already.  (Sort of.)]

It really has been quite a spring.  [Great for ducks, not so much for rowers.] Alarming news regarding high water on March 12, April 18 and May 19.  PBC floats closed on and off again to boat launchings.  Shovel and broom brigades clearing away endless amounts of mud.  When is the next one?  Will it ever stop?

Below is historical flood data taken at Little Falls.  Just click on an image to make it bigger (and more readable) or visit the NOAA site (click) here. [Chuck will have the most recent data posted soon. Read on for Chuck's analysis.]

So far, in 2011, our flood water has remained below 12 feet, and we haven’t had to move boats to higher ground. In 1937 and 1996, two floods required us to move boats to the ballroom and upper decks.  In the last 80 or so years, there were only 10 times with water over 15 feet that forced us to move most of our boats upstairs, and a few times when waters were over 13 feet, forcing us to move a few of our lower boats upstairs and anchor our floats.

So, what is our risk now of another flood in 2011, you ask? Well, we could make a prediction by looking at the number of years with three or more high water events. During thirteen of the last 80 years, we’ve had at least three high water events per year, and of those, only during four of those years, we had more than three. During seventeen years, we had only one above 9 ft event.  During 34 years (1/3 of the record), we had not one above 9ft event at Little Falls. Chances are that we’re done with high water for the year.

Or are we? [Place your bets, ladies and gentlemen.]

Well, we usually get flooding, if at all, in the spring, and although they are less common in May, we did just have one.  Still, going by the data we have available, if we do get another flood this year, most likely, it will be in the fall.

We will be posting a “to do” list for reacting to predicted river levels by the logbook and on line at the PBC web site that gives tips, insight and rules on when to row; when to stay ashore; who might be able to risk going out; when club boats are not allowed to go out at all; at what depth we must detach the ramps and floats and anchor them downstream; and the circumstances that dictate which boats to move upstairs and when.

Congrats to PBC’s Giorgio Young, Virginia Scholastic Rowing Champ!

Next time you see Giorgio Young, son of proud papa and longtime Potomac Boat Club senior member Neal Young, remember to say, Congratulations!

On Saturday, May 14, 2011, Giorgio won the 2011 Virginia Scholastic Rowing Championship in the Men’s Single.

Giorgio went undefeated on the Occoquan this season, sometimes clocking better results in his single than the doubles.

(No wonder.  Check out the arms on that kid!)

Final results for Giorgio’s event are below.  To see all of the results from the regatta, click here.

Great job, Giorgio!  We’ll be looking for more great things from you for years to come!

Name	Raw	Adjustments	Final
Final
1. Giorgio Young [18] (Sidwell Friends #3)	00:05:53.3		00:05:53.3
2. Zach Danker Feldman [17] (JEB Stuart #1)	00:05:57.48		00:05:57.48
3. Brandon Patzer [18] (Cox High School #5)	00:06:07.96		00:06:07.96
4. Christopher smith [13] (Gloucester #6)	00:06:16.23		00:06:16.23
5. Cole Bowser [18] (Western Albemarle #2)	00:06:29.43		00:06:29.43