All posts by Dave Dammann

SSYC Annual Picnic – Saturday, August 12, 2023 – posted on

Save the date! The annual SSYC Picnic is rapidly approaching!

Saturday, August 12, 2023

Meet and greet your boating neighbors at 5:30 pm

SSYC will provide: Hot Dogs, Brats, and Chips

*** please bring your favorite dish to pass ***

Dinner will be served at 6:00 pm

Drawing to be held around 6:30 pm

Euchre tournament to begin around 7:30 pm Feel free to bring your favorite lawn game!

Channel Update – 7/12/2023

SSYC has located two areas in the channel that have submerged logs/debris near the center of the channel. Both areas are marked with jugs. It has been reported by fellow boaters that they have had good luck when going around the two marked areas that they stay to the north side of the jugs and split the distance between the jugs and the red channel buoys. Once past the markers they move back into the center of the channel going both directions. SSYC will continue to work on removal of the debris in the coming weeks.

Dredging Update – Log Removal

Our channel is free of logs for now!  This was more trouble than any of us can remember regarding log removal.  The process was performed in 2 stages.

First stage: Dennis Albee, Tom Duch, Dennis Reinke and Bill Roberts went out to locate & remove whatever could be found.  They located and removed a single 25’ log. They also located a second submerged log. However, due to the size of the log they didn’t have the proper equipment to complete the job and the weather was turning on them.  So, we contacted Prime contracting to see if they could remove the log for us. He said he would give it a try for $5,000. If we had done it that way we would have split the cost with Bay City Yacht Club.  $2500.00 divided by 186 = $13.44 a share… Seemed fairly reasonable.  In the meantime, Joe Shotwell (BCYC) called. He wanted to try to get the log out.  The Commodore said “well, okay if you think you can do it then let’s get it out!”

Second stage: Dennis Albee, Dave Dammann, Dennis Reinke, Randy Bauer (SSYC neighbor)  and Joe Shotwell (Bay City Yacht Club) went out to give it a try.  Joe Shotwell used a ladder to get down on top the log.  He was able to get a wire line around the log and Randy Bauer then pulled the log out with his tractor.  After that they searched around and found yet another log. They removed that one as well.  

For now our channel is clear, but we must continue to be careful because the potential for more logs to drift into our channel from the river is ever present.

In the meantime, if you cross paths with any of the club members mentioned who volunteered their precious time to clear our channel… a hearty handshake and a gigantic Thank You is certainly in order

Dredging Update June 10

Dredging update… we had a crew of SSYC, BCYC, and the dredging Foreman take manual readings of the channel depth this morning. Unfortunately, there is still more material that needs to come out. So, we will see the dredge moving back over to our channel to perform some touch up work based off the readings taken this morning.

Below are the depth readings taken this morning. Keep in mind… these depths will fluctuate based upon wind speed and direction…

We’re almost there! 

Dredging Update

A quick update on the dredging status… The dredgers have moved the dredge over to Bay City Yacht club’s south channel. We believe they are done with our channel. We, along with BCYC personnel, are going to go out at 8:00am tomorrow morning and take manual readings throughout the channel to make sure we are satisfied with the dredging results.

We will add a post tomorrow after the manual readings.

Boat Safety Inspections available on June 17 – posted

The 2023 America’s Boating Club of Saginaw Bay (formerly called Saginaw Bay Sail and Power Squadron) will be at SSYC for boat safety inspections this summer  on Saturday, June 17, starting at 10:00 am.   Sign up sheets for a boat inspection will be posted at the bath houses. This is a good way to learn a little more about your boat and boating safely on the Saginaw Bay. It helps avoid (but not necessarily stops) those untimely  inspections by the Coast Guard too.  Hope you take advantage of this great opportunity.

Great News! Dredging will commence soon

Equipment is starting to arrive so channel dredging should start soon. Please be patient and careful when the equipment is in the channel. You may need wait a bit when entering or leaving the channel if dredging is in process.

Also, keep in mind the channel is currently very shallow. We have received INFORMAL reports that some area of the CHANNEL WATER DEPTHS RANGE FROM TWO TO FOUR FEET depending on wind velocity and direction and ever fluctuating water levels.  Boaters have experienced greatest success by keeping ten feet off the BCYC seawall. ALL SSYC MEMBERS AND RENTERS SHOULD EXERCISE DUE CARE NAVIGATING THE CHANNEL INTO SSYC.