Harbormaster Notes

You and the Marina Bottom

Throughout the course of the boating season and into the winter, Lake Michigan sand steals into the marina to deprive us of proper depths, here and there, for the following season. This last winter was no exception and this season's dredge plans are underway.

We check bottom depths as early in the season as practical and set our system of buoyage to give at least 8' of depth when properly passed. Unfortunately, there are places in the marina that will cause boats with a draft of 7' to "rub" the bottom. With that cautionary note in mind, please examine the following primer for safe passage when navigating the channel from the harbor entrance south to the private side of the marina.

Remember: RED RIGHT RETURNING. When entering the marina from the lake, stay to the north side of the entrance and proceed into the channel staying along it's west side. You will see the last entrance green buoy in that channel and it will appear to be misplaced due to it's westerly placement. It is set CORRECTLY reflecting how narrow the channel currently is. The deep drafts will experience the "rubbing" approximately 20 yards north of the mouth of the private basin.

Until dredging is completed, remember to be courteous to other boaters while passing in the channel, and observe the no wake rule for safety and comfort purposes.

We are currently working with State Engineering to complete the process of EPA required sand sampling in the pre-dredge process. Please check this section of the website for continuing dredging updates.

It's been a long winter (we weren't ice free until April 6th!) and everyone's looking forward to a great summer boating season, including us!

MARINA CRITTERS

What may have cinched your decision to become a North Point boater is the fact that we're gracefully laid out on 140 acres of barely molested forest, field and marsh. Our real estate is carefully monitored by the Lake County Forest Preserve (Spring Bluff) and the Illinois Department of Natural Resources (the marina and grounds). The Marina staff may not plant any plant material without having it approved by various state regulators. The intent, of course, is to preserve the natural flora and fauna. There's no problem regulating the flora, it's the fauna that can cause boater grief.

Discounting fish and not even considering the ubiquitous seagull, we serve as home to deer, muskrat, coyote, fox, mink, and raccoon families as well as countless bug and spider hordes. We also serve as sustenance providers to several of them. It's common to hear from boaters that some of these critters spend more time on the docks than they do! Raccoons have been seen ghosting around the docks at night, occupying vacant boats, and rifling through garbage bags in search of a meal. A boater on "H" dock spotted a coyote sniffing around his boat-mounted BBQ grill. After the larger animals are done scrounging, they are sometimes followed by a cleanup detail of smaller rodents and seagulls. Finally, the lower end of the food chain gets a chance and we find ants and flies on the docks happily occupying a greasy spot on the decking.

The common theme running through this is FOOD. The critters will go where we feed them either intentionally or otherwise. Take my word for it, there are no animals living on the docks when the marina is unoccupied! A semi-reliable food source and a nice dry place to sleep are all they seek. Remove the opportunity-remove the critters!

Please bag your garbage and use the dumpsters located in the turnaround dropoff areas near the heads of the docks. Never leave any garbage, bagged or otherwise, on the docks overnight nor any leftovers lying around when you retire for the evening. When you leave your boat after the weekend, make sure that you empty all waste containers that might contain edibles and dispose of the garbage ashore. We love all our harbor critters, we just don't want to socialize with them!