The Visibility Network Underground

If you've ever been to Galveston, you know most of the time the beach water looks like a bowl of gumbo. But, every now and then, whether it be because of Super Moon, the damming of the Mississippi, or the presence of a pod of filter-feeding whales, the water clears up. When the water is clear, it is time for Spear Diving!

So how do we know when its clear? You can check the websites, but they aren't accurate, and in the case of G-town, you have multiple parts, Offat's Bayou, Harbour, and the beach. They are not all created equal and they are not always clear at the same times. So, we've assembled a group of guys who like to spear dive (spear fish?) and if we ever see the presence of clear visibility, we send out the call. We head to our phones and start a little old-fashioned phone tree. We are like the French Resistance but more smelly.

I got the call yesterday from my salty friend Seth of JPL Marine Labs. He told me a friend (I mean, secret member of the Visibility Network Underground) told him the viz was at 4 feet or more. That is quite a bit here on Galveston, so I got my stuff together.

I made a trip to the Flagship, took my surfboard and spear out, and went to town. I got two beautiful sheepshead and I stopped there. The viz, when I got there, was more like three feet and a little choppy, so although it wasn't great, if you really want fish, it was perfect. 

Spear diving or spear fishing? I'm sure you can say both and be correct. I like to say spear diving because to me its just as much about the diving as it is the fishing. Maybe I should say dive fishing? Now I'm confused. Well whatever I end up calling it, I would suggest it to anyone. All you need is a nice spear, a mask and fins, and a little bit of training on holding your breath.

Do you have any spear diving stories or suggestions? Post them in the comments below or email me at NeptuneNation@gmail.com.

If you've never been here before, Welcome to Neptune Nation, where Water is Life.

Brett

Surf's up? Maybe?

I spent my whole life seeing people surf. On vacations when I was little I would rent giant foamy boards and paddle around in the soupy parts and then brag about my monster waves. I was stationed along the coast for 5 years in the Marines and now have been living near one since 2002. But in that entire time, even though I dabbled in it, I never really learned how to actually surf. I mean I did, but not on the level where I could consistently predict and catch waves. Well, that all changed once I moved to Galveston. After many near death experiences I would say that on a mediocre level, I can now do a pretty decent job.

A few weeks ago, Galveston had a perfect day. I stayed out for hours and even went once in the morning, and once in the evening. It was exhilarating! A 4 foot wave felt like 40, and I haven't stopped thinking about it yet. But now I'm faced with a dilemma. Like a cracked-out bum looking for a rock, I too crave another good Galveston surf day. Will it ever come? 

A friend of mine said that best surf in Galveston is during the winter. Why? Well, in Galveston we have a pretty consistent south wind. This drives the water up on land but then when a front hits (a north wind) it slaps that wave in the face and makes it stand up. Pretty simple, eh? Well with the exiting of winter (or whatever we have down here) that means less north winds, Pretty depressing really. So that I am on my toes for next time, I wanted to learn the basics of how waves work.

Wind

The faster it blows (velocity) coupled with how long (duration) and along with how much area is affected (fetch) determines waves. If this is created by a local onshore wind (Galveston) it tends to be messy. If produced by a storm system offshore then it is better, bigger, cleaner. The only remedy for the Galveston situation, like I said earlier, is a north wind after a big south wind build up. The only problem is is that the north wind responsible for the pretty waves is also the thing that flattens it out :(.

Waves

They are formed when the wind blows over the water and makes chop. As smaller chop combines with other chop, it gets bigger and bigger, making patterns of waves. A wave has several parts. The crest (top) the trough (bottom) and the wavelength (distance from crest to crest) and the height (crest to trough). The waves are also measured by frequency and period.  Period is the time between crests, frequency is the amount of waves over a fixed point in a given time. Longer period waves tend to be stronger, shorter ones disperse a little easier. By using frequency and period based off an offshore buoy, you can determine (kinda) what is to be expected once it hits shore.

Speed

Wave speed is related to its period. The smaller a period, the smaller the wave, the slower it goes. Think about mass and momentum. The longer period waves are bigger and contain more mass and therefore can move at and maintain those faster speeds. 

Bathymetry, beach shape

Bathymetry is the study of the sea bed. When these swells move into areas that are shallow they lose energy quickly. If it were to go from deep ocean right onto the beach then massive waves are created (Hawaii). This is why Galveston is not like the North Shore. But Galveston does have a series of 3 sand bars. When a swell hits an obstacle (sandbar) it will create a bigger wave than a swell moving up a sloping beach. This is why Galveston really has some good days. Also, with all the jetties and groins along the seawall, it creates some "artificial" sandbars that make the waves break almost right at the jetty line. Without these, Galveston may be smooth a flat.

Other factors

Tide, swell direction, refraction, and local winds are other contributing factors. Local winds are a big factor here in G-town. Another one specific to here would be reflection. Anyone who has surfed near the groins can see waves reflected off of them. Sometimes they help, sometimes they just mess it all up. When the wind is coming straight in it is no problem, but if its off to the side it creates a little too much chop.

That was a cold January

In a nut shell, there it is. I wish there was surf everyday, no lie, but I think studying it and waiting for it makes it that much better. In my constant quest to reach true waterman enlightenment, I feel it is these things that help me better understand our relationship with the sea.

What is your relationship with the sea, and how do you interact? Post your responses in the comment section below. 

Drop me a sonar ping at NeptuneNation@gmail.com for a suggestion of what you would like to see on here in the future.

Water is Life

Brett

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Oars, row hard, row fast! How to make 'em!

A beautiful week here on Galveston Island and the 175th anniversary of Texas Independence and we are well into Texas History Month! If I get some time later I'll post up some Texas history.

So, I have been rowing the channel lately, but on borrowed oars. My friend Seth of JPL Marine Labs made them. They were stout and beautiful. He used an epoxy lamination process and came up with something nice. He was commissioned to build them for a fellow boatbuilder and now his boat is launched and he needs them. Long story short--I lost my loaner oars :(

But with every hatch closed another one down the p-way flies open (and needs securing) so I set about building my own.

In these plans they leave them square near the handle

That picture right above is the plans/template I'm using. I got it off A.B.B. or Amateur Boat Building website (click to follow). The plans are a pretty inventive and cheap way to make your own. Just grab a 1"x6"x7' (I enlarged mine to 8') plank of oar-worthy wood (southern pine, ash, etc.) draw and cut out the pattern. Then take the excess scrap and glue it back onto the main part. Make sure you don't skimp on the glue, plenty of clamps, and let it cure for at least a day (I have found that when using Titebond III if you let it weather a few days, it is indestructible).

Untapped beauty

You will end up with something like the picture above. A gnarly, ugly, hunk of wood that you would never in a sober mind imagine would turn out that resembles anything close to a caveman's club, let alone an oar. But alas, your patience shall be rewarded, grasshoppy!

You take this blank and put a centerline on all four sides. From there you make another mark between the outside edge and the centerline. There will be two marks, one on each of the centerline. Do this on both the top most and bottom most portion of the oar, connect the lines, and repeat this on all four sides.

This is my back porch workshop!

Now the fun. Grab your planer and shape it down to an octagon... eight-sided polygon... a stop sign... get it? Then repeat the same process with all the new faces, or do what I did and eyeball it and make the eight sider a sixteen sider. By that I mean plane all eight edges down to create a shape with sixteen. At this point you can sand it and plane it down until a perfect circular oar.

before and after of the handle

On the face of the oar, plane down the outside edges to about a quarter of an inch.

Before shaping and after initial
cut. Once you sand them, they
get purty real fast!

Now sand everything down (inclunding the handle) and you're done. Lot of work, but a very good product. I will put some finished pictures of mine once I finish shaping, sanding and varnishing them. If you are interested in purchasing any, shoot me an email at NeptuneNation@Gmail.com, and I'll quote you a very reasonable price. I'm not trying to make money here, I just love to do this stuff!

Questions, comments, concerns? Write me, Brett

Water is Life!

Brett

Elissa 1877 Barque, It's a Sailor's life for me!

Just wanted to shoot a quick post out there to reflect on that sweet girl ELISSA of Galveston, Texas and how she is still plowin' through those waves over a hundred years after her keel was laid.

Unfortunately this year while dry-docked they discovered some seriously corroded iron plates that need to be replaced in order for the Coast Guard to give her the "hominus dominus" to go out on daysails. The problem? The iron plates are the historic part of her (as opposed to the new steel ones.) Though this may seem like a "who cares? replace them" situation, to really respect the archaeological, preservation aspect, the iron part is the legacy.

Salty Sea Aggie Crew

But alas, I am confident she will be restored to a sailing condition because I doubt you can keep her off the seas, she has been in way worse spots before.

There are a couple of views from the Royal and the cross trees, it gets pretty high up there, just look:

Seth of JPL Marine Labs

Furling

On the Royal

    

There she is. She is beautiful, she is unique, she is one of a only a few left in the world. There is nothing that can explain the feeling of her rolling on the waves while you sit atop the yard looking at the ocean with the harbor sprawling beneath your feet. It's hard to imagine that just one hundred years ago our ports were filled with stretched canvas and rigging.

If you want to find out more about the Elissa check out more here.                  

Water is Life.

Brett

Check out the new JPL Marine Blog!

Greek Fest, Witches' Ball!

Last weekend was extremely eventful. My friend, Lt. Dan (I'm not joking, he is a 2nd Lt. and his first name is Dan, oh cruel world) visited me and Kelly on his drive from Florida to his new duty station. I really wanted to show him a good time and tell him a little bit about what Galveston is all about.

We started out Saturday with a visit to Greek Fest. That was a wash. Expensive to get in, expensive to eat, not much too see. I realize that all the money was for a good cause helping the church out but that doesn't mean the simple laws of supply and demand don't apply. If you want to make money, offer a product people will be extremely happy with at a good price and offer it to them many, many times. First of all admission fees discourage potential income. Also, if you are gonna sell food, offer it at multiple booths, not just one. If you are going to use a ticket system (which I agree is the best route to go) make it easier to buy the tickets and to exchange them at the booth. But I digress, I still had a decent time, just wished they would have accomplished what the Lutheran Church did with Oktoberfest.

Next, we did a little walking tour of The Strand. That place never gets old for me. Some of my highlights of the area were Jean Lafitte, The Second Battle of Galveston, and one of my favorite Texas heroes, Commodore Edwin Moore.

That night was the Witches' Ball, hosted by the The Witchery located on Post Office near the strand. It was an awesome time that I barely remember!

Guy from Eyes Wide Shut, Perseus, Medusa, Zombie

Had a little incident this weekend, so I apologize for being so slow on the posts. What happened? Let's just say I get to wear and eye patch for a little bit, aaarrrggghhh!!!

Tell a friend, Tell anyone!

Brett!