December 21, 2020
Ever think of the breakwater around the moorage basin as equivalent to medieval castle walls, protecting the inhabitants within from the deadly forces outside the wall? Me neither.
But the analogy is not that far off. Us “fair-weather” boaters don’t see it much, but the lake can become a very destructive force when whipped by high winds. We have seen it over the years, including 2016 when the west end of the breakwater was badly damaged.
To appreciate the amount of infrastructure in our breakwater, the replacement cost is in the millions of dollars, far more than all the floating docks combined. That is why it is so important to properly maintain it (not to mention the insurance company insists on it).
2020 Breakwater Maintenance
During November/December maintenance/repair work was carried on G & H parts of the breakwater.
On G dock, 3 rotten external stringers were replaced. The rotted stringers, which are quite massive timbers, were significantly decayed – meaning they no longer performed the protective structural role required.
To gain a better appreciation of the work undertaken, and the significance of the breakwater structure scroll through some select photos of repairs undertaken on G dock. Hover your mouse over the photo to see the description of the photo.
On H Dock, the main focus was to replace the decking which has been in place for over 10 years. Once the decking was removed numerous rotten timbers and missing bolts were discovered. This section of the breakwater had not had any work done for over a decade so perhaps this was to be expected.
The H Dock breakwater is constructed differently than G, there is no double piles on the outer wall, just a single row along the outer wall and a single row on the basin side. This makes H dock much less rigid than G Dock, which can be observed on a windy day as movement on H becomes quite noticeable.
Scroll through the photos below to gain an insight into the work undertaken to maintain this section of the breakwater in Nov/Dec 2020.
