January 2010 -- Activity at Hernando Point (Arkabutla lake) should improve sailing in 2010.

Things are happening at Hernando Point that will make sailing at the ‘Butt better this coming season.

The Corps of Engineers has had a small dredge hard at work for the last several weeks clearing out the accumulated silt at the base of the launching ramp. A long pipe carries the slurry sucked off the bottom up across the DSA lot and dumps it into the ravine on the west side of the club’s lot. That deep erosion-caused ravine itself is scheduled to get the Corp’s attention later this year. Sometime this summer remediation efforts will begin in an effort to prevent further widening of the ditch on the west side of our lease property. Much of the ravine’s north end will be filled in and the rest will receive considerable riprap and bank reshaping. All of the work will be on our side since the other side is private property. If your boat is parked on the west side of the DSA lot it will have to be moved to another spot on the lot by May 31 before the Corps begins this project.

Rumors still circulate that the Corps is also getting closer to beginning a long-planned project to improve the parking areas and widen the ramp at Hernando Point.

Delta Sailing Association will rebuild two dock sections this spring. (Volunteers will be welcome – stay tuned for more on this project.) After rebuilding one section in 2009 and reinforcing large parts of two others, we should be real familiar with our docks. A guess of a lifespan of 20 years for a dock section may nor be far off, so thankfully we don’t have to do this often. In other improvements at DSA, all the bottomless 50 gallon drums used for trash are gone and we have covered regulation trash cans all around. Another new picnic table replaces one of the old green tables that was rotting away from the ground up. DSA has “gone green” with both aluminum and plastic bottle recycling receptacles under the pavilion. (Any DSA member can haul off either the plastic or aluminum for spare change any time they want!)

Next up- the DSA annual diner, February 25 at Amerigos at Park Place Mall on Ridgeway. Cash bar starts at 6 PM and dinner orders at 7. Door prizes!