Moving Into Monroe

Dalliance · Apr 23, 2014

Congrats and welcome to Chicago's harbor system. You now have front row seats in Monroe Harbor for the Navy Pier fireworks every Wednesday and Saturday evening from Memorial Day though Labor Day!

My boat is in Burnham Harbor just to the south of Monroe. I have never kept it in Monroe, but from years of observation as a neighbor I would warn that the south end of Monroe Harbor is very exposed to north and northeast winds. Make sure your have good chafe protection on your mooring lines and check them for chafe regularly. A number of boats have been damaged or sunk at that end of Monroe Harbor because their owners did not do that.

I spent a season on a mooring in Burnham Harbor before getting a slip assignment there, and quite enjoyed it.

Joe · Apr 25, 2014

Well, I have a tip for you, since you said this is your first time in a marina.... when you leave the boat... set the halyards so they won't slap the mast and drive your neighbors crazy. I flop my jib and spinnaker halyards around the spreaders, I hook the main halyard to the aft end of the boom, like a topping lift.

GeorgiaBII · Apr 25, 2014

I must be the only person in the world that likes the sound of them slapping...

Stu Jackson · Apr 25, 2014

Slapping Halyards - Oh, NO, Not Again?!?

http://forums.catalina.sailboatowners.com/showthread.php?p=941410&highlight=slapping halyards

Ron20324 · Apr 25, 2014

GeorgiaBII said:
I must be the only person in the world that likes the sound of them slapping...

... and watching the line chafe and the mast losing it's finish and drawing the ire of anyone who can heare the clanging. A town house developemnt was built next to a marina in Rock Hall. The new neighbors complained of the halyards slapping. Of course the boat owners said it's part of the ambiance of marina life. The marina owners told the boat owners to silence the halyards, or they'd do it. A peaceful, easy, practical solution.

Forrest15112 · Apr 25, 2014

When I saw "Monroe", I first thought of Monroe, La. That's where those duck call guys with the beards are. I was going to suggest you toss your razor and acquire a taste for fried squirrel.

Scott T-Bird · Apr 26, 2014

If you live within the city limits, the fees are very reasonable, aren't they? Isn't there a surcharge if you come from the burbs? You will have so much fun at that location, I'm envious. I used to play softball for many summers just across LSD in Grant Park. There is nothing like the buzz you get from the city all summer long. Marinas in Chicago are the best! Montrose was also a favorite of mine.

We used to catch Coho just outside the breakwater and bring them home to grill in the backyard. From the lake to the grill in a matter of hours ... Mmmm! Ah, nostalgia.

Scott T-Bird · Apr 26, 2014

I know what you're talking about! I anticipate that you will have quite a great summer. I was embroiled in an argument over that very topic (trailer-sailing opportunities near Chicago) a while back. Most people just can't imagine how slim the options are for launching a sailboat from a trailer are in the Chicago area. There's only 3 ramps (I think) for the entire stretch of shoreline from Indiana to Wisconsin that you can launch a sailboat from. And there are essentially no inland lake options nearby either.

You are going to be SAILING this summer! Good luck and HAVE FUN!

StinkBug · Apr 26, 2014

Please explain to me what prevents you from launching a trailerable sail boat at any normal boat ramp. I've never taken my boat to a ramp I couldn't use, so I'm kinda confused why it would be an issue at any ramp.

Scott T-Bird · Apr 26, 2014

Well, just do a google earth and scour the shoreline. You won't find more than 3, I think. There are a couple in the Chicago powerboat marinas, like at Diversey, where the ramp is on the wrong side of a fixed bridge. I suppose you could use the ramp if you could figure out a way to step the mast while bouncing in the water. Does that sound like a convenient way to sail? I think we figured there is a ramp at Burnham Harbor, one at Jackson(?), and all the way north on the Wisconsin border there's a ramp at Winthrop Harbor. Illinois just doesn't have access on the lake. Check it out if you don't believe me.

Dalliance · Apr 26, 2014

Along Chicago's 28 miles of Lake Michigan shoreline, I believe only three of our ten city harbors have boat launch ramps; Burnham, Diversey (Limited to smaller power boats by low clearance under Lake Shore Drive.) and the new 31st Street Harbor. To find a launch ramp on the lake outside the city, I think you would have to go up north to Waukegan or Winthrop Harbor, or down south to Hammond, Indiana.

There may be a few launch ramps inland somewhere down on the Calument River, but….yuck. I don't know of any on the south branch of the Chicago River, but if there are, they would be useless for sailboats as there would be more than 25 draw bridges between them and the lake. Nothing on the north branch unless you're into rowing.

Seriously, driving a boat trailer through Chicago city traffic is just NOT something most people would want to do on a regular basis. DHaranSailor has the right idea.

http://www.chicagoharbors.info

StinkBug · Apr 27, 2014

Ahh ok. The way the original post was worded it sounded like there were only 3 ramps that a sail boat could be launched at for some reason, not that there were ONLY 3 ramps total. Bit of a difference there.

As for the low bridge thing, my boat has a hinged step and a raising system. If I were to launch on the wrong side of a bridge the only difference in my normal routine would be waiting to crank the mast up until I was past the bridge. It only takes about a minute to tilt it up once everything is hooked up, so that would be a bit less of an issue for me. Other boats are a lot more of a pain though I'm sure.

Also, I haven't been on the water near Chicago since I was a child, but I seem to remember launching our friends fishing boat from a ramp in Evanston, but I may have been young enough to have that wrong. I know we lived in Evanston, and it wasn't a long drive though.

Dalliance · Apr 28, 2014

StinkBug, you got me wondering, so I took a look at GoogleEarth and there is what looks like a launch ramp on the beach in Evanston at the end of Davis Street, but I don't see clear vehicular access to it. You could also have been at Wilmette Harbor just north of Evanston, near the Bahai Temple. Maybe there was a public ramp there once, but I think the only one there now belongs to the US Coast Guard.

StinkBug · Apr 29, 2014

This would have been over 20 years ago, so things certainly could have changed. I clearly remember a pretty decent size ramp with a dock and breakwater around it, as well as parking though.

Dalliance · Apr 30, 2014

That describes the ramp in Evanston. Took a closer look, this time on Google Maps (winter shot, bare trees) rather than Google Earth (summer view, trees leafed out). It's labeled the Church Street Power Boat Ramp. There is still access to it and yellow stripes on the pavement, so apparently it's still in use. The turning radius looks pretty tight to get into launch position, so it must be limited to very small boats. Funny, I've lived here 30 years and never knew that was there or heard of anyone using it.