Drifting ice is reshaping access at Homer Harbor, with sheets flowing in from Mud Bay, at the base of the spit. And one worry is that wind and tides can turn a clear channel into an ice blockade in just a few hours.
Homer Harbor Master Matt Clarke said that congestion affects vessels differently. A steel crabber might push through easily, while fiberglass skiffs can get stuck when the outgoing tide packs the ice together.
“Conversely, on the ebb, as the amount of surface area of water that is present, like in the channel entrance, diminishes, some of that ice condenses, and it gets more difficult to force your way through,” Clarke said.
Seawater ice in the harbor is usually soft enough to support a boat, officials say. Clarke warned the real danger is internal, like a vessel’s plumbing that pulls seawater in for cooling. If those lines aren’t winterized, the water inside them can freeze and burst the pipe. That damage often goes unnoticed until the weather warms up, the ice plug melts, and the boat begins to flood.
Deputy Harbor Master Aaron Glidden said the safest way to avoid freeze damage is to pull boats out of the water for winter. But the launch ramp can become impassable at low tide, making that difficult.
“It becomes, sometimes unusable, depending on how much ice is made, and like, the ice will come in on the high tide, and then you'll get deposited on the ramp as the tide recedes,” Glidden said.
Glidden said crews use loaders to clear the ramp when possible.
Boaters can check the harbor entrance webcam on the city’s website but Clarke warns conditions change quickly and urges anyone moving a boat to call the harbor office first.
Meanwhile, temperatures are supposed to dip into the teens within the next week, meaning the ice issue might not go away anytime soon.
