I got a call from an old friend last week — his granddaugher from North Carolina was coming out to visit and would I mind taking them out for a sail? “I’d love to!” I said.  So, on Saturday, June 29th, around 1 p.m., my friend Michael, his granddaughter Lauren, and her friend Dominique joined me on Splendido for a fun afternoon of sailing with gentle breezes, warm air temps, and a bit of swimming in Tahoe’s 60-degree waters, too. (A wee bit of swimming…that water is cold!)

 

 

We set off southward, heading toward Meeks Bay, where I figured we’d throw down the anchors for a bit and let the girls take a dip in the shallower water near shore, with its white-sand bottom and interesting boulders here and there. On the way down south, the wind gusts were in the 20-knot range, but nothing we couldn’t handle with a little judicious use of the mainsheet. Since it was the first time on a sailboat for both young ladies, I wanted to keep it smooth and not get too heeled over.

Once we had the bow and stern anchors down, we broke out the sandwiches and chips that the girls had made for us the night before. As Michael and I ate, Lauren and Dominique dared each other to be the first in the water. I felt pretty comfortable that they’d be OK, since I discovered that both were competitive high school swimmers, and Dominique spent last summer lifeguarding at her hometown pool. Eventually, they both jumped in — and quickly surfaced, with very surprised expressions and a few choice epithets that can’t be printed here.

While Michael and I were relaxing on deck, I suddenly heard a very loud hissing sound, and jumped up to see where it was coming from. It took a second to realize that it was Michael’s PFD inflating…while we were sitting on the cabin top, he’d accidentally sat on and pulled the “rip cord” for the waist-worn unit. I was amazed at how quickly (and firmly!) the CO2 cartridge had filled the PFD. By this time, the girls were back on board, so I had them take this shot.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

After their swim, the girls bundled up in towels and warmed up in the brilliant Tahoe sunshine. Michael and I cleaned up the cockpit and put away the food and drink, and got ready to head back north.

 

 

Once we were underway, Lauren and Dominique went below decks to get out of the wind, as their damp suits were a bit chilly, in spite of the 78-degree air temperature. As Michael and I sailed along at a brisk 6.2 knots in freshening breezes, we noticed that the girls had stopped talking. I took a look below to see if everything was OK, and found the girls slumbering soundly as Splendido heeled gently, charging along under full main and the 150 genoa. All in all, it was a thrill to share beautiful Lake Tahoe with two new friends and one old one, and it was a day filled with laughter and memories I’ll cherish for a long, long time.

Fair winds and smooth sailing! DB