Month: August 2014

Best Tahoe Swim ‘n’ Sail Day Ever?

On By David BranbyIn On The Water, Ports Of CallLeave a comment

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Last Sunday, Debbie and I met Krista and Rachel up at the boat to enjoy a little R&R. Winds were predicted to be light, so we motored down to our new favorite gunkhole, dropped anchor, and spent several hours swimming around, lazing about, and eating.

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The water temperature was about 67 degrees F., so not too warm, but not bad, either. As I like to say, “It’s a bit bracing at first, but you get used to it.” Splendido was anchored in about nine feet of water about 60 yards from shore, so we all took turns diving in and swimming to shore. The water near shore felt considerably warmer than the water out by the boat, so we spent a fair amount of time in the shallows doing handstands and cruising around looking for warm spots.

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I swam back to warm up while the girls had fun talking and splashing around near shore.

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The winds started to pipe up a bit around 4:40 p.m., so we had a yummy and relaxing picnic aboard before buttoning up everything and sailing back north.

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Once we were out of the swirlie zone by Sugar Pine point, the wind freshened and we sailed at a solid six knots back north, as Debbie steered and Krista and Rachel and I moved around on the high side to keep Splendido on the best heel to maximize our speed. We encountered a few good gusts coming out of the canyons as the sun lowered in the sky, but nothing too worrying. I enjoyed sharing some lore about wind and water with Rachel and Krista on the way back. Later, as we put the boat on the hook, we all agreed it was one of our best days ever of sailing and savoring the pleasures of Lake Tahoe.

Fair winds and smooth sailing. DB

East Shore Cruise to Secret Harbor

On By David BranbyIn Food & Drink, On The Water, Ports Of Call1 Comment

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Last Saturday morning, Debbie and I set our sights on a 12-mile motor across the lake to check out the east shore. As we clambered down to the dinghy, we heard shouts from out in the buoy field … it was Debbie’s brother Tracy, his wife Carol, and our niece Kelsie, who were just starting out on a day of rum running from north shore to south shore and back again in their ski boat. Debbie and I rowed out and we rafted up Splendido with Tracy’s ski boat, and the crew enjoyed Mimosas and caught up on the latest family news while I got Splendido ready for the crossing.
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Kelsie was expecting a phone call from her boyfriend, who had been camping in Desolation Wilderness, so until the call came for them to go south and pick him up for the rum run, I climbed over the rail to check out Tracy’s ski boat, and Carol and Kelsie climbed aboard Splendido to hang out with Debbie.
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The phone call from the boyfriend came in, and in a few moments, the ski boat was headed south, and Debbie and I finished our prep and unhooked for our voyage. The lake was like a millpond for the motor across, and the trusty Perkins pushed Splendido along at 4.6 knots while we relaxed and chatted about the week. Two and half hours later, Secret Harbor hove into view, and we began looking for a suitable spot to drop the hook and go for a swim. The beaches were pretty crowded, and fields of black underwater boulders made navigating a bit of a challenge, so we stayed offshore about 200 yards, dropped two anchors into the sugar-white sand about 20 feet below, and went for a swim.
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Afterwards, as we were eating some really tasty Caprese sandwiches with heirloom tomatoes, mozzarella buffala, avocado and a yummy aioli on crusty ciabatta bread, we were suprised to see a 9-ft. RIB coming our way with a couple aboard. “Ahoy,” they hailed, and pulled alongside to introduce themselves. The friendly folks were Cap’n John and his mate Gina from the 1980 Catalina 30, Celestia, sailing out of North Tahoe Marina. Evidently, Cap’n John offers sailing charters aboard Celestia, and Gina is a wedding photographer. Debbie and Gina talked shop, caterer to wedding photographer, and John and I talked about the recent monsoon weather and the idiosyncrasies of Tahoe sailing. After a quick tour of Splendido, I offered our guests some wine, but they needed to get back, so we bid them a great day on the water, and cast off ourselves for the sail back to the west shore.

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Winds were quite light, so we motor-sailed south for a few miles, then tacked and headed for Carnelian Bay. About 4:40 p.m., some sweet WSW winds kicked in, so we kept the motor on but were soon hitting 6 knots. We made our way just to the lee of Dollar Point, and then tacked southwest again, aiming for Eagle Rock, which is my icon for getting home.

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As we drew closer, the wind backed off a bit, so we just enjoyed the view of Sugar Pine Point and the mountains beyond.
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The sun dropped behind the mountains and we dropped sails and motored the rest of the way to our mooring ball. Debbie needed to get back home, but I decided to sleep aboard, as my friend Michael was coming up Sunday morning for a run down to Emerald Bay. Debbie grabbed her stuff, and I rowed her into shore.
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After seeing her off, I rowed back out, had a hot shower on the transom, ate a sandwich, and went to bed. Surprisingly,Splendido was quiet all night, not rubbing up against the mooring ball or bumping against the dinghy, so I slept well. In the morning, I motored down to Obexer’s and had one of their delicious Harbormaster breakfast burritos, with sausage and curry, a huge beaker of black coffee, and also bought some water and ice to stock the boat for another fun day on the water.

Fair winds and smooth sailing! DB

Perfect Sailing & A Swim In Our Own Quiet Cove

On By David BranbyIn On The Water2 Comments

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August is here (how did that happen?) and Debbie and I got up early and headed for the lake to play. The water is warm now — 68 to 70 degrees is what I’ve been seeing — and I was jonesing to go for a swim. We brought a picnic of hearty sandwiches, fruit, water, wine and N/A beer, and I reminded myself to stay hydrated, as Tahoe is so high and dry, it just wicks the moisture out of you. For me, that means fatigue and crankiness — something I’ve been working to improve because I’d really like to keep Debbie happily sailing with me.

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Originally, we discussed motoring down to Camp Richardson on the very south shore of Lake Tahoe, but the miles and the time required were just too great to make a one-day trip out of it. There has also been a fair amount of conversation among our fellow yachties in the newly-formed Big Blue Tahoe Yacht Club that the entrance to Emerald Bay is too shallow to navigate with a five-foot draft, which is what we have on Splendido. Instead, we opted to head for a beautiful little spot at the south end of Sugar Pine State Park.

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My friend Fred had told me about this particular spot, south of Ehrmann Mansion and not quite as far as Meeks Bay. The bottom is white sand. The water is Caribbean blue. And the anchoring is great, because there are very few rocks, and you can easily see the ones to avoid. We dropped the hook and immediately dove in for a swim. Afterwards, Debbie made lunch and we set up the beach umbrella, because keeping out of the direct sun has been a goal this year, particularly since I had a small bout with skin cancer earlier this year. (Thank goodness I’ve gotten checked every year since my twenties.) Our little hideaway was “hidden” in plain sight; at one point I counted 24 speedboats plying the waters about 1/2 mile away, but they didn’t really bother us, and, because of the rocks to the south of us, boats of all kinds gave us a wide berth as they zoomed south to D.L Bliss State Park and beyond.

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About four in the afternoon, the winds started kicking up, so we cleaned up and got everything ship shape and motored north until we were out of the crazy vortex of winds that wrap around Sugar Pine. Once the sails were set, we decided to head to Tahoe City for a pump-out. The breezes were wonderful, and Debbie and I worked as a skilled team, averaging a hair under six knots the whole way up to Tahoe City. When we arrived, the gas dock was empty, so we glided in, pumped out, and were on our way in less than 10 minutes. The sail south to our mooring ball was equally fun, and Splendido just danced across the water. I was working on good communication, and Debbie was doing a terrific job working the mainsheet by “feel,” letting a little out when the gusts hit, and tightening up a nice draft on the main when the wind was consistent. Even hooking the mooring ball was easy; we turned off the sound system, reviewed our hand signals, and when I spoke, I made sure not to speak away from her, which I had been doing before, much to my chagrin. Afterwards, we stopped by a little place called El Sancho for street tacos and cold drinks, and then split an ice-cream cone from Mourelato’s Cable Car Ice Cream. The famous pinkish Tahoe glow settled over the High Sierra, and another day of summer fun was complete. I hope to have the chance for many more outings like this, starting this coming Wednesday when I get to take out my nieces, Kallyn and Rachel, and their mom (Debbie’s sister) Krista, for an afternoon sail aboard Splendido!

Fair winds and smooth sailing! DB