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.

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.

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.

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