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.

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.

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

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.

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