I’m a bit behind here on my postings, but I wanted to take a moment to recognize a member of the next generation of sailors here in Northern Nevada … Max Coonrad. Max is the 16-year-old son of the executive chef for The Cheese Board American Bistro and Catering Company in Reno, which long-time readers will know as my wife’s Reno catering company. At any rate, I found out through the grapevine that Max went to stay with his grandmother in Woodside, California earlier this summer, and while he was down there, he took the 101, 103 and 104 ASA sailing courses and passed with flying colors. I love to see it when young people grab onto something and find a passion for it, so it was a great pleasure to have Max out on Splendido for a full afternoon of sailing and plying Tahoe’s blue waters.

When we first set out, we made a “milk run” up to Tahoe City Marina for a pump-out, which isn’t the most fun thing to do for a young sailor, but Debbie likes a clean-smelling boat, and I like to keep Debbie happy. The crew at TCM are so gracious and helpful — we were done in a jiffy, and after raiding the kitty for a handful of dollars to tip out the guys, we slowly motored out of the marina and headed south to — you guessed it — Sugar Pine State Park. Winds were light but steady, so I let Max do all the driving he wanted.

And, I gotta say, it was nice to relax and take in the view, which takes on a different flavor when you’re not having to pay particular attention to gusts or other boating traffic. A guy can even put his feet up and relax a bit.

After about four hours on the water, I could tell Max was a little tuckered from a game of paintball he’d participated in earlier in the day, so I took the helm and we headed northwest to our mooring near Eagle Rock.

I was really impressed with Max’s boat handling ability, familiarity with all the equipment on board, and sense of wind and weather. He’s a really bright kid with an equally bright future, and I know that having sailing as a part of his journey will only make it a richer and more enjoyable experience.

Fair winds and smooth sailing, Max!