Just a note of gratitude this Sunday morning as I am putting together my commissioning checklist after securing a buoy on majestic Lake Tahoe. (Whew!) The sailing community at Tahoe is small, but their reach is wide, and I am grateful to the folks who pinged me to let me know about different mooring opportunities around Lake Tahoe. Special thanks goes out to Mike Levin of Sailing On Sunshine for the tips and support. Thank you, Mike!
This year will mark our 10th season of sailing at Tahoe, and we’ve cherished every moment, even the tough ones. Can’t wait to get out on the water—and praying that we’ll have fair winds and smooth sailing, hopefully free from wildfire smoke.
Lake Tahoe remains one of the priciest places to moor a boat on a buoy in the U.S., with prices in the $1,500 range at the south shore to upwards of $8,000 for the five-month season as you clock around to the north shore. (The cost for slips in marinas is just staggering for working stiffs like me, so I won’t even go there.) For many years, we have been fortunate to have found a great mooring situation with a private resident on the west shore, but now our wonderful “buoy lord” is selling the family homestead, so we’re on the hunt once again to be able to sail in 2022.
I’m optimistic that something will pop up. I have an ad up on Craigslist seeking a buoy, and I’m tapping my sailing network to see if anyone knows anyone offering a buoy for rent at Tahoe this summer. The influx of remote workers from the Bay Area and inflation in general have driven up prices, and I don’t blame homeowners for asking what the market will bear. My fear, of course, is that we’ll be priced out and have to find somewhere new to sail … not a prospect I relish, let me tell you.
This spring, we’re having the standing rigging replaced down at Obexer’s, and Splendido is buttoned up tight under her shrink-wrap coat, waiting for spring to truly arrive. It snowed yesterday, with winds in the 45-60 range, so we’re not quite there, weather-wise. I’m starting to get excited about sailing once again, though it’s tempered by a bit of anxiety with this new wrinkle. But I believe everything will work out … fingers crossed. If you hear of anything, let me know.
Sailing Lake Tahoe on a good old boat 