Back around 2007, I was starting to shift from a single-minded obsession with short-board windsurfing at Washoe Lake, Rio Vista and Maui to something that I could share with my lovely bride, Debbie, and so my thoughts turned toward monohull sailing. As luck would have it, around that time I received an invite from Fred McElroy, a longtime Renoite and Tahoe sailor, to go for a cruise aboard his storied Catalina 270, Grand Cru. I stocked up on a few bottles of Rombauer Chardonnay, which I’d heard was one of Fred’s favorites, and before long, I found myself as “cru” sailing from Tahoe City Marina to points south while engaged in great conversations with this affable skipper, a natural raconteur whose many years of plying Tahoe’s waters provided a solid education for a novice like myself. At some point in our adventures (and likely fueled by a glass or two of yummy Rombauer), I blurted out, “Hey, Fred, if you ever think of selling this boat, I want first right of refusal!” Serendipitously, in the fall of 2010, I got the call I’d been hoping for. Before long, the original Grand Cru became Splendido, but only after the complete name-retiring-and-changing ceremony where a goodly quantity of Veuve Cliquot washed the decks and offerings were made to Neptune to bless the boat and its future crew. So, with deep and enduring gratitude to that skipper who gave me my shot at sailing a good old boat on Lake Tahoe, it is my pleasure to share the following interview with you.

Q&A with Fred McElroy, Skipper, Grand Cru

Q: How did you come to own your lovely Beneteau First 285, Grand Cru? What year was she built? What is her Lake Tahoe history?

A: Our boat, Grand Cru, is a Beneteau First 285 that was built in 1988. The original owners were Harvey Fennel and Mark Combs, the owners of Reno’s Dickson Realty, who had purchased her in the Bay Area and brought her up to Lake Tahoe. The boat was first named Bucephalus, after Alexander the Great’s famous horse. Mark sold his ownership in the boat and his interest in Dickson Realty and he and his wife Fianna took the next few years and sailed around the world. When the boat was later purchased by John Turner and Heidi Olson, they changed her name to No Rules. 

Q: How did you start sailing? How long ago?

A: Being born and growing up in Carmel on the California coast, literally the “son of a son of a sailor,” it was inevitable that I would spend a lot of my time on the water. My namesake, Lt. Cmdr. Frederick Kenneth McElroy (an admiral-to be, though that’s a story for another time) graduated from the United States Naval Academy in 1922. He was a highly decorated officer in the U.S. Navy until his death in 1942 in the South Pacific.

I did a lot of windsurfing in my early days and eventually started taking U.S. Sailing Association sailing classes in the Bay Area in 1991 with my boat partner at the time, Rich Cook. We had the same interests in windsurfing, offshore blue water sailing and cruising. We eventually bought a 1978 Catalina 27, Chablis, from Dr. Steve Schiff, who had her moored in Lake Tahoe. Dr. Schiff then bought a beautiful Catalina 309 and named her Premier Cru. Rich and I sold Chablis and in 1997, I bought a 1993 Catalina 270 called Ego Inflation from Peter Krueger (owner of Double Trouble, a J 124 and five-time Rolex® Big Boat Series Champion out of San Francisco) and then we (properly) changed the C270’s name to Grand Cru. From that point on, Steve Schiff and I were known as the “Cru Brothers.”

I eventually sold Grand Cru in 2010 to wonderful couple that has given her the love and attention she deserves. These days, the Catalina 270 Splendido can be seen skimming the beautiful clear blue waters of Lake Tahoe in all her glory along the West Shore and points beyond.

Q: What kind of improvements or upgrades to your boat or trailer have you made since you’ve owned her?

A: We purchased a trailer shortly after acquiring the Beneteau. It was the best move ever. It allows us to bring her down to the valley during the winter months to perform routine maintenance and other projects during the off season. We replaced the mast, spreaders and rigging in 2020 after the mast snapped on the buoy in a severe storm. We purchased new North Sail NPL Touring sails (main and foresail) in 2021, installed new LED lights and new cushions throughout. We rebuilt the binnacle in 2023, and installed new hatch covers in early 2024. There’s no two ways about it: sailboats are a labor of love. I enjoy “messing about in boats,” as Kenneth Grahame put it in The Wind in the Willows. I also expect things to work properly and I like to avoid mishaps.

Q: I gather you have had some spectacular mast and hull challenges over the years. Can you tell us about them?

A: The mast snapped during a summer storm in 2020, which was unfortunate, but we pulled it all together and found a great new mast to replace it with. In the spring of 2023, I decided to tackle a good-sized project, which was re-fiberglassing the area around the keel to take are of a minor “smile” that had developed over the years. I spent days on the trailer, glassing and sanding and glassing and sanding to get it just right. One of the best things about Lake Tahoe is that it’s not a humid environment, the lake is 99.99% pure fresh water from melted snow, so it’s very clean, which helps preserve the integrity of the equipment on the boat. We are also fortunate to be able to bring the boat down to the valley during the harsh winter months at Tahoe to be sure she is properly looked after.

Q: What do you love most about Grand Cru and sailing Lake Tahoe?

A: Probably my Cru. I have had some of the most wonderful folks on the boat that appreciate the beauty of Lake Tahoe, the joy of sailing and a good glass of Rombauer Chardonnay. Sailing Lake Tahoe is beautiful and generally peaceful, although it can be challenging at times. Nothing is better than sailing along in 15 knots of wind looking at snow-capped mountains, crystal-clear water and an occasional sailboat while enjoying a nice glass of wine. Early morning coffees on the hook off Sugar Pine State Park, spectacular sunsets and BBQ on the boat at anchor, anchoring offshore to listen to the Commons Beach Concerts at Tahoe City in the summer and sailing back home in the dark or by the light of the moon.

Q: What would you change about your boat now? What upgrades do you have planned?

A: Probably an autopilot. Although Lake Tahe is not too big it would be a nice luxury to have aboard. Our friend Ancil has one on his 36-ft. Le Crapaud, and I must admit, it is nice.

Q: What is your most fun or interesting time on Lake Tahoe?

A: We belong to a group called Full Moon Maniacs that does events on full moons. We have had a few kayak trips during full moons on Lake Tahoe where Grand Cru is the support boat/wine barge! We have had 20-30 kayaks rafted up or gathered for a BBQ on a beach. I think nowadays we tend to enjoy more intimate evenings and overnight stays at Sugar Pine Point with friends.

Q: What was your worst experience sailing on Lake Tahoe?

A: Two years ago, on an evening sail with a fairly experienced crew, a summer thunderstorm popped up over South Lake Tahoe. Typically, those storms stay south and dissipate as they move north over cool water, but this one did not not. We normally take a southern route to Sugar Pine Point for dinner and a swim, but this time, I decided to head north because it “didn’t look right.” We were sailing north in a nice breeze. One of my guests looked at me a little funny as I sat at the helm. “What’s up?” I asked. She said a bolt of lightning had just flashed across the sky behind us. No bueno. I headed to Sunnyside and dropped the sails. I said we needed to get to calm waters and closer to shore, so we started motoring towards Tahoe City, which was not far away. There was only one other boat on the lake: another experienced crew aboard Tahoe Cruz, a 50-ft Santa Cruz charter boat. Their sails were down, and they were headed back to Tahoe City Marina, too. As we were about round the point toward Tahoe City, a gust of wind hit us broadside under bare poles (no sails) and put the port rail in the water. I had never experienced a boat rounding up under bare poles before. We made it to Tahoe City Marina, tied up at the dock and had dinner, a glass of wine and watched the most beautiful sunset I have ever seen on Lake Tahoe. When the storm passed, we set sail and sailed back to Obexer’s Marina in the dark. Beautiful evening. 

Q: What would you tell people about sailing Lake Tahoe they might be surprised to know?

A: If you can sail at Lake Tahoe and on the San Francisco Bay, you can sail anywhere in the world.

• Tahoe Yacht Club is older than the St. Francis Yacht Club. Members of Tahoe Yacht Club (est. 1925) founded the St. Francis Yacht Club in 1927.

• Many members at Tahoe Yacht Club are world-class sailboat racers. I have had America’s Cup racers on my boat. Boats like the Antrim 27, J 124, Farr 40s, Melges 24 and J 24 have all competed at high levels on Lake Tahoe. It’s also been home to the Catalina 27 Championship races Gold Cup, the U.S. Laser National Championships and the U.S. Singlehanded Championships.

• World-famous SV Delos (the #2 sailing channel on YouTube, with 700,000 subscribers worldwide) crew Brady Trautman and his partner Alex Blue have established a wonderful sailing school called Cruisers Academy in Tahoe City. 

• A group of mostly West Shore sailors have formed a very informal club called Big Blue Tahoe Yacht Club (BBTYC). The mission of the Big Blue Tahoe Yacht Club is to celebrate the joy of sailing at Lake Tahoe and the community of sailors who integrate sailing into their busy lives, whether through boat ownership, partnership or sailing companionship, volunteering, and supporting those who sail with technical skills, a helping hand, a loaf of bread, a bottle of wine/soda and an unwavering spirit of adventure.

Look for the BBTYC (Big Blue Tahoe Yacht Club) on Facebook! Sea ya!
— Fred McElroy, Skipper, Grand Cru

Thank you, Fred, for sharing your stories, and we’ll see you and Alice out on the water. Until those balmy breezes blow again, fair winds and smooth sailing! DB