Category: On The Water

East Shore Cruise to Secret Harbor

On By David BranbyIn Food & Drink, On The Water, Ports Of Call1 Comment

big-t-and-carol

Last Saturday morning, Debbie and I set our sights on a 12-mile motor across the lake to check out the east shore. As we clambered down to the dinghy, we heard shouts from out in the buoy field … it was Debbie’s brother Tracy, his wife Carol, and our niece Kelsie, who were just starting out on a day of rum running from north shore to south shore and back again in their ski boat. Debbie and I rowed out and we rafted up Splendido with Tracy’s ski boat, and the crew enjoyed Mimosas and caught up on the latest family news while I got Splendido ready for the crossing.
debbie-kelsie
Kelsie was expecting a phone call from her boyfriend, who had been camping in Desolation Wilderness, so until the call came for them to go south and pick him up for the rum run, I climbed over the rail to check out Tracy’s ski boat, and Carol and Kelsie climbed aboard Splendido to hang out with Debbie.
kelsie

The phone call from the boyfriend came in, and in a few moments, the ski boat was headed south, and Debbie and I finished our prep and unhooked for our voyage. The lake was like a millpond for the motor across, and the trusty Perkins pushed Splendido along at 4.6 knots while we relaxed and chatted about the week. Two and half hours later, Secret Harbor hove into view, and we began looking for a suitable spot to drop the hook and go for a swim. The beaches were pretty crowded, and fields of black underwater boulders made navigating a bit of a challenge, so we stayed offshore about 200 yards, dropped two anchors into the sugar-white sand about 20 feet below, and went for a swim.
speedboat-beach

Afterwards, as we were eating some really tasty Caprese sandwiches with heirloom tomatoes, mozzarella buffala, avocado and a yummy aioli on crusty ciabatta bread, we were suprised to see a 9-ft. RIB coming our way with a couple aboard. “Ahoy,” they hailed, and pulled alongside to introduce themselves. The friendly folks were Cap’n John and his mate Gina from the 1980 Catalina 30, Celestia, sailing out of North Tahoe Marina. Evidently, Cap’n John offers sailing charters aboard Celestia, and Gina is a wedding photographer. Debbie and Gina talked shop, caterer to wedding photographer, and John and I talked about the recent monsoon weather and the idiosyncrasies of Tahoe sailing. After a quick tour of Splendido, I offered our guests some wine, but they needed to get back, so we bid them a great day on the water, and cast off ourselves for the sail back to the west shore.

clawing-off

Winds were quite light, so we motor-sailed south for a few miles, then tacked and headed for Carnelian Bay. About 4:40 p.m., some sweet WSW winds kicked in, so we kept the motor on but were soon hitting 6 knots. We made our way just to the lee of Dollar Point, and then tacked southwest again, aiming for Eagle Rock, which is my icon for getting home.

reaching-home

As we drew closer, the wind backed off a bit, so we just enjoyed the view of Sugar Pine Point and the mountains beyond.
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The sun dropped behind the mountains and we dropped sails and motored the rest of the way to our mooring ball. Debbie needed to get back home, but I decided to sleep aboard, as my friend Michael was coming up Sunday morning for a run down to Emerald Bay. Debbie grabbed her stuff, and I rowed her into shore.
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After seeing her off, I rowed back out, had a hot shower on the transom, ate a sandwich, and went to bed. Surprisingly,Splendido was quiet all night, not rubbing up against the mooring ball or bumping against the dinghy, so I slept well. In the morning, I motored down to Obexer’s and had one of their delicious Harbormaster breakfast burritos, with sausage and curry, a huge beaker of black coffee, and also bought some water and ice to stock the boat for another fun day on the water.

Fair winds and smooth sailing! DB

Perfect Sailing & A Swim In Our Own Quiet Cove

On By David BranbyIn On The Water2 Comments

Debbie-Helm-8-2-14

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.

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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.

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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.

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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

More Than A Sailboat; A Friendship

On By David BranbyIn On The Water, Ports Of CallLeave a comment

I got a call from an old friend last week — his granddaugher from North Carolina was coming out to visit and would I mind taking them out for a sail? “I’d love to!” I said.  So, on Saturday, June 29th, around 1 p.m., my friend Michael, his granddaughter Lauren, and her friend Dominique joined me on Splendido for a fun afternoon of sailing with gentle breezes, warm air temps, and a bit of swimming in Tahoe’s 60-degree waters, too. (A wee bit of swimming…that water is cold!)

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We set off southward, heading toward Meeks Bay, where I figured we’d throw down the anchors for a bit and let the girls take a dip in the shallower water near shore, with its white-sand bottom and interesting boulders here and there. On the way down south, the wind gusts were in the 20-knot range, but nothing we couldn’t handle with a little judicious use of the mainsheet. Since it was the first time on a sailboat for both young ladies, I wanted to keep it smooth and not get too heeled over.

girls-dareOnce we had the bow and stern anchors down, we broke out the sandwiches and chips that the girls had made for us the night before. As Michael and I ate, Lauren and Dominique dared each other to be the first in the water. I felt pretty comfortable that they’d be OK, since I discovered that both were competitive high school swimmers, and Dominique spent last summer lifeguarding at her hometown pool. Eventually, they both jumped in — and quickly surfaced, with very surprised expressions and a few choice epithets that can’t be printed here.

michael-inflated

While Michael and I were relaxing on deck, I suddenly heard a very loud hissing sound, and jumped up to see where it was coming from. It took a second to realize that it was Michael’s PFD inflating…while we were sitting on the cabin top, he’d accidentally sat on and pulled the “rip cord” for the waist-worn unit. I was amazed at how quickly (and firmly!) the CO2 cartridge had filled the PFD. By this time, the girls were back on board, so I had them take this shot.

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After their swim, the girls bundled up in towels and warmed up in the brilliant Tahoe sunshine. Michael and I cleaned up the cockpit and put away the food and drink, and got ready to head back north.

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Once we were underway, Lauren and Dominique went below decks to get out of the wind, as their damp suits were a bit chilly, in spite of the 78-degree air temperature. As Michael and I sailed along at a brisk 6.2 knots in freshening breezes, we noticed that the girls had stopped talking. I took a look below to see if everything was OK, and found the girls slumbering soundly as Splendido heeled gently, charging along under full main and the 150 genoa. All in all, it was a thrill to share beautiful Lake Tahoe with two new friends and one old one, and it was a day filled with laughter and memories I’ll cherish for a long, long time.

Fair winds and smooth sailing! DB

 

 

 

 

 

 

First Sail for 2014, Single-handed & Serene

On By David BranbyIn On The Water, SplendidoLeave a comment

First Sail 2014 First Sail 2014 photo 1[1]I was as excited as  a kid in a candy store to get up and actually sail this week. So, I worked through lunch on Thursday and left the office at 4 to see if I might catch a ride or two. The sky over Truckee was filled with big thunder-bumpers, so I wasn’t particularly optimistic about sailing. But, when I got to the lake, it was mostly clear, so I set about zip-tying all of the turnbuckles and taking care of the odds and ends that I hadn’t finished on my last visit. A delicate breeze came up around 6 p.m., so I motored out to the wind line and hoisted sail. To my chagrin, I had forgotten to attach the reefing lines, so there were two long ropes hanging off the back end of the boom, and all I could think of was what a mess that would be if it got gusty and I had to take in sail. So, I put her in irons, dropped the sail, and attached everything properly.

About four boats were out, dancing around a bit on the broad sheet of blue between the massive clouds to the north and also to the south of the lake. I decided to head south to visit my new friends at the Big Blue Tahoe Yacht Club, which is comprised mostly of sailors who put in and out at Obexer’s Marina. The wind picked up to where I was heading due south at 5.8 knots, so I just slathered on some sunscreen and enjoyed the relaxing sail. Splendido performed like a champ, and for a while I forgot about the depth meter whose transducer went out and the anemometer whose cups wouldn’t spin. I could tell it was blowing 10-15 mph and I knew the depth was in the hundreds of feet…Tahoe is so clear, you can see rocks way before you’d be on top of them.

I got down within a hundred yards of Cheeseburger in Paradise and Grand Cru, both sitting pretty out in front of Obexer’s, then decided to tack back north, as the sun was about to dip behind the mountains by Homewood.

About half way back, I decided to fire up the Perkins to charge the batteries, as I’d noticed #1 was almost in the yellow zone on the meter. As the boat made its way north, I did a quick check of the bilge, and noticed more water than usual flowing in. I checked the auto bilge pump, and it was working fine; now to source the leak. After poking around a bit, I found it: I hadn’t tighted the hose clamps enough on the 15 feet of new exhaust hose that I’d replaced a couple of weeks ago, and so the water in the hose was leaking out onto the hull and running down into the bilge. A few sweaty turns of the 5/16th socket wrench, and the mini deluge abated. Whew! Nothing gets your attention more than a leak on a boat. Who needs meditation when you’ve got stuff like that going on?

I kept a close eye on things once I was on the hook, leaving the engine on to continue to charge the batteries while I fluffed and buffed the boat and put everything to bed. The leaking seemed to have stopped completely, the batteries were charging, and the Perkins was humming gentlly as I went above decks and began to swing the boat port-to-starboard, to get the water into the bilge and out from under the floorboards (we’re not talking a lot of water here; less than a gallon all told. But still.). Satisfied that everything seemed OK, I buttoned up the cabin and rowed back to the beach, exhilarated after a nice sail and happy that I could find the problem and fix it. (Yay!) My wish is to get everything dialed in and ready so I can do a single-handed circumnavigation of Tahoe in late June or July. Every day on the water is another shot at working out the kinks!

Fair winds and smooth sailing! DB

 

Ready to Sail 2014

On By David BranbyIn Commissioning & De-commissioning, Keeping Up Appearances, On The WaterLeave a comment

Load-in 2014 Load-in 2014 II Fully loaded 2014I woke up at 4:58 a.m. today, excited to hit the road and get Splendido loaded for sailing season. Thirteen hours later, I am back home, bone-weary, and ready to hit the hay. All that’s left to do is install the UV zip-ties on all the turnbuckles and lifelines, and we’re good to go.

The obvious issue this year is how low the water is; I was at the very end of the dock, and I was pretty nervous that I’d be painting the rocks with the keel. Didn’t happen, but I imagine this will be the last time I even get near that particular dock this summer.

Load-in wasn’t that hard; it was just time-consuming. It still needs Debbie’s touch to give it orderliness and style. I was just content to get everything in and stowed quickly, and get back out to the buoy before the waterski boats started creating chop that would surely bang the keel on the rocks below.

At the end of the day, she looks pretty good. Everything works; all the wood is in; and what was really remarkable to me is that the Perkins Perama just fires up nicely every time. Can’t wait to get out and sail…probably next weekend will be the season opener. Until then, fair winds and smooth sailing! DB

Kowabunga: High Winds Make For Winter Surfing At Tahoe

On By David BranbyIn On The Water, SplendidoLeave a comment

kowabunga tahoe winter surfingI’ve often thought about keeping Splendido moored on a buoy all year ’round at Lake Tahoe, but photos like this, courtesy of my friends at BiggestLittleCity.org, remind me that placid Lake Tahoe can get pretty hairball when a cold front moves through. Now, I’m no surfing expert (I did take lessons some years ago in Leucadia, California, but it was pretty mellow (and warm), at least compared to Lake Tahoe standards), but these swells look to me to be in the five-foot range. What caused these rollers? A nice extended period of blasting winds, where the forecast said gusts would reach 100 mph over the ridge tops and where locals clocked the winds at 70 mph in the open areas, such as across the lake. On a related note, we had a pretty significant dry spell at Tahoe up until about a week ago, when we got an “atmospheric river” coming out of the tropics that dumped about 5.5″ inches of rain into the lake. The National Weather Service said that equates to something like 17.2 billion gallons of water addded to the lake, which I can barely comprehend, but it makes me happy. Hopefully we’ll get several more storms to build up the snowpack and get the lake back to “normal” levels.

Fair winds and smooth sailing. DB

Squeezing Every Last Bit Out Of The Sailing Season At Tahoe

On By David BranbyIn Commissioning & De-commissioning, Keeping Up Appearances, Mechanical Stuff, On The Water, Splendido3 Comments

last-boat-2013The weather in the Sierra Nevada has been absolutely spectacular for the last three weeks or so; high pressure locked in, the leaves on the aspens and cottonwoods ablaze with color, and a breathtaking stillness that makes Tahoe flat as a millpond with virtually no wind. The lake level had dropped significantly over the past month, so my springtime plan to offload the boat using the Skyland pier fell by the wayside, as there was no hope of getting anywhere near it, much less to tie up and unload. I called on Obexer’s to arrange the haul-out, which we scheduled for Tuesday, October 22. I went up on the 20th for a final sail, but there wasn’t much wind and I just made a nice motor-sail day out of it. Mike Bryant came along for company and we spent the balmy afternoon putting up to Tahoe City to take in the fall color.

The next day, I drove up once again to take the boat down to Obexer’s for offloading. The logistics of the offloading were a bit like an athletic event: I had to drive the van up, drop it off at Obexer’s, pull out my bicycle and ride it two miles north to where Splendido was moored, row out with the bicycle in the dinghy, unfasten the mooring line from the buoy itself, tie off the dinghy to the back of Splendido, and then motor down to Obexer’s. It was all a bit of sprint, because I had to get everything done, be back in Reno by 4:30 p.m. for a short nap and then go to my statistics class in the MBA program from 7 p.m. to 9:45 p.m. Fortunately, when I arrived at Obexer’s, they let me pull into a vacant slip, where I proceeded to empty the boat of every last item, from cushions to glassware and sunscreen, and transfer it all into one of Debbie’s catering vans. Luckily, I had borrowed the big Safari van, and filled every inch of it. That made me think that the boat could probably add a knot or two to its top speed if only it wasn’t so laden with creature comforts. But, after thinking about it for a few minutes, I decided that it was all worth it if it kept Debbie happy and sailing with me.

This summer, I paid particular attention to making sure I was staying hydrated, because at 6,239 ft. elevation, it just wicks it out of you. I would find myself dry-eyed and unusually weary and headachy after being out on the water for four or five hours, and I attribute it to dehydration. So, on my offload day, I packed in a cool gallon of spring water and drank from it often and deeply. At about 2 p.m., I had everything off the boat except the sails and boom, so I attacked that chore next and was surprised how quickly I got things bagged and put away. With that, I locked up the cabin, grabbed a delicious pulled pork sandwich at Obexer’s General Store, and headed home.

Tuesday morning, I met my brother-in-law Tracy at his house, and we drove over to Kro-bilt trailer repair in Sparks to pick up the trailer. I haven’t written a lot about that trailer, but one thing we noticed over the years was that it didn’t fit the boat particularly well, and the stress was showing on both the trailer and on the boat. The uprights were holding the boat like tongs hold a thick ribeye steak; “squeezing” the boat rather than supporting it from underneath. This resulted in stress cracks in the uprights (as well as visible signs of them “splaying” outward), and it was putting dimples in the hull of the boat over the winter months. So, I got online and looked at all the latest sailboat trailer sites, and put together a plan to rebuild the whole dang trailer. I ordered six new boat stand and pads from Brownell’s, and had the Kro-bilt crew grind off all the old uprights, moving everything in 6-8 inches and replacing the old uprights with beefy Schedule 80 tubes and square-tubing supports. Now, the thing is sturdy as an aircraft carrier, much to my relief and Tracy’s, too. After all, Tracy is the one guy generous enough to haul the trailer with his huge Ford diesel truck because he takes great joy in anything mechanical–although the janky trailer was causing him a bit of heartburn all the same. At any rate, the Obexer’s crew was ready for us Tuesday morning, and it was a smooth process from unstepping the mast all the way through strapping the boat down and driving away. Of all the many moving parts involved in hauling a sailboat, the one slight mishap was that we left the dinghy in the harbor and didn’t realize it until we parked the trailer down in Reno. A quick phone call to Obexer’s confirmed that they had noticed it and locked it up until next weekend when I could manage to get back up there to retrieve it.

All in all, a pleasant season that ended well. I’ll post again with a photographic recap, but until I do, fair winds and smooth sailing! DB

Big T & Big D 10-21-13

 

 

Fixed Just In Time For Some Cool Autumn Sailing

On By David BranbyIn Mechanical Stuff, On The Water, SplendidoLeave a comment

As it turned out, the broken seacock was not the end of our sailing season (although it was something of a comedy of errors trying to get it fixed). In the end, Brian from Tahoe Sailing Supply towed Splendido over to Obexer’s, where the skilled mechanics there lifted her out just above the water, quickly made the swap with a brand-new Marelon® seacock, and dropped her back in. Brian and a helper motored her back to her buoy, and she was good as new. Thank goodness for the good folks at Obexer’s Marina!

The weekend of Sept. 14th, Debbie had a big wedding to cater near Homewood, so I went up for a light-air sail and ghosted around a bit as she and her staff worked their rear-ends off in the heat of the afternoon. About 7:30 p.m., I put the boat back on the hook just in time to receive Debbie’s phone call that she was free. I rowed in and picked her up, and I could tell she was really tired after a long afternoon. I got her onboard Splendido and opened a Robert Parker-rated 90-pt. Garnacha I found at Ben’s Liquors for $9.99, and lo and behold, she liked it! (You never know about these things, especially when your mate’s a professional caterer and chef who’s got a palate like Debbie’s. 🙂 Debbie_Obexer's

I was a bit tuckered out after spending the earlier part of the day taking the GMAT test (four hours of hell), so I made sure she had something to eat and then I hit the hay. I awoke Sunday morning to find her bundled up topsides, sleeping in the cockpit, where she had gone to watch the incredible Milky Way that shines down on Tahoe at night. We did a quick tidy-up and then motored south to Obexer’s for coffee and breakfast burritos (they do a great job with those, by the way) and then motored out for a sail. Silly me, I forgot to listen to the weather radio, and soon we were getting pitched about by crazy gusts. A strong cold front was approaching Tahoe, and so we “beat feet” out of there and did a little motor-assisted sailing back north to our buoy, where we put her on the hook and called it a day.

On Saturday, Sept. 21st, another strong cold front came through, with buckets of rain in the Sierra and a fair amount in Reno, too. Sunday broke brilliantly sunny and clear (though a bit cool), so I called brother-in-law Matt Waddington to see if he would be up for a sail.

He was, so we headed up to Tahoe, cheering on the Tahoe Ironman competitors as we went by. Winds were light with occasional moderate gusts, so we headed toward Tahoe City, then downwind wing-on-wing to Dollar Point, and then tacked back and headed home. It was only 50 degrees out, so we found ourselves bundling up in fleece and gloves. Debbie made some yummy chicken, arugula and heirloom tomato sandwiches on thick, crusty bread, and there was half a bag of stale Cool Ranch Doritos left on board, so we were in hog heaven.

Matt Waddington Sailing Splendido 2013This week, it got quite a bit cooler here in the high country, and so my thoughts turned to pulling the boat within the next three weeks or so. The trailer is down at the welding shop getting rebuilt (turns out it never was a good fit for Splendido, having been made for a different boat altogether), and I am awaiting the arrival of new boatstand pads via UPS, from Brownell’s (www.boatstands.com). I spoke to brother-in-law Tracy today to schedule a pull down from the lake to our lower elevation in Reno (~4,550 ft.), where wind and weather won’t be so tough on Splendido. There’s so much to do, and so many things to work on this winter. Still, it’s been a fun season of sailing, and I’m going to do my best to get a few more days in before Mother Nature sends us packing.

Fair winds and smooth sailing! DB

The Catalina 270 Is A Thing Of Beauty

On By David BranbyIn Keeping Up Appearances, On The WaterLeave a comment

IMG_5291I was so thrashed after seven hours on the water Saturday that I slept most of Sunday, so it was quite a surpise when I picked up my mobile phone in the late afternoon and saw a text from an unknown number that said, “Sailing was great…wish you could’ve joined us!’ with the photo shown here. Immediately, my eyes were drawn to the lovely curves of the Catalina 270’s hull and sugar-scoop transom, the beautifully sculpted cabin and fine entry of her bow. I reflected a bit on how Splendido looks a bit like a bright seagull as she sits bobbing on the swells when I first see her as I round the curve near where she’s moored. I’m always struck by how well the “Captain’s Navy” navy-blue canvas looks against the white hull, whether it’s the lifeline pads or the covers for the wheel, the winches, or the mainsail. I still love the Splendido logo I designed, and which was lovingly hand-painted by my friend Lane Walker, a legend among hand-letterers and sign painters in America. I winced when I noticed how I’d dishonored Splendido by leaving her fenders out on the deck and how I neglected to flemish her dock lines, disrespecting this great beauty with my carelessness. Forgive me, dearest Splendido…I’ll make it up to you with a warm-water bath and organic, biodegradeable boat soap, and equally eco-friendly cleaner wax…the equivalent of a mani-pedi for the other woman in my life, my darling Splendido. As for those other girls, the ones on deck? That’s my lovely niece and her friends, who just happened to be boating by and thought they’d take a happy snap to send to us for some summer fun.

Fair winds and smooth sailing. DB

Sailing to Support Reno Chamber Orchestra

On By David BranbyIn Food & Drink, On The Water, SplendidoLeave a comment

andy-and-crewMark Miller, Pat Miller and Barbara Hall were our guests yesterday aboard Splendido for an afternoon/sunset sail south to D.L. Bliss State Park, cruising along McKinney Bay, Meeks Bay and Rubicon Bay. I asked fellow sailor Andy Gagnon along to serve as first mate, as we wanted to deliver a “first-cabin” experience for the Millers and their friend Barbara as the winners of the 2013 Reno Chamber Orchestra “Derby Day” silent auction  item of sailing Lake Tahoe. Debbie had a big catered event in Reno that she had to oversee, but she put together individual packages of yumminess for our guests, including a starter of Champagne grapes, French brie and water crackers, three bottles of red and white wines, smoked Turkey foccacia sandwiches with fresh pesto, provolone, and roasted red peppers, rotelle pasta salad, and big fudge brownies for dessert.

Andy and I arrived earlier in the afternoon and spent 90 minutes practicing crew overboard drills–not because we expected anything unfortunate to happen–but just to brush up our boat-handling skills. It was a good thing we did, because about 50 minutes into our cruise, one of Debbie’s favorite red-and-white pillows blew overboard. I glanced at Andy and we went right into drill mode, and the pillow was back on board within a little over a minute.

I was a little concerned that the winds would be a bit light for an exciting sail, but once we rounded Sugar Pine State Park, the winds freshened considerably, and I estimated the gusts ripping across Rubicon Bay to be in the 25 kt. range. mark-pat-barbaraAndy handled the mainsheet like a champ, keeping the boat skipping along without heeling too much, while I manned the helm and chatted up the guests.

We got within about a quarter-mile of D.L. Bliss and were able to see the campers and vacationers enjoying the beach even up to the 7 p.m. hour. We tacked right at the seam of where the blue-black waters started to change to the lighter blue-green of Calawee Cove with its white-sand bottom, and the energetic gusts coming in over Rubicon Bay made for a lively ride across the whitecapping waters.

Heading north, we saw heavy smoke coming into the Tahoe basin from the American Fire in Foresthill, CA. smoky-sunsetFor the past four or five days, the smoke had drifted straight east down I-80 into Reno, so the Biggest Little City has been blanketed while Tahoe stayed relatively smoke-free. Until yesterday. It got so thick that visibility was less than three miles, and I had to pull out the GPS to pinpoint our buoy as the smoke obscured the shoreline. About midway through McKinney Bay, the winds died completely, so we turned on the trusty Perkins Perama diesel and motored back, with Andy driving while I flaked the sail and prettied up the boat. The temperature dropped as the sun dipped behind the mountains, and we made sure the ladies were bundled up for the motor back. blood-red-skyAndy threaded his way through the buoy field and brought the boat in ever-so-gently into the dock. It was a real pleasure having our three guests aboard, and my sincere appreciation to them for supporting the Reno Chamber Orchestra and to Andy Gagnon for all his help in making it a Tahoe sail to remember.

Fair winds and smooth sailing. DB