Getting the old girl ready to splash

On By David BranbyIn Commissioning & De-commissioning, Keeping Up Appearances, Splendido1 Comment

Life is what happens while you’re making other plans. 😀 I had all but despaired of not being able to sail this summer because the influx of folks at Tahoe during the pandemic meant that buoys were scarce, and competition for them was fierce. After putting out feelers for buoys since February with zero results, Debbie and I had begun making plans to do other things—road trips to rural Nevada, hiking, biking, etc.—in lieu of sailing. Last Saturday, out of the blue, our old buoy owner reached out to say his neighbor had a buoy for rent, just 40 yards from where we’ve been moored for the past few years.

Now, the push is on to get the boat ready for launching next week. Fingers crossed—she is dusty and dirty and I have a list of 36 pre-sailing checks to do. I’ll shoot a little video to try to capture the fun.

I cannot express how excited I am to get out on the water again.

Fair winds and following seas! DB

Midwinter Musings for 2021

On By David BranbyIn Splendido3 Comments

It’s been a season on the hard for Splendido and for us. Through it all, though, we’ve been mindful how fortunate we are to be healthy and safe, and looking forward to better times ahead. Inspired by the sailing videos I’ve watched over the past year (thank you, SV Delos and Off Center Harbor), I am learning video storytelling to add a little zing to our blog. I also bought a used drone which I’ve been learning to fly (only three heart-pounding—and thankfully, minor—crashes in a month!), with the aim of getting some footage of Splendido at Tahoe this summer. Oh, yeah … and if anyone along the West Shore at Tahoe can give me a tip about finding a new mooring for her this summer, that would be much appreciated. Evidently our old mooring was snapped up. C’est la guerre.

Fair winds and following seas! DB

Back in the Boatyard

On By David BranbyIn Commissioning & De-commissioning, Keeping Up Appearances, Mechanical Stuff, Splendido1 Comment

Splendido is nearly 28 years old and it’s time for me to get after some refitting projects this winter. I am continually inspired by SV Delos skipper Brian Trautman (a fellow UW grad) not just for the cruising lifestyle but also for the hard work he puts in maintaining his 53-ft. Amel Super Maramu.

What I like best about the SV Delos video series—apart from the beautiful locales and fun adventures—is the accurate depictions about the amount of effort it takes to keep things ship-shape. So, duly inspired, I have a list of things I’m going to attack this winter:

  • Tailoring the lazy bag to fit the sail more snugly—hopefully with less windage
  • Checking all the standing rigging for signs of wear
  • Removing all the brightwork that needs refinishing and getting that done in the garage
  • Light sanding and repainting the trailer, which got pretty scuffed up in recent years
  • Changing the oil and filters in the Perkins Perama diesel
  • Polishing the fuel so it’s ready for spring sailing
  • Replacing the incandescent bulbs with more LED lights to reduce battery drain when boat camping
  • Repacking the rudder shaft stuffing box
  • When it warms up, touching up the gel coat
  • And a bunch more stuff I haven’t thought of yet.

A special shout-out to Ancil Sigman of Le Crapaud fame for letting me work on Splendido at his place this winter. Thanks, Ancil!

I’m also stoked to discover that Brian Trautman’s brother Brady Trautman and his partner Alex Blue (and their new rescue pup, Sharky) have settled for the time being at Lake Tahoe. They’ve launched a new business called Cruisers Academy and have a small fleet of Catalinas at Tahoe offering lessons for all levels. They are both accomplished scuba divers as well, and they’re offering dive adventures next year, starting with what looks to be an epic adventure for more advanced divers in the Galapagos Islands. As an SV Delos fan and supporter, I hope to see them out on the water in 2021. Welcome to the Tahoe sailing community, Brady and Blue (and Sharky, too)!

The pandemic—and my struggles with anxiety related to it—have got me thinking about how I would like to live my life with more adventure and fun in the future. I’ve decided to get a PADI Open Water Diver certification as soon as it’s safe, so hopefully I can participate in the Clean Up The Lake diving project in 2021. I’m also learning video shooting and editing to bring more short videos to this blog, so keep an eye out. I’ll start with simple GoPro videos about my projects this winter as I dip my toes in the water.

In the meantime, mask up, stay safe, and drop a note in the comments below about how you like the blog and what kind of content you’d like to see more of. As this crazy year draws to a close, Debbie and I wish you health, happiness and peace—and optimism for better days ahead.

Fair winds and smooth sailing. DB


Evening at Sugar Pine, Lake Tahoe

Flashback: Two Nights Boat Camping at Sugar Pine State Park

On By David BranbyIn SplendidoLeave a comment

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I just discovered this unpublished post from 2015, when the water at Lake Tahoe was really low and—in retrospect—something that seems so trivial compared with what we’re dealing with today. At any rate, a lovely weekend on the water with my two favorite girls.

Fair winds and smooth sailing! DB

Eight Bells: Frank Butler, founder of Catalina Yachts

On By David BranbyIn SplendidoLeave a comment

Catalina Yachts Announces Loss of CEO Frank W. Butler
(From an announcement provided by Catalina Yachts)

It is with great sadness that we announce that Frank Willis Butler, President and Chief Executive Officer of Catalina Yachts, passed away November 15, 2020 in Westlake Village, CA, due to unexpected complications from a recent illness. We extend our most heartfelt condolences and sympathy to Frank’s family. Our thoughts are with them at this most difficult time.

A sailing icon and industry “kingspoke”, Frank Butler has introduced hundreds of thousands of people to sailing during his lifetime. Those of us who have been fortunate enough to know and work with Frank have lost a dear friend and an inspiring mentor. Frank leaves behind a company that only he could have built, and his spirit will forever be the foundation of Catalina Yachts.

Frank W. Butler

Born in California in 1928, Frank’s line of popular sailboats put more than 85,000 Catalinas on the water throughout the yachting world. His boatbuilding career began in 1962, when he contracted with a Southern California builder for a 21’ daysailer. The builder was unable to finish the boat, and gave Butler the tooling. He completed building the boat himself, found he enjoyed the process, and agreed to take over the company.

A few years later he founded Catalina Yachts, which has grown to become the largest builder of fiberglass production sailboats in the United States, a position it holds to this day.

A key to Butler’s success in the sailboat industry was his attention to Catalina customers. Handling warranty issues himself, owners were nearly always surprised and reassured to get a personal call from Frank to discuss their concerns.

Butler was inducted into the National Sailing Hall of Fame in 2013. In recognition of his support of the Congressional Cup, a world match racing event, Long Beach Yacht Club awarded him the Crimson Blazer. He was also a founder and lifelong member of the Westlake Yacht Club in Westlake, CA.

Following his graduation from Glendale High School, he served in the US Navy. He met his wife, Jean, at a school dance; they recently celebrated their 71st anniversary.

Frank is survived by Jean, their four daughters, Deborah Reese, Mary Linn, Nancy Bear, and Karen Butler; three sons, David, Robert and Steve; 20 grandchildren, 28 great-grandchildren, and four great-great-grandchildren.

Awakening the joy of sailing for so many people in past generations, Frank Butler’s sailing legacy will certainly continue well into in future generations.

Looking back, looking forward

On By David BranbyIn Splendido2 Comments

Few things give me as much joy as sailing – as you can see here, when I got a chance to drive a friend’s J/100 on Lake Tahoe a few years ago. This summer, I’ve been boatless, and like many folks, struggling a bit with anxiety about how to keep my loved ones safe through this pandemic. When things got particularly rough back in June, I reached out and got some help. The good news is, I’m on the mend now, and looking forward to getting to the other side of this and getting back out on the water. Until then, I hope you and yours are staying healthy and safe, and squeezing as much joy as you can out of every moment, on the water or off.

Fair winds and smooth sailing. – DB

Friend Ships: Zack Sisemore’s Catalina 22, “Love Boat”

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

One of my favorite sailboats on Lake Tahoe is Zack Sisemore’s Love Boat, a 1988 Catalina 22 sailing out from Tahoe’s north shore. In 2013, Zach and a gal he was dating at the time bought the boat from a California woman whose sailor husband had passed on, and Zack’s “barn find” turned out to be the sprightly sailing vessel you see here.

How bad did Zack want it? “I sold my grandpa’s old truck and my parachute to fund the boat. It was hard to part ways with Grandpa’s old red truck, which had about 315,000 miles on a twisted frame, but I figure Grandpa would be proud that it was going to help fund a sailboat.” he said.

Zack got the boat for a pretty good price, especially considering that it came with “an SUV full of sailboat stuff the owner’s wife had found in the garage in addition to all the stuff that was already in the boat. She also included a 4” stack of records, service manuals, and receipts, which tells me that this boat had been well taken care of,” Zack added.

But, as with all things related to sailing, there were hidden expenses that popped up along the way, including a snapped drive shaft on his dad’s truck that cost $700 to fix.

What impressed me most about Love Boat, though, was the way Zack immediately went to work figuring out how to repair a significant void in her wing keel, filling it with foam down to the lead and epoxy-and-fiberglassing it over and fairing it until she was as good (or better than) new.

Debbie and I see Zach and his friends cruising along in Love Boat a couple of times a summer, always with smiles as big as Tahoe and friendly waves as we pass. I look forward to getting back on the water when the pandemic is over, and hope to see this “friend ship” riding the Tahoe blue once again.

Q&A with Zack Sisemore, Skipper, Love Boat

Q: What do you love most about Love Boat?
A: I love introducing first-time sailors to my boat. Teaching friends to sail is very entertaining! Watching someone’s eyes about to pop out of their head the first time they heel over brings me so much joy. Fumbling with the cleat hitch, oversteering through a tack, wrapping the winch counter clockwise are also comedy. But the absolute best is when the mistakes get cleaned up and seeing the satisfaction of friends beginning to understand sailing.

Q: What would you change about your boat?
A: The Love Boat will never be a perfect vessel but I’m happy with that. At the top of my list would be reupholstered interior cushions. Just a bit dated and falling apart. Next would be lighting. I don’t sail too much in the dark, but I need navigation and anchor lights. And lastly, my poor mainsail is on its last leg. Would love to go with in-mast or lazy jacks but doesn’t really make sense on the old girl.

Q: What was your most fun or interesting time on Lake Tahoe?
A: July 4, 2018 comes to mind. First time I took mom out. The wind was consistently blowing 15-20 knots. It was my mom’s first sail. I had the sails damn near touching the water for about 5 hours straight and not once did my mom seem uncomfortable or scared.

Another date that comes to mind is July 4, 2019. It wasn’t a sail, but my roommate Griffin and I lived on the sailboat at anchor for a week while renting out our house. We were both working long hours. No dinghy to get to and from the boat. We’d meet on the beach after work. Griffin would sit on an inner tube and I’d tow him out on the paddleboard with a rope connected to my ankle. Silly but fun.

Q: What was your worst experience sailing Lake Tahoe?
A: There was a lot of trial and error when I first bought the Love Boat as I had ZERO sailing experience and maybe 20 minutes on a power boat. The first couple of years, I didn’t have a buoy, so I had to launch the boat every time. I think it was summer of 2015 or 2016 and the lake level was very low, so I decided to launch at Obexer’s on an east wind day.

Well … Obexer’s boat launch faces east! It’s also a crowded fuel dock! Also, I had to launch alone as my now ex-wife couldn’t drive trailer or boat! So, in the chaos of it all, I launched, leaving my cell phone in the truck. Tied up really quick and moved the truck just outta the way. The waves were pounding the poor boat into the dock and the mast was swinging so hard the it too was hitting the dock, so I had to get the hell outta there. So here’s the scene: I’m circling the buoy field trying to give Sara instructions on how/where to park the truck. I have no phone, so I have to yell instructions as I’m circling around. There’s nowhere to tie up without beating up my boat. The guys at Obexer’s were not any help at all. After 45 minutes of circling, I tie up at the fuel dock, back the truck into the launch, and called it a day. Lesson learned: don’t launch in heavy water and if you do, have someone with you who can actually help. Your plan has to be bulletproof in heavy water.

Q: What would you tell people about Tahoe that they might be surprised to know?
A:  Lake Tahoe’s average depth of 988 feet is a shocker to most.

Fair winds and smooth sailing. – DB

Baby Needs A Bath

On By David BranbyIn Keeping Up Appearances2 Comments

There’s nothing like a pandemic to make you rethink your priorities. Right now, our priorities are getting to the other side of this thing – and if that means keeping Splendido on the hard this summer, so be it. I’ll be working on the interior and fixing all the little things, and maybe giving this girl a bath. How are my fellow sailors holding up in 2020? Drop me a note in the comments and let me know how it’s going for you and yours. Mask up, stay socially distanced, and we’ll see you on the water when all this is over.

Fair winds and smooth sailing, DB

Once again to Emerald Bay

On By David BranbyIn Commissioning & De-commissioning, On The Water, Ports Of Call, SplendidoLeave a comment

On Sept. 14, our last sail of the season, Jamie Filbin and I cruised down to Emerald Bay on a glorious Saturday morning. Lake Tahoe has rarely looked more magnificent, and we pretty much had the lake to ourselves as we made our way south about 11 miles to the entrance of the bay.

Before we set out, we pulled Splendido up to a nearby public dock and offloaded a bunch of stuff for the winter – spare anchor, chain and rode; pillows; blankets and linens; kitchen supplies and bathroom décor; basically, anything that wasn’t nailed down. To me, it always feels like Splendido springs to life when she’s lightened of all the boat-camping gear. She’s a little livelier, a little more “yar,” as they say.

When we got to the entrance of Emerald Bay, it seemed like every boater left on the lake had had the same idea. These photos don’t show it so much, but there were dozens of boats hanging around Fannette Island, anchors down, girls sunning themselves on the backs of speedboats, guys trolling around, admiring the scenery.

The wind came up and we had a strong sail back north with the wind on the quarter. We averaged 6 knots all the way home, and Splendido sailed like a champ.

Once we tied up, Jamie and took off the sails and boom and stored them below for the winter ahead. I’d scheduled a pull-out later that week, so this was the last hurrah for the season.

Grateful for every day on the water, and for friends to share it with.

Fair winds and smooth sailing, until next time. DB

The Seiche Phenomenon at Lake Tahoe

On By David BranbyIn On The Water, Overnighters, SplendidoLeave a comment

Sleeping aboard a sailboat on a calm summer night can be one of life’s simple pleasures. For me, that typically means setting out two hooks in a V-configuration, just to have that extra sense of security, and arranging sheets and halyards to minimize noise in the rigging. I flip on the masthead light and settle in, feeling the residual roll and heave you can expect when speedboats have been out on the lake all day. After an hour or so, these swells flatten out, and slumber is deep and satisfying. Until, that is, there’s a major bump in the night, and you bolt out of bed to see what’s going on.

(c) laketahoeG/The Dam Café @ Lake Tahoe, 2016.

That’s what happened last summer around Labor Day. Debbie and I were boat-camping along the west shore of Lake Tahoe when, at about 2 a.m., I felt a dramatic rise and then fall of the boat. About 8-10 seconds later, there was another. When you’re sleeping, this change really grabs your attention, because you have the sudden and somewhat unpleasant sensation of falling.

I rolled out of the aft berth and climbed up on deck. In the moonlight, I could see a set of widely spaced, two-foot swells coming our way out of the northeast. The distance between the crests seemed like about 20 or 30 yards. In my fogginess, I was wracking my brain to think what would cause these swells on this calm and windless night. I began to think that maybe there had been a localized earthquake that caused them, but a quick check of my mobile news feed shed no light on that theory.

After discussing the phenomenon with a very sleepy Debbie, I decided to bundle up with a blanket and sit on the lazarette for a while to watch and see if anything changed. For more than an hour, this line of swells kept coming, never varying in wave height or wavelength. Staring out across the water, I eventually relaxed a bit and decided to go back to bed, visions of tsunamis put to rest. But I was still curious, so the next day I did some research and discovered seiches, or standing waves peculiar to bounded bodies of water like Lake Tahoe.

I knew from listening to the news earlier that day that there were high winds predicted out over the Black Rock Desert – about 100 miles north of Lake Tahoe – as the Burning Man Festival was happening, and burners were advised to shelter from the blowing dust on the playa. Lake Tahoe is pretty big – about 22 miles long – but evidently the low pressure acted on the northeast end of Lake Tahoe and set up the standing wave known as a seiche. Here’s a beautiful video posted by The Dam Café of Tahoe City that captures the essence of Lake Tahoe’s seiches. Just knowing that the seiche phenomenon is a “thing” will help me rest a little easier.

Fair winds and smooth sailing! DB