Tag: 1993 Catalina 270 sailboat

Planning A Lake Tahoe Circumnavigation with Jamie Filbin

On By David BranbyIn On The Water, Ports Of Call, Splendido2 Comments

Screen Shot 2015-06-27 at 12.50.12 PMLong-time readers may recall that I have had a yearning to do a Lake Tahoe circumnavigation, spending the better part of a week visiting different areas of the lake. This dream has been a long time in coming, mostly because Debbie and I have still found it difficult to sleep comfortably in the “stateroom” she calls “the MRI machine built for two.” But, I am determined to do the circumnavigation, so I have recruited my buddy Jamie Filbin to embark on said cruise the week of July 20, 2015.

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We went out for a planning sail aboard Splendido last Thursday afternoon. Winds were light and warm, as high pressure was building, but we still got some good mileage in as we made our way to the south end of Sugar Pine Point State Park, hanging out for a while near the Ehrman Mansion and just enjoying the beautiful weather.
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I first met Jamie in 1986 when I graduated college and moved out to see my folks in Fallon, Nevada. Jamie was stationed at Fallon Naval Air Station, and we met through another buddy who gave us a ride into Reno to visit the nightclubs and who then ended up ditching us, so Jamie and I had to hitchhike the 70 miles back to Fallon in the wee hours the next morning. Long story short, we’ve been friends ever since — in fact, Jamie was my best man when I got married to Debbie — and we have reconnected since Jamie and his wife Carolym moved back to Reno a few years ago.

So, we’ve set the date for the circ and made sure we both got clear on what we wanted out of the trip. I am looking for sailing, relaxation, good food, and conversation, as well as some “off the boat” adventures to include a few hikes and maybe some shore excursions to check out the local color. Jamie’s vision for the trip is very similar, and he’d like to get to know Splendido and get comfortable sailing along the way. We’re going to split the heavy lifting, with Jamie doing the chef work at dinner time (he claims to have a Chilean Sea Bass recipe that’s out of this world), and I am happy to do the swabbing up afterwards. Jamie’s leaving the route planning to me, so the map above is my anticipated float plan, but I’m leaving it loose because of the low water in some of the coves we intend to visit. We’ll be carrying two anchors for secure mooring, and we’ll be towing the dinghy along as well.
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Last weekend, Debbie and I rigged a neat “boom tent” from a 13′ x 13′ geosynthetic “shade sail” we found at Costco for $19. For the circ, I’m a little concerned about being exposed to so much sun, especially when we’re on the hook in the mornings until the winds come up at 1 p.m., so we tried it, out and it works great. In fact, I really look forward to catching up on my reading and catnaps, sitting comfortably in the shade while still having a “filtered” view of the beautiful Lake Tahoe.

All that remains is a few minor fixes aboard and the prospect of provisioning for four days aboard. First thing on the list is lots of Clausthaler N/A/ beer for me, casks of red wine for Jamie, steaks, seafood, sunscreen, and fresh black coffee for that kickstart in the morning. I’d like to get in lots of swimming to work off some of the “table muscle” I’ve put on from my desk job, so I’ll add lots of waterproof sunscreen to the list.

More on the 2015 Lake Tahoe circumnavigation as the date draws near, plus regular updates if I can figure out a way to post from the boat. Until next 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