I got a note from my high school pal Pam last week that her brother, sailing legend Andy Schwenk, was going to be joining Rick Raduziner — owner of the Santa Cruz 27, Lickety Split — to compete in the 2024 Santa Cruz 27 National Championships at Lake Tahoe July 12-14. Andy was a couple of years behind me in high school in Anacortes, WA and I had the good fortune to sail with him and his dad, Dr. Walter Schwenk, aboard the iconic Santa Cruz 33, Ajax, back in the day.
Andy’s been afloat pretty much his whole life, and has chalked up 54 trips across the Pacific to Hawaii and back while racing in the Victoria to Maui, Transpac and Pacific Cup competitions. Professionally, Andy is a marine surveyor, rigging expert, delivery skipper and Port Captain of the Richmond Yacht Club in the Bay Area. Andy made headlines a few years ago when he developed necrotizing fasciitis from a minor ankle scrape after the 2022 Pacific Cup race. A few days into the return voyage, Andy had to be transfered to a passing tanker and later airlifted to the mainland, where he spent a month at Stanford hospital while a team of physicians worked to save his leg.
I drove up to Tahoe Yacht Club last Friday to see if I could find Andy after the skipper’s meeting, and recognized him instantly. We visited for a few minutes before he and Rick dashed off to prep the boat for the race. With high pressure hanging over the Tahoe basin, winds were light and shifty, and Lickety Split managed a respectable 5th out of a dozen boats.
The day before, Debbie and I snuck up for a wonderful afternoon sail in 12-15 knot winds to Sugar Pine State Park, where we dropped the hook in about 14 ft. and both went swimming for the first time this year. The water was about 70º F. at the surface, so we dove in and splashed around a bit before climbing back aboard to dry off under the shade of our makeshift “bimini.” The winds dropped off to just a breath later in the evening, so we took a leisurely motor along the shoreline looking at all the lovely homes and boats as the sun lowered in the sky. After all the wrenching on the boat earlier this year — including replacing the hard-to-find Lucas alternator just last week — it felt like we’d finally settled into our summer groove. We’re looking forward to more. Until then …
We’ve gotten in a few lively afternoon sails along the West Shore with winds in the 15-25 kt. range and temps in the 80s, so it really feels like summer is upon us here in the High Sierra. The lake level is high and it seems like there are fewer boats out, so you kinda feel like you have the place to yourself — which is just fine by me!
I’m making a point of revisiting a number Lake Tahoe classics this summer, including a yummy breakfast at The Old Post Office in Carnelian Bay with my pal Ancil, dinner with Debbie at Chambers Landing (also yummy and very family-friendly … just a lovely, laid-back Tahoe summer vibe), and one day just hanging out at the south end of Tahoe by Baldwin Beach with Ancil and our buddy John aboard La Crapaud. We anchored in 10 ft. and lolled about in the shade of the bimini for the whole day, sharing stories and watching the world go by. The Baldwin Beach area — tucked away in the extreme southwest corner of Lake Tahoe — is great for hanging out on the hook because the boat traffic is much further off shore as folks cut across from South Tahoe marinas to the must-see spot on the lake, Emerald Bay.
I rowed the dinghy in to shore at Baldwin and explored the wetlands, where evidently the Tahoe Yellow Cress is struggling to survive and efforts are being made to control invasive species as well. The water temp was about 67º F. on Ancil’s gauge, so I went for a swim in the shallows, then sat on the inflatable dinghy and dried off in the sun.
Later in the afternoon, we motored around Fannette Island in Emerald Bay just to bask in the grandeur of that amazing place before heading home for the night.
We’re planning on going boat camping once the 4th of July crowds thin, and I’m looking forward to watching the light change on the Sierra Nevada and the Milky Way to appear. Until then …
My sailing pals Ancil and John invited me to come up and help them launch La Crapaud, Ancil’s 1968 Columbia 36, a William Crealock design first produced in 1967. I always smile when I see the name La Crapaud, because it means “The Toad” in French. La Crapaud is actually in pretty good shape for a craft of her vintage that hasn’t had a full restoration, and that can be attributed to Ancil’s incredible mechanical skills. Inside, he has a re-powered her with a new Kubota diesel, put in modern plumbing throughout, and installed a new electric windlass and a propane oven, which he uses to bake apple pies and roast things for overnight stays on his “condo on the lake.” With the three of us pitching in, the launch went very well, and we had her rigged and ready to sail in about 2.5 hours. It was a very calm, warm, bright Tahoe morning, so at 11:30 a.m., we motored over to Chambers Landing, where the friendly gals there picked us up at the guest buoy and quickly got us settled with cool refreshments at the bar.
We had the place to ourselves, so we chatted up the young ladies about what it’s like to work at Chambers in the summers, and they regaled us with stories of how crazy busy it gets, especially once the kids are out of school.
One story the young ladies shared with us that really stuck out to me is how often they get the question, “So, where’s the lake?” from tourists. Like, did you not look at a map before driving up this way??? Evidently, some tourists think that Chambers Landing is actually situated on some inland ocean, and that “Lake Tahoe” must be nearby. You cannot make this stuff up.
After our drinks, we motored south towards Camp Richardson — where La Crapaud lives in the summer — dipping into Meeks Bay and Rubicon Bay and along D.L. Bliss State Park (which is unfortunately closed for the summer) as we had a few hours until Ancil’s partner would pick us up on the Camp Rich dock for the drive back to Obexer’s to collect the trailer and take it back down to Reno. All in all, it was a beautiful day, and just gliding along in the shade of La Crapaud’s large bimini and checking out the sights made it feel like we were on an extended Disneyland Jungle Cruise.
Putting a sailboat in the water seems like it would be so simple — and yet it takes a team working in close coordination to pull it off succesfully. Fortunately, Bret and Jessy and the crew at Obexer’s are real pros, and the only goofs we made at yesterday’s launch were self-inflicted: 1) we mounted the forestay with the drum opening facing forward rather than aft (yes, this needs to be turned around), 2) we broke a boat-stand pad as we worked to get the boat off the trailer, and 3) I dropped my favorite hose-clamp-tightening tool in the drink as I spent seven hours fitting out the boat (and feeling lucky that was the only tool that went overboard!). The good news is, the weather was gorgeous, the good folks at Obexer’s let me borrow an empty slip for part of the day, and when I looked up from time to time, I got to see lots of happy sailboaters out enjoying the afternoon zephyr breezes on McKinney Bay.
The lake is wonderfully full this year, and motoring up to our buoy made me realize how lucky we are to be able to enjoy this gorgeous sheet of water at 6,230 ft. above sea level. As I write this with my steaming cup of coffee beside me and feeling every tired and sore muscle in my body this morning, the only thing I can say is: I’m grateful.
We launch Splendido in three days, and the past six weeks have been a whirlwind of activity getting her prepped for the Tahoe sailing season. The theme this spring was, “OK, what really needs to be addressed on a well-loved 31-year old sailboat that has seen lots of use? Fortunately, my mechanical-genius pal Ancil Sigman had plenty of suggestions, as you’ll see below.
The things I intended to fix in the off-season:
Make a better rope with knots in it to pull up the swim ladder.
The things Ancil heartily encouraged me (and tirelessly helped me) to fix in the off-season:
We pulled out every inch of the original (but significantly corroded) battery cables and replaced them with beefier, brand-spankin’ new cabling, all nicely heat-shrinked, from the battery bank to the panel to the engine, inverter, etc.
Upgraded the boat trailer with new running lights, from hitch to taillights.
Pulled out two bent lifelinestanchions, straightened them, then properly re-bedded and reinstalled them.
Replaced all the lifelines on the boat.
Removed the cabin windows that were popping up (hey, 31 years is a pretty good run), re-glued them with 3M VHB tape, and scraped/re-caulked all the windows on the boat.
Completely rebuilt the Whale Galley Gusher pump with a new service kit (way, way harder and less intuitive than it sounds). First clue: The schematic they provide was way too low-rez to be helpful, and nothing on YouTube™ showed how to do it properly. Even the factory’s customer service lady gave us the wrong instructions. In the end, I had to call on Perplexity.ai to finally spit out the right way to do it.
While the icebox pump was out, I sanded, cleaned and re-fiberglassed the area under the stove with a couple layers of cloth. Turned out great.
Also laid in some fiberglass cloth and epoxy on the stern shower fixture door, which had cracked with age. It looks pretty good now with a little gel coat added.
Replaced every seacock on the boat with new Forespar® Marelon™ seacocks. This took a ton of work because the handles don’t come off of the new ones, so you have to grind out the cabinetry in the tight spaces so you can screw the new seacocks onto the thru-hulls.
Replaced the cheap CDI plastic furling drum cover that broke after only two seasons (are you listenin’, CDI?) with a proper metal replacement drum cover which should have been standard issue to begin with. (Replacing this was a major pain).
Since the mast was down on sawhorses, we took the opportunity to service it from tip to base, checking the sheaves, fasteners, spreaders, boots, wiring, lights, etc. Ancil rigged a gypsum-board lifter to help get the 200-lb. mast back up on the boat. Thank you, Ancil!
Checked the steering cables looking for fishhooks (there weren’t any — whew!).
Tried to remove the pinkish stain around the port-side Splendido logo that happened the winter we kept the boat on the hard up at Obexer’s. Tried four or five coats of oxalic acid, several fiberglass cleaning products, Soft Scrub … nothing worked. At best, I got it to lighten maybe 15% or so. Dang.
Applied gel coat to nicks on the transom and elsewhere in the cabin, then wet-sanded it and polished it up.
Removed all the original curtains in the boat, soaked them in OxyClean and mild washing soap, re-sewed the hook-and-loop parts that had come undone, and re-attached them. They look great.
Removed old epoxy spills in the cabin and on deck.
Used 3M 4200 to glue down the bilge pump and float switch in bilge. Also, finally wired the bilge pump properly to the panel so it operates automatically and manually as well.
Touched up the bottom paint with blue Total Boat Krypton.
Put 4-5 coats of PolyGlo (amazing stuff!) on the hull, and now she looks great.
I never did get around to making a better swim ladder rope.
After some rest, I’m looking forward to a relaxing summer of fair winds and smooth sailing! DB
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
It’s funny what you remember when looking back on a sailing season. The thought that most occupied my mind last season was, “OK, are those five new thru-hulls I installed last spring going to stay watertight?” In the end, they worked out just fine, as did the new cutlass bearing (much quieter motoring than in all the previous years we’d owned Splendido) and the “drill-and-fill” repairs to the cabin roof. On the happy side, Debbie and I felt very fortunate that we did not experience the busy fire season locally like much of the rest of North America, so it was a summer of blue skies and ideal wind conditions, which opened up opportunities to explore other parts of Tahoe.
One memorable but somewhat regrettable experience I had was sailing south to Camp Richardson on a busy weekend in August. I hadn’t spent much time at the south end of the lake because I’ve found the winds to be a little flukey down there, and it’s also known for having a quite shallow sandy bottom. Nevertheless, I thought it would be fun to pull into the public dock at Camp Rich and go find a refreshing beverage at The Beacon Bar & Grill, because my sailiing pal Ancil (who keeps his boat down there) had told me what a great place it was. I could see the long pier was bustling with people and boats, so I motored every-so-slowly in and spotted an opening along the pier large enough for our 27-foot Splendido. Right as I started my turn, a small speedboat piloted by two stoned chuckleheads zipped in front of me and poached my spot. I swerved back toward shore to avoid a collision, and instantly felt the keel drag in the sandy bottom. Fortunately, I hit reverse and was able to avoid getting stuck, but that was it for me. I made for open water, set sail and headed north, breathing a sigh of relief at leaving the madding crowds in my wake. Alas, my eagerly anticipated visit to The Beacon would have to wait.
One highlight of the season was trying out a new-to-me pizza joint on the North Shore, Whitecaps Pizza with my buddy Jamie and also with Debbie. I’d heard about Whitecaps from our longtime friend and fellow foodie, Jim “J.B.” Budny of Christy Hill in Tahoe City (more on him below). J.B. had waxed eloquent about the crust of Whitecaps’ pizza. “They do a three-day proof,” he said. “It’s amazing.” J.B. was right. It was remarkable, and sitting at the bar on the deck and gazing out at one of the best views at Tahoe sealed the deal. Whitecaps is my new Tahoe pizza favorite, and I’d drive an hour from Reno for one of their pies.
Speaking of food, at Lake Tahoe, Debbie and I have two places that we love to visit when we go out to eat, and we’ve been fans of both for many, many years.
The first of our Tahoe foodie favorites is Wolfdale’s in Tahoe City. I think we went there on our first date in 1991, and it was — and is — spectacular. Douglas Dale, the founder and chef, has become a friend over the years, as Debbie would occasionally invite him down to Reno to showcase his amazing culinary gifts as featured chef at her place, The Cheese Board & Wine Seller. If you go, do not miss Douglas’ house-made smoked trout with aioli. Better yet, order five of them and make a meal of it. It’s that yummy.
Neck-and-neck with Wolfdale’s is Christy Hill, another longtime staple of the Tahoe City culinary scene. We’ve followed legendary Tahoe waiter and sommelier Jim “J.B.” Budny from Wolfdale’s to Boulevard to Spindleshanks to Christy Hill, where he delivers a masterclass every night in the art and science of service. The views at Christy Hill are to die for, and the nosh is wonderful. J.B. has a gift for pairing wines from all over the world with Christy Hill’s stunning cuisine. Planning a special date night? Make this the place.
We were delighted to welcome some old friends and new ones aboard Splendido this past season. Our friends Mikey and Patty joined us for an afternoon at Sugar Pine as we gently bobbed about, ate, drank and just basked in the bliss of being at Lake Tahoe on a balmy summer afternoon. These opportunities to really unwind are pretty special. Another special guest aboard was my cinematographer colleague and friend, Damian Gordon of Sierra Studio Films, who came up to film Splendido sailing from his drone. Damian is a gifted videographer and editor who’s hired by the likes of the San Francisco Marathon and large corporations to do video work. He’s also the marketing videographer for Nevada’s flagship university, where I’ve worked with him creating student recruiting videos for the past five years. We spent the day sailing the west shore, and I’ll post what we did here once I do the video voiceover that I’ve been putting off now for months. Stay tuned.
You probably noticed one photo in the gallery here showing a vast amount of yellow pine pollen collected along the shore where we launch. Yep, that’s Tahoe in June, and this past year, the pollen was so intense that when a breeze would come up in the pines, it would waft up on a scale that made it look like smoke from a fire. I don’t suffer from pollen allergies myself, but I pity the poor souls who do at that time of year. I think the massive pollen release was a result of the big winter and abundance of water we had over the winter of 2022/23. At the moment, though, the Sierra Nevada snowpack is at 25% of the historical average for January, which is a bit worrying. It looks like a storm is on the way, so fingers crossed for some lake-filling wet weather ahead.
Right now, Splendido is sitting on her trailer in her winter pasture covered with a new-to-me canvas sailboat cover that a fellow Catalina 270 sailor in Seattle gave me, as he found he didn’t need it in the milder Pacific Northwest. My handy pal Ancil is after me to replace Splendido’s battery cables, which we noticed had quite a bit of corrosion at the ends last season. My other projects before launch in a few months include installing brand-new lifelines and a new electric bilge pump, and maybe new portlights, as ours are quite dogged, as they’re now 31 years old. Ah, there’s always plenty of messing about to be done when it comes to boats, but the you realize it’s a privilege to be grateful for, and you just get on with it.
One last thing to note is that today, I’m retiring from the university where I’ve worked for past 11 years to spend more time with my darling bride, Debbie, who sold her business six years ago and has been kinda hanging out waiting for me to get with the program. Our plan is to sail more and stress less, so fingers crossed. I’ll keep you posted. Until next time …
Longtime readers may remember the first of my “Friendships” posts about Love Boat, Zack Sizemore’s great Catalina 22. She’s a sweet Tahoe pocket cruiser that Zack has put heart and soul into restoring over the years, and now she’s up for sale as Zack’s business, Wake Almanor, has taken off.
Zack’s asking $5K for this little beauty, and notes she’s a “1988 Catalina 22 wing keel with a trailer. Honda 8 hp outboard serviced annually. Rolling furler with a fairly new 120% jib, Seoladair boomkicker, BBQ, pop top. Fresh water only. “Tahoe Only” sealed. Comes with lots of extra parts and tools.” Interested sailors can contact Zack for details and a showing at (530) 409-8700.
Whenever I think of this boat, I can’t help hearing Jack Jones crooning the Love Boat theme from 1977:
Love, exciting and new Come aboard. We’re expecting you. And Love, life’s sweetest reward. Let it flow, it floats back to you.
Love Boat soon will be making another run The Love Boat promises something for everyone Set a course for adventure, Your mind on a new romance.
And Love won’t hurt anymore It’s an open smile on a friendly shore. Yes LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOVE!
Our good old boat turns 30 this year, so it was no big surprise that spring commissioning would entail a few more tasks than usual to keep her ship-shape. It helped a lot to have fellow sailor Ancil — an incredibly talented, mechanically inclined guy — poke around Splendido when she was on the hard and notice things I hadn’t noticed. One day, he grabbed hold of the prop drive shaft and said, “You need a new cutlass bearing.” Before I knew it, we were working together to remove the old bushing that supports the drive shaft and tapping in a new one, as shown in this video. The untold part of the video above is that we got a little excited and ended up crimping one edge of the new cutlass bearing as we were tapping it in, so I had to buy a new $75 part from Catalina Direct and re-do it. C’est la guerre.
Ancil struck again by noticing that Splendido’s exhaust thru-hull was cracked. That was a bit of a shocker, as I started playing with it and it broke and literally fell out of the boat. Yikes! Many online searches and phone calls later, and I was able to get Catalina Direct to source a serviceable replacement that is now posted on their website. Having that one fail inspired me to replace four more of the thru-hulls in the boat, and I think they turned out pretty well — plus, it gave me an easy opportunity to use Marelube on all of the seacocks, and to improve access to the annoying one under the kitchen sink.
The fairlead tracks were leaking and allowing water into the balsa of the deck, so Debbie and I drilled and filled them with epoxy and installed new stainless fasteners all down the line. I’m still cleaning up the epoxy drips, but the good thing about an older boat with an oxidized fiberglass deck is that they’re a little easier to deal with — a sharp razor-blade and a bit of heat gun action seems to be doing the trick.
We launch next Tuesday, so I’m excited to finally get her back out on Lake Tahoe. Other honey-dos this winter included riveting on a new gooseneck to boom and mast, and doing a quick re-varnish of the cabin lockers, drink holder, and oars. Ah, the aroma of varnish stinking up the garage in the morning. It smells like … sailing season!
This morning, it’s back to the boat yard to caulk the fairlead tracks, clean up epoxy drips, Thixo some aged, cracked plastic pieces, and maybe touch up some paint on boat and trailer. I promise, my next post will be about actually sailing on Lake Tahoe — that is, if Zephyrus grants us the privilege.
Sailing Lake Tahoe on a good old boat 