Association Forum - 78 Catalina 25 full keel visits all N. Idaho lakes

Assn Members Area · Join

Home.

Association Forum

Ships Store

Cruising

Racing

Technical Tips

Photo Gallery - New

Boat Search - Updated

Manuals & Brochures

Swap Meet

Links

Officer Flag Line & Staff

Bylaws & Constitution

Members Area

Join the Association

Notice:
The advice given on this site is based upon individual or quoted experience, yours may differ.
The Officers, Staff and members of this site only provide information based upon the concept that anyone utilizing this information does so at their own risk and holds harmless all contributors to this site.

Association Forum

Username:	Password:
Save Password
Forgot your Password?

All Forums

Catalina/Capri 25/250 Sailor's Forums

General Sailing Forum

78 Catalina 25 full keel visits all N. Idaho lakes

New Topic

Topic Locked

Printer Friendly

Author

Topic

rrick
Captain

Member Avatar

USA
261 Posts

Initially Posted - 09/04/2012 : 17:02:28

Here in north Idaho we have large lakes. By ownership and slip records, I can now say my '78 Catalina has lived every one.
<ul><li>Lake Coeur d'Alene </li><li>Priest Lake </li><li>Lake Pend Oreille</li><li>Hayden Lake</li></ul>
It's my boat now, but also feel she has connection to the area. For this reason I'm hesitant to move her to the ocean. Any thoughts?

Molly Brown: 1967 Grand Banks 32-#34. Bronze, mahogany, teak, oak, with 120hp diesel to push all 10 tons. Currently an abuser of the bilge pump. Also... The Tall Rig Spirit: 1978, #973, Cast Fe Fin Keel on a Trailer

Edited by - on

Dave5041
Former Mainsheet Editor

Members Avatar

USA
3758 Posts

Response Posted - 09/04/2012 : 18:55:46

I would keep her where you can use her the most. Take trailer trips to the coast. Did you take her to all the lakes, or did she do some before she met you? I'm thinking a "lakes of Idaho" Mainsheet article.

Edited by - Dave5041 on 09/04/2012 18:58:12

redviking
Master Marine Consultant

Members Avatar

USA
1771 Posts

Response Posted - 09/04/2012 : 20:01:02

Once you have a pod of dolphins play off your bow, or see a giant sea turtle, or the Phosphorescence of the
sea at night, you'll never go back...

sten

Edited by - on

Stinkpotter
Master Marine Consultant

Members Avatar

Djibouti
9089 Posts

Response Posted - 09/04/2012 : 20:40:00

...and there's a strange and explainable sensation sailing on waters where your only limits are ending up where you started--if you don't run into Spain, Africa, China, or Antarctica. Of course, the C-25 can't take us to those places, but even coastal sailing is virtually unlimited in experiences, sights, destinations, wildlife,...

I grew up in Great Lakes country, and considered them as "unlimited"... But once you live and sail on a coast, there's a feeling of unlimited horizons--even if you haven't gone "out there"--it's hard to describe. Maybe somebody who's been beyond earth orbit will say the same thing some day about sailing on the oceans!

Edited by - on

rrick
Captain

Members Avatar

USA
261 Posts

Response Posted - 09/04/2012 : 20:45:07

Hayden Lake was my addition to the list; so she's complete with North Idaho, then?

Edited by - on

JohnP
Master Marine Consultant

Members Avatar

1520 Posts

Response Posted - 09/05/2012 : 05:46:23

If I were in your sailing venue, I would personally try out each of these sites with their idiosyncracies and local knowledge. I've heard about the unusual wind patterns on big mountain lakes, and if you could make sense of it all, that would make fascinating reading for us armchair sailors.

These lakes have spectacular scenery and amazingly clear, cold water.
Everybody else is stuck on a crowded coast.

I vote for trailering around the 100 mile region.

Edited by - JohnP on 09/05/2012 05:49:37

shnool
Former Capri-25 Tech Editor

Members Avatar

USA
1032 Posts

Response Posted - 09/05/2012 : 06:02:06

Having sailed mountain lakes, and coastal waters, I can honestly say, each have their own challenges. The freshwater makes for much nicer swimming though, and the lake tend towards being much deeper than most bays (great for a full keel).

Mountain Lakes = challenging winds, 90 degree wind shifts, and not unusual to see a change of 1 to 2 ticks on the Beaufort Scale in a single sail.

I'd bounce around every one of the lakes close to you.. We all want to sail "open waters," and no reason you can't do that too, but closed waters are fun to explore too! Sail where it's easy to get quickly. Because nothing is better than getting to the boat 3-4-5 times a week, if it's 3+ hours to the boat, it's less practical to get there as often.

It's the same decision I had to make. I would have LOVED to be on the Chessie (3 hours from me), but would only get there weekends, and it'd consume my whole day to do it. Now I am 50 minutes from a man made lake, and get to the boat sometimes 4 times a week. Great 3-4 hour night sails are common, as well as weekday beercan races, and I still get a decent nights sleep in my landlubber bed.

Edited by - on

rrick
Captain

Members Avatar

USA
261 Posts

Response Posted - 09/05/2012 : 11:17:10

Pend Oreille was huge. Last season I had a slip at the deep end of the lake (southern end, 1300' deep) but never made it past the other end of the bay on a day sail. Thanks for pointing out how weird the wind is on these mountain lakes, I was going to tell my Hayden story but didn't want to sound crazy. Every N.Idaho lake is glacially carved into a deep V, with 100's of feet submerged and 100's of feet of mountains and few breaks in this pattern. Hayden Lake has a northernly flow until your reach my dock noted on the map. That canyon to the north there causes a 180 deg wind shift. Crazy, but I'm never on a run when doing my rounds on the lake.

Why I wont trailer. I had a slip on Pend Oreille last season but catching a windy day was hit and miss. Problem wasn't so bad because I didn't trailer 40 miles. I'm not willing to risk a calm day after a trailer ordeal, so I'm sticking to moorings.

The original concern was, if the yacht lived it's whole life here in N. Idaho, I'm I worthy to remove her from her home?

Edited by - on

rrick
Captain

Members Avatar

USA
261 Posts

Response Posted - 09/05/2012 : 11:23:20

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by shnool
 
Mountain Lakes = challenging winds, 90 degree wind shifts, and not unusual to see a change of 1 to 2 ticks on the Beaufort Scale in a single sail.

<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">

Offshore cruising would get tiresome if you had to trim every 100 yards and slow to a crawl with a reefed sail as you wait for the next big puff. But sure is fun when all this happens right in front of your dock!

Edited by - on

Ape-X
Admiral

Members Avatar

USA
662 Posts

Response Posted - 09/05/2012 : 13:19:47

rrrrrick: Of course you can move your boat to a nother locale. I can't see where the value would be increased by claiming the boat was always in Idaho lakes.

Edited by - on

Topic

New Topic

Topic Locked

Printer Friendly

Jump To:

Association Forum

Notice: The advice given on this site is based upon individual or quoted experience, yours may differ.
The Officers, Staff and members of this site only provide information based upon the concept that anyone utilizing this information does so at their own risk and holds harmless all contributors to this site.