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Catalina/Capri 25/250 Sailor's Forums

General Sailing Forum

N. Cal lake sailing spot - recommendations?

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tmhansen
Captain

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USA
397 Posts

Initially Posted - 01/04/2004 : 04:25:03

This past summer my sisters and their families along with our parents all gathered at a campground near Moss Landing for a long weekend together. We all brought small boats and had a great day with the kids in the small harbor at Moss Landing.

This summer we want to go to a nice warm lake where the kids can swim and we can sail and paddle our various boats. I am looking for recommendations from you Northern California sailors. I have stayed at Huntington and had a great, quiet time. Folsom is another possibility. What about lakes in the mid sierra foothills? Is Don Pedro or New Melones any good to sail? As a kid I remember Tulock was a great water ski lake, which means not much wind. Valley lakes can get pretty shallow, like Woodward. Ed where do you keep your boat?

Todd Hansen
Fiorghra'
San Luis Obispo, CA

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ClamBeach
Master Marine Consultant

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3072 Posts

Response Posted - 01/04/2004 : 12:25:44

Are you thinking of just daysailers... or bringing your C25?

Some popular venues that come to mind... (these are really Northern Calif)
Oroville (reservoir), Shasta (reservoir), Clear Lake (natural), Trinity Lake (reservoir) and Whiskeytown (a transfer lake)..

Clear Lake has lots of open water suitable for larger boats like the C25 and is noted for good sailing winds, especially in the afternoon. Warm water, shoreside resorts and a nice state park. The water gets a heavy growth of algae in the late summer though.

Whiskeytown is a 'jewel'... beautiful water, good winds... excellent daysailor lake.

Your best choice may depend on the timing of your trip as the reservoirs will have muddy shorelines when they get drawn down in the summer... with the exception of Whiskeytown which is a 'transfer' lake for water being diverted from Trinity lake to the Sacramento river.

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lcharlot
Master Marine Consultant

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Antigua and Barbuda
1301 Posts

Response Posted - 01/04/2004 : 12:40:12

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by ClamBeach
 Clear Lake has lots of open water suitable for larger boats like the C25 and is noted for good sailing winds,te summer though.

Whiskeytown is a 'jewel'... beautiful water, good winds... excellent daysailor lake.
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">

ClamBeach is understating the algae problem at Clear Lake. By Labor Day, the algae bloom is so thick that the smell would drop a skunk at a hundred yards. I wouldn't go to Clear Lake after mid-June.

Whiskeytown Lake is indeed beautiful, but my understanding is that overnight boat camping is no longer allowed. There are campgrounds on shore, but I have heard that all boats have to be off the lake at sunset.

Folsom Lake is home to a large sailing community, and my club, Catalina 22 Fleet 4, has cruises there at least once a month from March through October. Water is 80ºF by July 4th, and there are many sheltered anchorages with 5MPH speed limit.

Edited by - lcharlot on 01/04/2004 12:41:33

ClamBeach
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3072 Posts

Response Posted - 01/04/2004 : 19:18:53

More lake ruminations and ramblings...

Larry is quite correct... the algae on the downwind side of Clear Lake can get pretty gnarly by late summer. (still an understatement) The upwind side (west) side of the lake usually doesn't get nearly as bad. All in all, Clear Lake is best as an early-summer venue.

It is really a shame... too many nutrients have got into this once-beautiful 'landlocked' lake and have no way to get out. Clear Lake hosts a pretty good sized regatta for trailerable sailboats each Memorial Day.

Yes, Whiskeytown lake doesn't allow overnight boat camping... shoreside only. Lovely lake for daysailing though.

Another potential venue besides Folsom is Lake Berryessa... just NE of the the SF Bay Area...

All said, Folsom sounds really good... the prospect of 80 degree water is pretty darn inviting right now.

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tmhansen
Captain

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USA
397 Posts

Response Posted - 01/04/2004 : 22:14:11

My wife, kids and I chartered a Cat25 on Folsom a few years back and loved it. I was surprised by how quiet the lake was. We were not terrorized by jet ski's and such. Did not see much wind though. Folsom is a possibility. What about farther south, closer to the Bay Area? I'm coming up from San Luis Obispo and sisters are located in Modesto and Santa Cruz. Does Berryessa really get any wind? I remember it as a long narrow lake. Anyone sail Don Pedro?

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Ed Montague
Captain

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USA
499 Posts

Response Posted - 01/05/2004 : 01:46:52

Todd, Sorry to just be replying. Just got in from a nice cold afternoon sailing on Don Pedro, winds 10 to 12 knots, should have worn 'long johns'. As the others have mentioned there are quite a few N. Cal lakes. In the summer most of the Sierra foothill lakes are going to have water temps that are very comfy, I don't consider Huntington a foothill lake at 7000'. Beautiful, windy and the water is always cold. New Melones is a large lake but very undeveloped and I am not too sure about the camping available.
I am a little biased toward Don Pedro and have included a link for you to review. The wind typically turns on at about 3:00pm and blows warm and steady until just before sundown. Generally at about 10:00pm the night breeze picks up for wonderful night sailing. Mornings are the time to water ski. http://www.tid.org/DonPedro/ Your sister lives just 30 miles down river from the lake. Once you get away from the marina area the lake really can be quite and with all the coves along all those miles of shore privacy can be found. If you need any help launching or making plans feel free to call. Or better yet come on up for a visit to scout the place out.http://www.donpedrolake.com/mapLake.html

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Gary B.
Admiral

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USA
969 Posts

Response Posted - 01/05/2004 : 13:23:01

Hey, can I jump in here? Those of you with C-25s in N. Cal may be able to help me get in touch with owners who might consider coming up the to National Regatta/Rendezvous in Portland, OR in July. Which of you knows how to get in touch with the Folsom Lake C-25 guys, for instance. There are a number of California C-25/250 owners in the owner directory, but I have no idea where some of those towns are located, nor if the emails are accurate, etc. Any communication help would be appreciated.

In September, I just helped a local guy haul a C-25 up from Lake Oroville. Just got a glimpse, but it looked very nice and may be worth checking out. It's not far from Chico. I know they do a bit of racing there, so there must be SOME wind. It HOWLED the day we were there....

Gary B.
Encore! #685 SK/SR
Vice Commodore

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