Hello, I will be moving to Monterey, CA in June and was wondering if there are some lake, reservoir sailing opportunities nearby. Does anyone have history with San Luis reservoir? Others? Any info appreciated. How about the Santa Cruz fleet? Is it always lumpy, cold, foggy, sharky? Regards, John W
California Dreamin'
- Thread starter john w
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Skipper Johnson
New Member
john w said:
Hi John,
Re you shark worries, here in OZ we carry a small "shark stick" in case of shark attack. It's about 4 ft long with a spike on one end. I tie mine to the mast with shockcord. If they pop up, we just bonk them on the nose and they swim away. Maybe you can buy one in US when sailing in CA
Merrily
Administrator
Skipper Johnson said:
OMG! You're kidding, right?
Skipper Johnson
New Member
Merrily said:
No, I'm serious. I also carry an electronic prod in case a feral kangaroo attacks me on the way to the boat ramp.
SFBayLaser
Member
I grew up in Monterey and, while I now live in the Bay Area, have kept my Monterey Peninsula Yacht Club membership all these years because I live sailing there so much (and because the people there are great too!).
The sailing in Monterey is great, why would you want to go to a lake? And it really smokes at San Luis Reservoir (about a 2 hour drive from Monterey), plus you don't sail on the reservoir, but rather down in the holdiing areas below the dam.
Anyway, in Monterey you do get fog. Lots of it. You will be arriving right at the start of fog season in fact, and you'll be lucky to see the sun, on the water, for a long time... maybe until September? Still, the breeze there is typically 10-15 in the Summer with a nice rolling swell. The wind bends near the shore so upwind legs take you along Cannery Row (those of you who have read your Steinbeck are now perking up) near the kelp beds where the Sea Otters bask in the sun. Cool stuff, actually.
There is some Laser sailing activity there and they do host at least one event per year. But if you really want to get into the racing scene then you want to drive to the events in the District. These range from Santa Cruz (The NorCals coming up April 15-16), so San Francisco (St Francis, RYC, etc.), to the lakes in the Central Valley, even to the end of the season even up at Lake Tahoe.
Let me know if you want more info!
The sailing in Monterey is great, why would you want to go to a lake? And it really smokes at San Luis Reservoir (about a 2 hour drive from Monterey), plus you don't sail on the reservoir, but rather down in the holdiing areas below the dam.
Anyway, in Monterey you do get fog. Lots of it. You will be arriving right at the start of fog season in fact, and you'll be lucky to see the sun, on the water, for a long time... maybe until September? Still, the breeze there is typically 10-15 in the Summer with a nice rolling swell. The wind bends near the shore so upwind legs take you along Cannery Row (those of you who have read your Steinbeck are now perking up) near the kelp beds where the Sea Otters bask in the sun. Cool stuff, actually.
There is some Laser sailing activity there and they do host at least one event per year. But if you really want to get into the racing scene then you want to drive to the events in the District. These range from Santa Cruz (The NorCals coming up April 15-16), so San Francisco (St Francis, RYC, etc.), to the lakes in the Central Valley, even to the end of the season even up at Lake Tahoe.
Let me know if you want more info!
Tracy, Thanks for the reply. The absolute, most fun that I have ever had sailing was on a relatively small reservoir where the wind would howl during the spring. I sailed with an enthusiastic bunch of Laser sailors in "time trial" fashion. I tell you about it because I've never heard of anyone else doing it and it was such fun. We would set a course similar to a water ski slalom course only with more spacing irregularities. The racing boat was free to sail anytime he/she thought the wind was honking. Because we were all just free sailing and didn't want to sit around timing each other, the active skipper would whistle the last boat to have timed trialed to let them know that another "run" was about to commence. (The last boat was somewhat obligated to stay close to the start line) The clock started as soon as the active boat crossed the line and would end a timed run when the active boat completed the slalom by turning up into the wind and luff the sail after passing the last slalom marker. All very unofficial and everyone was on an honor system to confess if they touched a marker. We assesed a 15 second penalty for touches. The only time that was important was the fastest. The resevoir was shallow (easy to set about six gates) the water was flat and the wind would blow 20-25. We would sail until our legs didn't work anymore. Talk about a gybing drill. I tell you this because the beauty of a Laser is the ability to virtually sail it in a puddle if need be. Of course, Monterey Bay is beautiful, but flat water with heavy wind is a kick. I also enjoy solo sailing excursions where if you or your equipment messes up, you're left with something other than a life threatening event. I look forward to my return to the West. Regards, John