Page 1 of 1

Genre: party cruise

PostPosted: Sun Aug 14, 2016 10:49 pm
by GreenLake
Got my annual party cruise in again. Which consists of sailing across the lake in late afternoon, arriving at my friend's dock when the party starts. (Extra points if I can manage that under full sail, right as the other guests arrive). Then enjoying the party and leaving after nightfall for a spot of night sailing (and some motoring) to return in the small hours. (Extra points if the breeze is not only steady, but balmy, and t we can sail under a starry sky or a full moon).

The challenge is that the lake in summer time can have really light winds during the day and is typically becalmed for some time after sunset, and the batteries for my trolling motor are good for about 1/4 of the total distance ...

This time, we had great winds, broad reaching in record time across the widest part of the lake. Even if the spinnaker had an actual knot in it when we first tried to set it :oops:

Normally, the winds die during the party, but the summer weather pattern has a pretty reliable night breeze that picks up later. Well, this was not a typical night, so the breeze kept going on the lake, all we had to do is motor out of the bay, to find that while it was not as strong as before, it had shifted into a slightly more favorable direction for the return. And it was still pretty warm, and the stars were out (sort of). There was absolutely no traffic; we owned the lake.

There usually is enough sky-shine around so it's possible to almost see everything in the boat, but not the tell-tales or the wind indicator (unless we light it up briefly with a flashlight). Still there's a lot more I do by touch and feel at night, so that's always fun.

Closer to the launch we have to pass some places that are a bit sheltered, and it's rare to get wind there at night. That's when the motor comes out and we drained one of the batteries to get us home.

Re: Genre: party cruise

PostPosted: Tue Aug 30, 2016 2:02 am
by talbot
What can we say? Congratulations!

Re: Genre: party cruise

PostPosted: Fri Sep 09, 2016 9:37 pm
by K.C. Walker
That sounds like a fun cruise and you earned plenty of points! What's better than that?!

Re: Genre: party cruise

PostPosted: Sat Sep 10, 2016 12:26 am
by GreenLake
K.C. Walker wrote:That sounds like a fun cruise and you earned plenty of points! What's better than that?!


Having a friend spontaneously decide to join us for the return trip, because he thought being on the lake until the small hours beat taking the bus home...

Re: Genre: party cruise

PostPosted: Sat Sep 10, 2016 3:10 pm
by K.C. Walker
Okay, that sounds like a bonus round!

Re: Genre: party cruise

PostPosted: Mon Oct 09, 2017 11:47 pm
by BaronDaniels
Wow! I hope to experience one like this someday. :D

Re: Genre: party cruise

PostPosted: Wed Oct 11, 2017 9:08 am
by klb67
My local club has done a harvest moon cruise the last several years, although not this year for some reason. It was always a bit of a gamble on wind and last year I took my 2 HP evinrude just in case. I like the bit of adventure you get, having to be at a place sort of on time for the dinner, and then leaving and being able to sail under moonlight until you decide to head to the dock.