Four Days on the Lake

[CateP]

Ahead lay four glorious days to live on our boat and be on the water. We had destinations all over the lake with invitations from several forum members. And so it began on a warm Thursday night at our home port at the Wolfeboro Corinthian Yacht Club.

The boat was carefully provisioned with sealed tupperware and drinks placed in our onboard cooler box with one 25lb bag and one block of ice. That should last three days according to our estimates. We filled our fresh water holding tank that would deliver hot water in both the galley and head sinks heated by the diesel engine. Soft linens for an oversize v-berth. iPad with six movies downloaded and mounted on an extension. Bluetooth speaker for full cinema sound. A few books. A few beers. Sketch pad. Ukalele. And two shih tzu doggies. All on board and ready to go.

Thursday night dockage was lovely and quiet at the WCYC. Except for the loons who called in the distance.

Friday morning we headed out of Wolfeboro Bay for our great adventure.

[CateP]

Right out of Wolfeboro Bay and we were in the Broads. Absolutely beautiful sailing. Rattlesnake Island was on our port side. And believe it our not there was a southeast wind that would send us up the lake!

[CateP]

The lake opened up into a wide expanse as we headed up towards Welch Island. It felt massive out there in The Broads. Surrounded on all sides by mountains it is truly a beautiful sight to behold. That Friday the lake was in a gentle mood. 8-10 knot winds. Just enough to keep us moving and all of us cool. What a joy!!

[CateP]

Our first destination for the day was Five Mile Island. We could have easily sailed right up to Center Harbor on that lovely Friday wind, but anchoring at this beautiful spot and having lunch won the day.

For those of you that don't know, Five Mile Island is owned by the Lakes Region Conservation Trust and it is uninhabited. There is a walking path around the island and it is a wonderful anchorage for a day.

[CateP]

One of my favorite spots on the lake near Five Mile Island is the Ozones. What a great name. (Reminds me of that stuff we used to spray in our dorm room to get rid of the smell of pot...a LONG time ago)

The Ozones are a collective of small islands with one or two houses on them. They are a thin, rocky strip of land right smack in the middle of the lake. Imagine staying there and being surrounded by water on all sides like that.

[CateP]

The sun was sinking low on that beautiful Friday and we headed across the way to Bear Island for our first overnight docking. One of the fabulous forum members offered to let us tie up and join him for a camp fire and a tour the next day.

We arrived before our host who was fighting the good fight in Friday traffic. As we approached the dock we could clearly see the water level was quite low. Our depth alarm went off. It was too shallow. Wow. My mate did a great job of reversing engines before we scraped bottom.

So now what? We were homeless. We called our friends down at Chase Island and asked if we could dock there for the night. We had planned on going there the next night anyway, so it wasn't a complete surprise. Luckily we got a hold of them and they gladly agreed. However the sky was turning very dark and the sun was setting. We were at least an hour away from Chase.

[CateP]

The lake is moody and the smart boater will have at least two radar apps on their phone. I do. We once got caught in a micro-burst on the lake and we will never forget that experience. 60 mile an hour winds and pelting rain that felt like needles. Lightening striking all around us and wind sheering off the tops of waves. It rained so hard you couldn't see the shoreline.

We survived, but I always have my eye on the radar.

[CateP]

We motored in past Sandy Island on our starboard side towards Little Bear Island on our way to Chase Island. The markers were a little confusing for us as you go north of the black marker seen here and then south of a red marker that is right in the middle of the channel. Thank goodness for our Bizer Map and App. Just follow the green dotted line and you are okay. Don't question the markers!!

[CateP]

Ahh... Saturday morning at Chase Island. What a wonderful spot. We slept late and cooked scrambled eggs and bacon on the boat. We have a nifty Swedish alcohol stove that works like a charm. We also spent some big bucks on some stainless steel Magnum nesting pots and pans that hold and spread the heat beautifully.

By 10:00 a.m. it was clear the day was going to be a scorcher and there was little to no wind to be seen. We decided to linger in the shade, read books, drink cold drinks, swim, snorkel and nap. Ahh...vacation.

[CateP]

Here are our two shih tzu pups enjoying a perfect day of swimming, patrolling the beach, notifying us if boats were not observing the No Wake zone in front, and generally lolling about.

[CateP]

Saturday afternoon the weather took a turn. Thunderstorms were forecast and we could hear a distant rumble. The sky to the south turned an angry purple and the wind began to kick up with sudden coolness. Yes, the classic summer storm on the lake. But we were safely ashore.

Lightening flashed in the sky and we watched as motor boats sped towards 19 Mile Bay. I looked at the radar and there was a large splotch of green with yellow and red inside. Not good. Red is not good.

While we waited for the deluge the sky to the north remained blue. It was odd to see such a contrast in weather within a 180 degree span. But what was even more odd is that after all this bluster it only rained about six big drops and that was it. (Reminded me of some politicians)

[CateP]

Sunday morning greeted us with the three H's. Hazy, hot and humid. Not a stick of wind either. Luckily there were no thunderstorms predicted so we decided to head back out into the big lake to one of our favorite anchorages...Ragged Island. (Also owned and managed by the Lakes Region Conservation Trust)

Here were are chugging along towards Ragged from the north.

[CateP]

We approached Ragged Island from the east side and went around the entire island. Lots of rocks around this thing and most are labeled on the Bizer map. You have to keep a keen look out however because there are some rocks that are not on the map and lie just under the surface. Go slow around this island jewel.

[Winopt]

Thanks for posting your story and photos. We are so lucky to have such a great lake and you are so smart to take advantage and explore it!

[CateP]

We anchored near that little rock to the right of the island. Lots of rocks over there, but the water is so clear and deep. Absolutely gorgeous. And many other boaters felt the same way.

There had to have been 12 or more boats over in that little cove that day. Everyone was fairly quiet except for kids laughter, which was a lovely sound. We expected to read and nap as the passing boat wakes sloshed us around, but we found an unexpected entertainment...watching other people try to anchor.

The boat wake waves were pretty rough and it required a strong, set anchor to stay in one place. Well, I would say that at least five boats tried to anchor near us and we could tell from the start that they would not be staying in one place for long. The waves pushed them toward the rocky shore and their anchors dragged pitifully. They would start the motor, head out again and drop the anchor. Once again the waves sent them dangerously toward the rocks. One large pontoon boat filled with beefy men with tattoos actually tried to use two anchors!! One in the bow and one in the stern. Both anchor lines got hysterically tangled and I could see the frustration on these guys faces as their scantily clad female companions looked on. Needless to say the guys decided they would rather go someplace else and took off, leaving their dignity and boating skills behind.

Later , when we went snorkeling I found and entire lower gear section of a motor wedged in between some smirking rocks.

[CateP]

Sometimes people ask us about our sailing pups and what we do when they need to go. Well here you have it. The doggie water taxi to shore.

We think they may enjoy riding a wave or two when we take them to the ocean.

[Resident 2B]

Thank you so much for sharing this wonderful story of your great four day cruise. It was like I was there.

I sail on the ocean, but had a power boat on Winni. I should have had a sail boat.

We sold our place on Winni during the winter and we miss it a lot. We have become snowbirds and I must admit, we were happy to be in Florida last winter.

We continue to visit the lake and we are looking at buying something again. I do not want three homes, but you only live once.

Thanks again!

R2B

[Dad sold the C * C]

Thank you Cate,
I enjoy your write up's and looked forward to this one. Love the "doggie taxi"

[Cindido]

Thank you Cate - I loved being part of your lake adventure!!!

[HomeWood]

Way.....too.....cool!!!

[CateP]

Lazy Sunday. We left Ragged Island and headed for our next dockage... Rattlesnake Island. That had not been planned because we thought we would be going up to Greene's Basin that night. As it turned out we decided not go up there because of the tricky navigation and the size of our boat. It would have been a harrowing, stressful motoring experience and that was not what we were needing on vacation. Instead we headed back out into the open, rock-free Broads. Sailing mecca...if there is wind.

[LIforrelaxin]

Quite an adventure... I had noticed your vessel tied to the dock on Chase Island.... It is great that this forum has allowed you to meet people and sail on the lake, and have places to moor for the night......

[CateP]

We had a slow motor over to Rattlesnake. It was very hot and our ice had run out that morning. We had to re-supply at 19 Mile Bay store before leaving Chase and were delighted to find they carried 25lb bags of ice and ice blocks. So everything was cool...especially those Heinekens that were waiting for us upon settling in at our next dockage.

Arriving at Rattlesnake we encountered our second unexpected low water dockage situation. The depth alarm went off and once again we were homeless sailors, floating aimlessly, hoping we would't have to go back home early.

Luckily a neighbor nearby had a deep water dock that we could use and we tied up there for the night. Our boat only draws 3'3" with a wing keel, but with boat wakes we have to be careful to give a little extra room below. Especially when there are smirking rocks awaiting on the bottom.

Twilight at Rattlesnake. Treasure Island and Alton on the right.

[CateP]

Monday morning we woke to yet another scorcher day with no wind and decided to lounge about instead of motoring off and anchoring. We have a family camp on Rattlesnake Island and it was next door to where we docked so we enjoyed another restful, swimming day with the doggies.

I finished my book and sketched lake scenes. My mate worked on creating stone steps that we could use to get out of the lake at the camp. No beach here. Just rocks. But the water was crystal clear and warm.

[CateP]

Later in the afternoon we decided to pack up and head for our home port in Wolfeboro. A slight breeze had kicked in and we unfurled the genoa to help propel us home. Motor sailing at 5 knots. The lake had pretty much cleared out from the weekend so we had that huge, wide expanse mostly to ourselves.

We serenaded ourselves with some tropical reggae on the Bluetooth speaker broadcasting from my iPhone. And yes, we cracked a freezing cold one to sip from on our way into the bay. So relaxing. No heavy thoughts. Just watching the mesmerizing patterns of the water and the late day sun reminding us that our planet is turning and the sun is not really setting.

Four days on the lake. It is such a special place we have in Winnipesaukee. Indeed the "Smile of the Great Spirit." (When the weather is good) Next year we are going to schedule our trip in late June. The water will be higher and it is more likely there will be wind.

I hope you have enjoyed following us on our journey this year. The forum members continue to be a large part of making this happen through their generous docking invitations and helpful advice about navigating the more tricky parts of the lake. Thank you all.

[SIKSUKR]

Nice trip report.Love the last pic as it reminds me of being out later in the day when traffic is low before a setting sun.Very peacefull.

[Pineedles]

Glad you did the sail again Cate. Probably need to look at the water depth more closely for next year's excursion.

[LIforrelaxin]

Cate,

How much water do you need to feel comfortable?

Thanks for sharing your adventure maybe next year some new lakefront owners can help you, but some of us need to know just how much water you really need.... If you sail in June, my place may have enough water.... but that is dependent on just how much water under the keel you like to have to be comfortable...

[CateP]

Originally Posted by LIforrelaxin

Cate,

How much water do you need to feel comfortable?

I would say at least 3'10" to feel safe with the rise and fall of boat wakes. The keel lies in the middle of the boat so we have about 12 feet of boat that needs to be forward of that point, which means the depth needs to be measured at least 10-12 feet in towards shore from the end of dock. That is the key I believe. Our dockage at Rattlesnake shows the best dockage situation. Full boat at dock and deep enough at keel. Mast clearance at 26 ft. is also a consideration. A lot of docks on the lake are not designed for big boats like ours. Chase Island dock is an exception because the owner is a sailor and has had big sailboats like ours in the past.

Thanks for your consideration of having the Reliance crew visit.

[bclaker]

Thanks Cate for sharing your vacation on the water.

[LIforrelaxin]

Originally Posted by CateP

I would say at least 3'10" to feel safe with the rise and fall of boat wakes. The keel lies in the middle of the boat so we have about 12 feet of boat that needs to be forward of that point, which means the depth needs to be measured at least 10-12 feet in towards shore from the end of dock. That is the key I believe. Our dockage at Rattlesnake shows the best dockage situation. Full boat at dock and deep enough at keel. Mast clearance at 26 ft. is also a consideration. A lot of docks on the lake are not designed for big boats like ours. Chase Island dock is an exception because the owner is a sailor and has had big sailboats like ours in the past.

Thanks for your consideration of having the Reliance crew visit.

Cate, I think what you are doing is awesome.... I think the lake should be more friendly in this regard and allow overnight mooring, as long as a boat is equipped properly.

How do you feel about anchoring and falling back and tying off to a dock?
I would believe this to be a legal technique allowing you to remain over night.

I would of course need to check with other family members, but I have a feeling I could convince them, especially as we are not often around during the week... and I can facilitate a weekend visit by just making it my weekend to use the camp....

[Dave R]

Originally Posted by LIforrelaxin

I think the lake should be more friendly in this regard and allow overnight mooring, as long as a boat is equipped properly.

I agree. That said, a good start would be to allow paid overnight stays at town docks. I spent some time on my boat in the 1000 Islands area this Summer and it was eye-opening. The port towns there do everything they can to make it boater-friendly and it was such a treat. Every town allowed limited-stay overnight docking (for a fee) and provided nice showers and bathrooms. Winnipesaukee port towns should do the same. It would help businesses, create jobs and generate revenue for the towns. It would also make for better utilization of existing facilities and likely prevent many BUI instances. Noise ordinances would be pathetically easy to enforce too, because the local PD could do so from shore. I can't think of a down side.

[Rich]

Originally Posted by Dave R

I agree. That said, a good start would be to allow paid overnight stays at town docks. I spent some time on my boat in the 1000 Islands area this Summer and it was eye-opening. The port towns there do everything they can to make it boater-friendly and it was such a treat. Every town allowed limited-stay overnight docking (for a fee) and provided nice showers and bathrooms. Winnipesaukee port towns should do the same. It would help businesses, create jobs and generate revenue for the towns. It would also make for better utilization of existing facilities and likely prevent many BUI instances. Noise ordinances would be pathetically easy to enforce too, because the local PD could do so from shore. I can't think of a down side.

I agree 100%

[HellRaZoR004]

Originally Posted by Dave R

I agree. That said, a good start would be to allow paid overnight stays at town docks. I spent some time on my boat in the 1000 Islands area this Summer and it was eye-opening. The port towns there do everything they can to make it boater-friendly and it was such a treat. Every town allowed limited-stay overnight docking (for a fee) and provided nice showers and bathrooms. Winnipesaukee port towns should do the same. It would help businesses, create jobs and generate revenue for the towns. It would also make for better utilization of existing facilities and likely prevent many BUI instances. Noise ordinances would be pathetically easy to enforce too, because the local PD could do so from shore. I can't think of a down side.

Brilliant idea, agree 100%. How do we start a petition?

[Happy Gourmand]

Originally Posted by Dave R

I agree. That said, a good start would be to allow paid overnight stays at town docks. I spent some time on my boat in the 1000 Islands area this Summer and it was eye-opening. The port towns there do everything they can to make it boater-friendly and it was such a treat. Every town allowed limited-stay overnight docking (for a fee) and provided nice showers and bathrooms. Winnipesaukee port towns should do the same. It would help businesses, create jobs and generate revenue for the towns. It would also make for better utilization of existing facilities and likely prevent many BUI instances. Noise ordinances would be pathetically easy to enforce too, because the local PD could do so from shore. I can't think of a down side.

Playing devil's advocate a bit, what if the overnighters stayed all day and took up valuable dock space that would prevent the rest of us to dock for a couple of hours and spend some money locally? It's pretty difficult now to get dock space on the weekends, wouldn't this just make it harder?

[Onshore]

The key would be limited overnight docking.

[Greene's Basin Girl]

Originally Posted by Happy Gourmand

Playing devil's advocate a bit, what if the overnighters stayed all day and took up valuable dock space that would prevent the rest of us to dock for a couple of hours and spend some money locally? It's pretty difficult now to get dock space on the weekends, wouldn't this just make it harder?

I totally agree with you. We have a pontoon boat and it is almost impossible to get dock space.

[Dave R]

Originally Posted by Happy Gourmand

Playing devil's advocate a bit, what if the overnighters stayed all day and took up valuable dock space that would prevent the rest of us to dock for a couple of hours and spend some money locally? It's pretty difficult now to get dock space on the weekends, wouldn't this just make it harder?

In the 1000 Islands area, the town docks have 3 hour time limits for free docking, so if you have a limit for the number of paid nights one could stay, and a limit for the amount of time one can stay for free during the day (this already exists), the problem solves itself. Have the overnight period start at 8 PM and end at 8 AM, stays during the other 12 hours of the day count toward the limited daytime stay.

[Happy Gourmand]

we are hijacking Cate's thread. If we continue, let it be in a new one.
Apologies to Cate