Quote:
Originally Posted by Acres per Second
1) Mr. Bean: 
Alpine and Nordic skiing is especially damaging to young joints and limbs. ( I know  ).
Without intervention, those problems don't improve with age, and I'll wager many here on this forum can attest to that. Many here already have mentioned joint surgeries. 
Just down the street from Gunstock's ski-slopes is an orthopedic clinic! 
2) Mr. Mullen has stated that "any two sailboats is a race": Having vanquished many an "advantaged" boat,  I can agree with that. 
Try buying a second Laser, then "Lead By Example". 
I guarantee you will eventually lose any advantage you claim through "Age and Experience". 
3) Mr. Mullen:
There is no shoreline more difficult to sail from, than one that faces into Winnipesaukee's prevailing wind.  Expect beginning sailors—especially—to damage every sailboat under this circumstance. 
Into which direction does this proposed shoreline face? 
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Hello Acres Per Second,
You are absolutely correct that beginning sailors would have a degree of difficulty sailing off a lee shore and oftentimes, Ellacoya is just that when the winds are strong out of the north or the northwest. To evaluate this issue regarding Ellacoya, nearly every morning and sometimes in the afternoons as well, as I travelled between Glendale and my home on Welch Island, I buzzed down to Ellacoya to give consideration to this matter. During the summer months when we are teaching the kids how to sail, it turns out, at least this most recent summer, that northwest was not the predominant wind direction. Winds this past summer, especially during July and August when our Youth Sailing School is in session, were out of the south and the west far more often than from the northwest making Ellacoya a very sheltered sailing venue.
It appears that during the fall, the predominant wind pattern shifts to the northwest and we will have to deal with this reality as we structure our approach to sailing instruction. In the fall, we will be teaching adults more often than not and there will be times that we may not be able to risk taking inexperienced sailors in boats off the moorings and out of the boat basin.
Fortunately the lake bottom all along Ellacoya is sandy and pretty shallow so when and if a boat does go aground, getting the small, light boats we use upright is not an especially difficult task.
To confirm my observations, I downloaded the wind data from the Laconia Airport for the period from May 1st theough the middle of October and there were only five days during that entire period when the data suggested we would have to curtail operations for Youth Sailing and only therr of those were during the months the school is in session.
These are realities we can live with as the pro's at Ellacoya far outweigh the con's. Thanks for weighing in on the issues and please keep your comments and or concerns coming so we can be sure to cover all the possible issues during these planning stages.
Regards,
Tom Mullen