Four Days on the Lake

CateP · 08-25-2015, 09:53 PM

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 · 08-25-2015, 09:56 PM

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 · 08-25-2015, 10:01 PM

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 · 08-25-2015, 10:05 PM

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 · 08-25-2015, 10:09 PM

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 · 08-25-2015, 10:17 PM

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 · 08-25-2015, 10:22 PM

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 · 08-25-2015, 10:25 PM

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 · 08-25-2015, 10:31 PM

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 · 08-25-2015, 10:33 PM

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 · 08-25-2015, 10:41 PM

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 · 08-25-2015, 10:45 PM

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 · 08-25-2015, 10:48 PM

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 · 08-25-2015, 11:02 PM

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 · 08-25-2015, 11:04 PM

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 · 08-25-2015, 11:07 PM

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 · 08-25-2015, 11:56 PM

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

08-25-2015, 09:53 PM	#1
CateP Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2011 Location: Wolfeboro Posts: 868 Thanks: 584 Thanked 540 Times in 210 Posts	Four Days on the Lake 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. Attached Images

08-25-2015, 09:56 PM	#2
CateP Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2011 Location: Wolfeboro Posts: 868 Thanks: 584 Thanked 540 Times in 210 Posts	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! Attached Images

08-25-2015, 10:01 PM	#3
CateP Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2011 Location: Wolfeboro Posts: 868 Thanks: 584 Thanked 540 Times in 210 Posts	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!! Attached Images

08-25-2015, 10:05 PM	#4
CateP Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2011 Location: Wolfeboro Posts: 868 Thanks: 584 Thanked 540 Times in 210 Posts	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. Attached Images

08-25-2015, 10:09 PM	#5
CateP Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2011 Location: Wolfeboro Posts: 868 Thanks: 584 Thanked 540 Times in 210 Posts	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. Attached Images

The Following 4 Users Say Thank You to CateP For This Useful Post:
Aguamenti (08-25-2015), trfour (08-26-2015), upthesaukee (08-26-2015), webmaster (08-26-2015)

08-25-2015, 10:17 PM	#6
CateP Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2011 Location: Wolfeboro Posts: 868 Thanks: 584 Thanked 540 Times in 210 Posts	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. Attached Images

08-25-2015, 10:22 PM	#7
CateP Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2011 Location: Wolfeboro Posts: 868 Thanks: 584 Thanked 540 Times in 210 Posts	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. Attached Images Last edited by CateP; 08-26-2015 at 08:32 AM.

The Following User Says Thank You to CateP For This Useful Post:
Resident 2B (08-25-2015)

08-25-2015, 10:25 PM	#8
CateP Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2011 Location: Wolfeboro Posts: 868 Thanks: 584 Thanked 540 Times in 210 Posts	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!! Attached Images

08-25-2015, 10:31 PM	#9
CateP Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2011 Location: Wolfeboro Posts: 868 Thanks: 584 Thanked 540 Times in 210 Posts	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. Attached Images

08-25-2015, 10:33 PM	#10
CateP Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2011 Location: Wolfeboro Posts: 868 Thanks: 584 Thanked 540 Times in 210 Posts	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. Attached Images

08-25-2015, 10:41 PM	#11
CateP Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2011 Location: Wolfeboro Posts: 868 Thanks: 584 Thanked 540 Times in 210 Posts	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) Attached Images Last edited by CateP; 08-26-2015 at 08:34 AM.

08-25-2015, 10:45 PM	#12
CateP Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2011 Location: Wolfeboro Posts: 868 Thanks: 584 Thanked 540 Times in 210 Posts	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. Attached Images Last edited by CateP; 08-26-2015 at 08:35 AM.

08-25-2015, 10:48 PM	#13
CateP Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2011 Location: Wolfeboro Posts: 868 Thanks: 584 Thanked 540 Times in 210 Posts	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. Attached Images

08-25-2015, 11:02 PM	#14
Winopt Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2007 Posts: 100 Thanks: 76 Thanked 50 Times in 19 Posts	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!

08-25-2015, 11:04 PM	#15
CateP Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2011 Location: Wolfeboro Posts: 868 Thanks: 584 Thanked 540 Times in 210 Posts	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. Attached Images

08-25-2015, 11:07 PM	#16
CateP Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2011 Location: Wolfeboro Posts: 868 Thanks: 584 Thanked 540 Times in 210 Posts	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. Attached Images

The Following 5 Users Say Thank You to CateP For This Useful Post:
BaileyBecca (08-26-2015), bclaker (08-26-2015), bostique (08-27-2015), Resident 2B (08-25-2015), trfour (08-26-2015)

08-25-2015, 11:56 PM	#17
Resident 2B Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: North Shore, MA Posts: 1,358 Thanks: 994 Thanked 314 Times in 164 Posts	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