Lake sailing suggestions

[csoule13]

I'm in Chattanooga, boat is on Lake Chickamauga. To be honest, I've taken the boat out a shockingly limited number of times since the boat got here about 15 months ago. My formative sailing was on the Chesapeake, and while I never expected similar conditions here, what is here is, well, seems all or nothing. Days with wind here are usually from the northeast, on a section of river that points, you guessed in NE. Lake is, generously, a mile wide, so tacking from one side of the other happens awfully quick. Most of the time, there is just very little wind, and what wind there is can't make up it's mind from one moment to the next. 3 kts! 10 kts! Easterly, no, southerly.

So, fellow lake sailors, what gives? What skill or zen mindset do I need to bring to the party to find some enjoyment here?

As an aside, my old man moved from the Chesapeake area back to the Boston area, and his boat is in RI. And he has the opposite complain - he would gladly give us the ripping SW breeze and rolling swells of there to be back on the Bay. Grass is always greener I suppose.

[wikakaru]

Yep, that sounds like lake sailing. I spent the first decade or so of my sailing life on lakes. Dealing with shifty, puffy wind is one of the key features of lake sailing. Since your lake is a man-made flooded river valley, you are going to have lots of effects from the various side valleys and hills that will alternately funnel and block the wind and will cause massive direction shifts. Learn to look around at the terrain and see how different gradient wind directions result in different localized conditions. Learn which side valleys will produce a nice gust or lift, and which hills cause big windless holes. If you really want to improve your sailing, see if there is any kind of organized sailboat racing on the lake. When you are racing it quickly becomes apparent whether you are doing things right or not, because everyone leaves you in their wake when you are not. One-design dinghies make it really apparent, because differences in boat design or handicapping are eliminated.

Those skills of reading the wind, paying attention to the topography, and constantly tweaking your sails to make the most of the prevailing conditions will serve you in good stead if you ever move on to saltier sailing locales. You won't find a more challenging training ground for perfecting your sail handling abilities than an inland lake.

Look up the sailing career of Ted Turner, who developed his skills on Lake Lanier outside of Atlanta, Georgia before going on to win the America's Cup.

Smooth sailing,

Jim

[Dick Villamil]

YUP - lake sailing takes a lot of time to learn the variables of the wind - location, time of day, types of weather fronts etc. I learned when I was young on Lake George NY where the wind is affected by the surrounding mountains, reverses direction when entering bays etc. Then Lake Champlain with a long racing history really taught me the wind patterns. Take notes every time that you go sailing as to the clouds, weather patterns and wind. The more you go out the better it will be for you. Learn how to read the telltales on the sails and shrouds so as to predict how to adjust your sail trim. BE PATIENT - it takes a while and/or many times on the water. Have a steady crew go with you so you can both discuss the wind and successes and more important the post sailing brew!

[csoule13]

Have a steady crew go with you so you can both discuss the wind and successes and more important the post sailing brew!

Not moving to a new city where you don't know anyone 8 weeks before *gestures at 2020*

Thanks for the tips. Glad I take as much enjoyment out of just having the boat as a clubhouse as I do sailing, because I find if it's that much effort to sail, there's enough other stuff here to do outdoors instead.

[Seaweed2]

I find that sailing on a lake less than a mile wide is best suited for day sailing vessels of about 22 feet or less. I live near Conesus Lake in western New York and keep an O'Day Daysailer 17 on that lake. It can be challenging more often than not but it truly does refine your sail trimming and wind reading/assessment skills. Sometimes guests marvel at my ability to accurately predict that the wind will be upon us in the next 60 feet but it really is no special skill other than observing my location and watching the water closely for wind patterns. It presents challenges when you have no motor and you head out for an evening sail, counting on your past observations of wind and how it generally acts at certain times of the day as well as its direction and the effect the various geographical structures have.

Lake Ontario is about an hours drive to the north and I keep my CD 28 up there. Quite a difference in conditions and wind patterns. steadier predictable winds but completely different lake surface activity! I find both lakes to be both challenging and boring at times. Each provides a different style of sailing and some days I am in the mood for one over the other.

Having two sailboats also conveniently affords me with many opportunities to work on boats and thankfully I also find that enjoyable.

[Terry]

All good responses on the "joys" of lakes.

I've sailed Georgia's Lake Lanier for the last twelve years. There's a wind station near the marina, and I check it online. By the time I get to the lake, about 45 minutes, it's either more windy or no wind. Occasionally, too windy to single hand out of the marina. I never know, even after checking WX forecasts, what to expect. Some of the best months for moderate wind are also when it's very cold--at least for an old man's Southern blood. Lake Lanier is fairly long, and there have been a number of times I've sailed down wind the entire length. Those sails are rare. Generally, there's a lot of tacking, wind shifts, and gusts no matter which direction I sail.

And then there's those power maniacs and their wakes. And jet skis. I don't sail on weekends for that reason.

Great challenge.

All the best.

[Chrisa006]

Sailing on a lake can make you a better sailor. I learned to sail my Hobie 16 on a lake and though sometimes it felt like you could sail in a circle without tacking when we started racing on the ocean we had an advantage. We were so used to always adjusting the sail trim that it paid handsomely against set it and go people who learned on the ocean.