Sailing at Lake Tahoe

For those up to the challenge of bending winds and waters that Mark Twain once described as "a noble sheet of blue," Lake Tahoe offers some of the West's more unique sailing.

While seamanship upon Lake Tahoe typically isn't much different from other freshwater lakes, several features associated with Tahoe's climate make yachting a challenge.

Mariners can find themselves going from cold and windy gales off the southeastern tip and west shore canyons of its alpine waters to a warm and sunny beach on the eastern shore.

"Lake Tahoe contains traditional inland lake sailing weather," says Ralph Silverman of Ralph's Sailboat Services in Homewood. "You'll have the influence of the canyons and prevailing southerlies, but sailing the lake is not a hardship. The beautiful water and purity of water make it a wonderful experience."

It's not uncommon for winds to make dramatic changes during the day.

"During summer months, the winds are light in the morning, then freshen around two in the afternoon," says Mike Pavel, owner and operator of Tahoe Sailing Charters. "From 2 p.m. to sunset you get the best sailing on the lake."

Pavel offers daily charters out of the Tahoe City Marina on "Avalanche," a 35-foot, J-105 sloop. His operation also offers sailing lessons and boating safety courses.

Pavel advises sailors not familiar to Tahoe to watch for hazards, always know where they are on the water, and to use good anchoring procedures. He also advises anyone wanting to go out on the lake to first listen to Channel 1 on the VHF.

"Channel 1 is the National Weather Service," he says. "Every five minutes it will have updates on conditions and a prediction of winds during the day. Just remember that winds can easily become gusty, fluky, and shifting because of the canyons, the altitude, and the size of the lake"

Ralph Silverman considers Sugar Pine Point near the southern tip of McKinney Bay one of his favorite sailing areas. There, one can sail past the Ehrman Mansion, an elegant lakefront historic site. Other getaways easy to discover are also on the west shore at Chambers Landing. It is also possible to cruise north to the Tahoe City Marina next to the Boat Works Mall in Tahoe City. Yachts may tie up on the pier or buoys. The nearby lakefront area offers lots of good places to eat and drink.

More accomplished sailors can head to Emerald Bay and negotiate Emerald Point Channel in order to sail around Tahoe's only island, Fannette Island.

Sailing on Lake Tahoe isn't always just confined to pleasure cruising. The most organized sailing activities at Lake Tahoe center around the Tahoe Yacht Club.

Established in 1925 and located in Tahoe City's Roundhouse Mall, the Tahoe Yacht Club maintains a membership of more than 600 members and families and offers a Wednesday night races throughout the summer for members and non-members. The races include keel boats and other types of mono hulls including lasers. The yacht club also organizes several weekend regattas, and plays host each summer to the Trans-Tahoe Regatta, the largest boat race on Lake Tahoe.

"When the high is leaving and the low is moving in, they'll be more pressure gradient influence and stronger winds," says Silverman, himself a three-time national sailing champion. "If it blows, sometimes it'll blow for three days straight. All in all, once the sailor becomes fully aware of the characteristics of the lake and its weather sailing at Tahoe become a wonderful, safe, and fun experience."

SIDEBAR

Getting Started - You can get boating safety courses from the US Coast Guard Auxiliary (530-583-2121) or sailboat instruction from Tahoe Sailing Charters (530-583-8835). Ralph Silverman offers weekly safety and sailing courses for children¹s ages 7-17 ( 530-525-SAIL). The Tahoe Yacht Club also offers a junior sailing camp every July which is open to the public. For more fun, try a charter or a sunset cruise aboard the trimaran Woodwind II (702-588-3000) or from Tahoe Sailing Charters.

Experienced - High Sierra Water Ski School offers small sailboats for rent (530-583-7417). Ski Run Boat Company rents larger sailboats for overnight bareboat charter out of South Shore's Tahoe Keys Marina (530-541-8405).

Experts - Lake Tahoe has several yacht clubs, including the Windjammer (530-542-1550) and the Tahoe Yacht Club (530-581-4700). Obexer's Marina in Homewood specializes in launching deep keel yachts (530-525-7962).

Liquid Moon Sports also provides sailboat instruction for any level of sailor. Contact Dave at LMS for more information. email