Just got back from another week of sailing Priest Lake. No grounded boats, lost skippers, jet-ski rescues, or stormy waters this year. Just a lot of great sailing and beautiful relaxing evenings watching the sunsets and then the stars. Anchored out each night. (I use an 11# Bruce copy with 12' of chain and up to a couple hundred feet of rode. Usually much less.) Spent the week alone, with my wife joining me on the weekends. According to my GPS, I traveled 134 nm, 120 of which was sailing, and much of that was while reefed down due to the strong gusty winds which started at 10:30 each morning and ended abruptly at 4:00 each afternoon. Priest gets real rough when the winds are strong, but the good thing is that chases all the power boaters to shore. Combined with the San Juan / Gulf Island trip and a couple other weekends, that's around 400 nm and 23 nights aboard in the last 2 months. (Sailing season is short here in the Inland Northwest. Gotta cram it in.) When I talk about living aboard a boat, my wife jokes that I already am.
This spring, I built a set of hinged cabin doors which I am really enjoying when staying aboard. Those hatchboards are good for what they do, but are a real hassle when going in and out of the cabin a lot. I'll send some updated pictures of Tullamore to Bill Lamica to post for those who are interested. Those of you who were on the list last year may remember my report on the grounded boat and the lost sailor. His body was never found. During the search of the cold depths of Priest Lake with side scan sonar and remote submersibles they did find TWO other bodies. One apparently a drowned sailor from 20 years ago, and another from 5 years ago who was riding in a boat being towed and wasn't in the boat when they got to the end of the lake. Can you imagine? Getting a tow from somebody, falling out of the boat, and then watching helplessly as they drag your boat away oblivious to your plight? Larry Yake M17, #200 Tullamore _______________________________________________ http://mailman.xmission.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/montgomery_boats
