Sailing on Utah Lake

Well, I got the catamaran out and took the youngest daughter and her husband sailing Saturday. He had not been, and I had repaired some bulkheads in the hulls and wanted to try it out. Ramona had things she was trying to do, and was happy to have me out of her hair. I had cleaned up the boat and set it up to rig more quickly. We arrived at the lake , and after paying 9 dollars to get in began to set up. It was the most difficult set up yet, worse than the first time. We lost the halyard up the mast, and I had to lower it again to get it, then tangled it up, tried to raise the main several times before succes, and in general messed about a lot before we got on the water. The wind had been flat, but picked up to a good 15 knot breeze. This means the boat really moved fast, but I still have a hard time tacking. Hannah and Corey came in swim suits, not a good move given this is still May. The water was refreshingly cool, and since there were good waves, kept coming throught the tramp on a regular basis. We sailed out for about an hour. I was hoping to see Bird Island, but the lake is high and I think it is under water. Then biological urges began to take over. There is a reason a toilet on a boat is called the head, and a reason catamarans under 20 feet do not have them. I was glad the wind kept up. We returned to the harbor in good time, and I rushed to the restroom. After finding relief, we struck the sails and derigged the boat. It was a great time, but was 10 p.m. before the trailer was back in the driveway. I slept a good 9 hours and am still recovering. Playing for a living is hard work!

The boat is in need of more maintenance. I bent the top of the mast, cracked one of the inspection covers, bent a chainplate, and need to lubricate several tings to make it work easier. Looks to be fun!