Saturday, June 30, 2012

a double take, the smallest Great Lake


I did a double take when I saw these photos from sailing friend Tom Williamson.  That hull shape, boom tent and cockpit certainly reminded me of Spartina.  Tom's boat is of course a Pathfinder.  I just never suspected that another boat would remind me so much of my own.  I could look at the photos and know exactly how the yawl felt on the water.  

I have never met Tom in person, but we've been exchanging emails for the last few years.  He sent these photos from a recent cruise on Lake Champlain.  It does look like a beautiful area.




"A few pictures of my latest voyage on the 6th great lake, we got beat up pretty badly toward the end with 30-40 kt winds on the lake, we were bobbing around like a cork among the whitecaps, but the good ol' Pathfinder handled it without complaint.
We traveled some 70 miles from south to north, prevailing wind is usually southerly and of course we had north winds most of the way.  Good news was the air and water were not very cold, otherwise we might have been not so chipper."




My knowledge of geography is limited and I did not know why Tom referred to Lake Champlain as the 6th Great Lake until I looked it up here.  Although it is, by far, the smallest of the Great Lakes, it does look to be a wonderful place to sail, perfect for a Pathfinder.

Tom mentions that the air and water were not very cold.  That is distinctly different from what we've got  on the east coast right now.  The forecast calls for several days in the high 90's.  I hope to get out for a sail in the next few days, which will be comfortable only if there is a good strong breeze.  I will take a close look at the wind forecast before heading to the ramp.

Thanks for sharing the photos, Tom.

steve

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