Great Father's Day Sail

[calden]

Hey all:

Had a great FD sail yesterday. All winter long I had been dreaming about going to one of my favorite places in Washington State -Steamboat Rock State Park. This is a huge basalt formation, left over after volcanic activity deposited massive amounts of material and the surrounding softer stuff washed away by the Columbia River. It's surrounded on three sides by a huge lake - Banks Lake - created by the great hydroelectric dams on the Columbia. This is about 5 miles south of the Grand Coulee Dam.
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So FINALLY I was able to get out on this water, less than two hours' drive from my house. It was also the first sail for the kids, who reluctantly agreed to go (only cause of Father's Day) but enjoyed it tremendously.
I even got them to do some boat handling and working the sheets and tiller and help with docking duties.
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It was uneven winds and not gusty, with some lulls. This was probably better than a wild time out for them. Most surprising to me was how stable and roomy the boat felt for four basically grown people. I anticipated a crowded feel to the cockpit, but it wasn't too bad. In fact, having four people in the boat seemed to increase the stability. I felt totally comfortable sitting on the leeward side on a close reach. I even managed to stuff a 6' teen into the cabin for a break from the sun.

Great day!

Carlos