how small/big is your pond/lake?

hi all,
i live in the mountains of japan and sail on a small lake, about 2 miles across, surrounded by volcanos

a good size for windsurfer, laser or other small/slow sailing dingies

i had been looking to get a hobie 14 but they never seem to come with a trailer and are at least hundreds of miles, away meaning transport costs would be another $300-400

http://page18.auctions.yahoo.co.jp/jp/auction/w14332931

so when a good condition 17foot nacra came up for sale on the lake i bought that

so, who else sails on small lakes and what advantages/disadvantages do you find from doing so?

advantages

- freshwater, so little corrosion
- pretty safe for sailor, as are never too far from shore if boat flips or gear breakage
- when winds die not hard to get home
- if you fall off and boat sails away it can't go far
- very scenic for photos

disadvantages

- you can't get into the groove and sail a fast reach for very long before running out of water
- lake is surrounded by steep rocky shores so if boat sails off by itself it has a good chance of smashing into the rocks
- on very light wind days the wake created by all the bass fishing and wake boarding power boats throws the high volume nacra hulls up and shakes the rotating mast around
- you tend to sail your legs as long as possible and then have to contend with tacking in the fluky airs close to the steep shores

have attached a shot from last weekend, getting colder now needed a cap and gloves, experimenting with trap wires with a windsurfer belt

would like to get a trailer sometime and get out to the coast but the hassle/costs involved with that in japan is unbelievable

On a big man made lake in southeastern US. Plenty of water, but wind tends to be light.

Lake Murray, named in honor of chief engineer William S. Murray, was completed in 1930 and is owned by SCE&G (power company). It covers approximately 78 square miles of land and provides electricity for South Carolina's entire Midlands region. Originally inhabited by the Catawba and Cherokee Indians, the area that is now Lake Murray was eventually settled by European immigrants, primarily of Dutch and German origin. In order to build Lake Murray, the Lexington Water Power Company (SCE&G's predecessor) relocated 5000 citizens and removed three churches, six schools, and 2000 graves. The Saluda Dam, which was once the largest earthen dam in the world, is 1½ miles wide and 208 feet high. At 41 miles long and 14 miles wide at its widest point, Lake Murray covers an area of 78 square miles with 649 miles of shoreline.

Yeah, I have a few around me, some of them pretty big and some pretty small. But I do love fresh water!

30k acres. Freshwater Lake Ray Roberts in North Texas. Nice long reaches 5-7miles.

Grafham water SC

One 1/4 mile wide and about 3 long.

TX246:

How far is that from Winnsboro, TX. Moving there with Mystere 4.3. Maybe we can sail together when it gets warm again?

Doug

I thought you were moving to Jax? <img src="http://www.catsailor.com/forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif" alt="" />

Timbo:

Jax is in limbo. They are trying to find place to put me. New office and they can't afford me on overhead till they can bill me, so moving with daughter and son in law for now. May have to work for Acuren there for a while. Got to do what you have to do, right?

Doug

I sail on Lake Winnipesaukee in NH. Lake have some great advantages and some pretty interesting downsides. Learning wind shifts, basic safety, no salt corrosion and so-on . Good place to learn a new platform before taking it on the race course. Downside mostly is the shear amount of tight motorboat traffic that you have to dodge because they do not know the rules of the road. I have been run towards shore or water hazards many times by individuals who feel that they alone have the right of way. I tried sailing my A on a small lake in Mass, Lake Quinsigamond and after 30 mintues of being run aground or into break waters, I pulled the boat and said never again.

Sailed on a billabong off the Murray river about 1500 metres x 700 metres second day too windy for the cat took the kids 420 out with the wife and even with my 105kg on the wire the gully winds flattened the boat and threw me time and again. I don't know how lake sailors read the wind but it sure makes the smallest of boats exciting again
regards

Ty Webb: Pool and a pond... Pond be good for you.

The closest lakes that I can get too are no more than 500 acres. The one with the best access, and a complete lack of motor boaters is only 350 acres. Granted I love sheeting in and getting settled on a huge expanse of water but some of the advantages I see to the small lakes is that you are forced to practice tacks and gybes. And there is some added security when worse turns to worse, eventually you will be blown to shore. Another disadvantage, or maybe and advantage depending how you look at it, is that the winds tend to be rather erratic, which really makes you become aware of the tells on the water.

Lake Ypacarai is about 15 km x 4 km and is convenientely located less than 30 km from Asunción.

Our little paradise has almost 3 miles of reach to the prevailing South/Southwest winds and a 1.5 to 2 mile square main pool bid enough to set a decent course. This 1.5 to 2 mile area, compared to the other lakes raced on from Texas to Iowa, is right at or slightly larger than average. Courses set near land benefit from higher pressure, courses set too close suffer from nasty shifts <img src="http://www.catsailor.com/forums/images/graemlins/mad.gif" alt="" />
Clinton lake Map
The overblown pond I learned to sail on was a blessing in disguise (sheet in, trap out, whoa time to tack, repeat) <img src="http://www.catsailor.com/forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

I live on the wrong side of Mascoma Lake in NH (There is a bridge in the middle of the lake that you can't get under with a sail boat.) The other half is 1/4 mile by 3 miles, generally winward/leward. yes I am tacking/gybing alot!