Colorado Bound

sawfish · #1 (**permalink**) 10-02-2007

Apparently my wife had other plans than to liveaboard here in SD and we're moving to Colorado. :_( from a sailing standpoint I fear. I see that there is a lake near by, Lake Dillon with a marina and some fun-looking events in the warmer weather.

I race and cruise all year around off of San Diego and am afraid that the shorter season and confines of a lake will not compare, but I've never sailed on a lake before and am not sure how the size of a body of water and surrounding geography effects sailing conditions.

Anybody have any experience with sailing near Denver or in Lake Dillon, specfically? Thanks for placing in correct forum if this is the wrong one.

A little sad in SD....

sailhog · #2 (**permalink**) 10-02-2007

Sawfish,
That's where I learned to sail. Great little tiki bar there in the summer, but the sailing season is short indeed as Lake Dillon is at 9200 feet. Fun little lake though, I have to say... PM me if you have any questions.
Best wishes,
Sailhog

vkruger · #3 (**permalink**) 10-02-2007

Hi,
we love to sail on Lake Dillon, actually there are two Marinas, one in Dillon and the other in Frisco. They are both great place to visit. the lake itself can be tricky, the wind changes fast and unexpected. the panorama is beautiful. The club at Lake dillon is he highest in the whole US and hosts the highest sail regatta in the US every August. During the summer there is a race every weekend in the this active little community. We own a sailboat and spend a lot of time up there even we are not racers.
The marina rents smaller sailboats in the summer time too. The other reservoirs around Denver have sailboats too but they are much smaller. The ride to the mountains takes about 90 minutes to 2 hours each direction. It is a nice weekend getaway and the mountains are gorgeous. Pretty soon the ski saison kicks off and our boat goes out of the water around the middle of the month. Happy sailing!

sawfish · #4 (**permalink**) 10-02-2007

Thanks for replying so promptly.

The idea of leaving the ocean behind and not knowing what the sailing is like where I'll be going is really weighing on me as funny as that sounds. I have all kinds of questions, like is there a fresh-water equivalent to "salt-air"? Is the sound of the marina the same as an ocean marina? Do the boats make the same sounds? Does it feel the same on the lake pushing 10 Kts with a spraying bow wake? Is the lake big enough to have a boat that will accomodate a long weekend or a week's stay, with a full head? Are slips easily available? And do they store the boats for the achingly, LONG winter at the marinas?

I like being on sailboats period, but I've never been on one in a lake. I imagine some things are probably the same, because water is water is water. Does the beauty of the surroundings of Dillon make up for staring off into the Pacific with no land in sight or so small as to be a distant horizon mirage?

I know these things may seem trivial and maybe I'm losing perspective, but I can't get these questions and doubts out of my mind.

I would be truly grateful for any insight you may provide. DS in SD

sailingdog · #5 (**permalink**) 10-02-2007

Some things are the same, others are different... there's no tide... no salty tang in the air...

werebeagle · #6 (**permalink**) 10-02-2007

Saw

Where are you actually going to be moving to. Dillon is a nice lake, and I was surprised at the number and size of the boats there the first time I went up there. And that was at the peak of the drought, and there were areas we couldn't sail. It's not the same as ocean sailing by any means, but it does have it's own challenges, mainly reading the winds, because they change direction depending on which canyon the winds are funneling down at that particular part of the lake.

AlpineSailor · #7 (**permalink**) 10-03-2007

Lake Granby is another good sized lake within range of Denver

eryka · #8 (**permalink**) 10-03-2007

This lake is is where we got hooked on sailing! We were on a friends Catalina 24, lots of places for a boat that size to tuck in overnight, and as others have said, the changing winds make it challenging. There are also some reservoirs on the east side of the Front Range, near Denver, where the season is longer though they are smaller and more crowded - you can get your sailing 'fix' into November. And to get thru the worst of winter, you can also take up skiing

sailhog · #9 (**permalink**) 10-03-2007

Sawfish,
It just occurred to me that the picture that is my avatar was taken on Lake Dillon in 2004. So that's what she looks like...

sawfish · #10 (**permalink**) 10-03-2007

Cool, so it sounds like it is permissable to to "tuck" in overnight or a weekend away form the marina.

I suppose once I'm in Evergreen and take the short trip to Dillon and actually start sailing, all will be right again.

Anybody have any sugestions as to whom to seek out for crewing when I first get there next spring? I'd like to be a part of that Regatta if I don't have a boat by then.

And thanks for the encouragement....Sailing is sailing....you gave me perspective again and although some things may be different, I guess the overall experience is always the same.