Hello, Back when we were first starting to sail together on our little 25 foot sailboat, it was definitely a new experience. Being able to not go straight to the place we wanted was a definite learning experience in the winds, currents, and swells in the ocean. But, that was part of the enjoyment of sailing, harnessing the wind to fit your needs. It was definitely not a road trip to where we wanted to go as fast or as slow as we all do in our travels. We were now looking for a new sailboat that was a little faster and more stable in design, without being a huge wide boat. So, we found one in Canada. Penticton gave us a view of Lake Okanagan. It was a long way to go, but the quality of the design was appealing to us. The larger size would allow us to challenge bigger swell days or any weather conditions when out on the Pacific Ocean. Plus, moving the boat is done all of the time on a flat bed diesel truck/trailer combo anywhere in the USA. And the northern vacation would allow us a new way to sail on a lake experience. Plus, we wanted to sail the boat we were thinking of purchasing if we liked the test sail. Jnaki Just as we were ready to drive on a very long road trip to Canada, we got a call from a friend who worked for a sailboat dealer. He had “our next boat” and it would give us what we wanted. A faster sailing experience, easy maintenance and simple tiller handling. It was a little smaller than the boat he would take in on a trade. But, the older boat would fit their dealership rental fleet fine in that 32 foot category. So, we did not go to Canada, but we had to cancel our week long vacation visit and sail on that inland freshwater lake. No, our vacation road trip was going to be during the late spring, early summer, so it would not have been exactly like the bus on the muddy roadway. But, our goal was a possible move up there for a semi permanent location for something different. A mountain cabin, a fresh water sailing location and what ever a lake sailing adventure would offer. Note: We got the smaller, faster boat to get more miles on the sailing and we decided that inland lake sailing was not going to be our “thing.” We were used to the ocean and the vast coastline with harbors and bays all over So Cal for great adventures ahead. That smaller, faster sailboat was definitely competitive in nature, but we could not spend the weekend or overnights in the small cabin after our ocean sailing experiences. So after two years, we traded the smaller sailboat in for a slightly larger, faster, more stable in higher winds and allow us to spend a week after sailing all day. The accommodations were like an on the water fancy resort and plus, we could sail to our extended delight as much as we wanted. And sleep comfortably for the next day’s adventures. A Penticton possible adventure + a nice Canadian-made sailboat versus a faster more stable sailboat built for competition and ocean cruising. What a choice… We stayed in So Cal and it was the right choice... YRMV
The Jalopy Journal
