Snoop Trips

Rigging and outfitting Gardens for the season is nearly complete. The mast traveler and lazy-jacks are sorted out; the revised up-haul for the centerboard is in place but can't be tested until Gardens is on the water; the "Mast Lifter" has been installed (and works well!). The coamings have received fresh varnish - although additional work on the coamings is already on the fall/winter work list. About the only thing left to do before hitting the water is painting the registration numbers on the sheer plank. I'd rather not tempt fate by launching at a local lake without those numbers on display...

As for the snoop trips... We've been scouting some of those local lakes:

Wabasis Lake is about 20 minutes from the house, is large enough (400+ acres) for some sailing, isn't completely built up with cottages or McMansions, and isn't terribly busy on weekdays. The 4-lane launch ramp is one of the better ones around:

Gardens was first splashed at Wabasis Lake in 2018 and her 2019 shake-down sail took place there, too. We'll revisit Wabasis Lake soon.

Townline Lake is about 30 minutes from the house, is small (just under 250 acres) and was probably fine for sailing until the entire shoreline was built out with cottages (along with pontoon boats, ski boats, fishing boats, and jet skis; but not a sailboat in sight - not even a sunfish on a lawn).  On a Sunday the lake was busy! The launch ramp is pretty typical of small lake ramps: paved single lane, no dock, and a drop-off at the end of the pavement.

Curiously, there is a warning to "Sailboat Operators" about overhead power lines (presumably to the cottages on the island in the lake):

"Maximum Mast Height 30'" Two thoughts on that warning: No one is going to launch a sailboat with a 30' mast at that launch ramp. And, Why would anyone put that size boat on a lake this small?

Based on the boat traffic we saw last Sunday, we don't plan to take Gardens to Townline Lake.