Sailing

   / Sailing #1  

RobertN

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Wow! I had a blast!

I have posted about my remote control sailing adventures, and the Seawind boat that I built a couple months ago.

Last week though, my son and I went to Boy Scout camp with our Troop. We were at Camp Oljato on Huntington Lake, near Fresno Calif. They are one of the few camps on the west coast to offer sailing merit badge.

I was able to sit in on the class, and participate all week long. My son and 6 of the other 12 boys from our group earned the sailing merit bade. We spent all week learning on and sailing Pico sailboats. During afternoon free time, we practiced what we learned in class.

What a blast! It was so much fun! Those little boats are fun to sail, and can really move when the wind is up. We practiced tacking and jibing, rescues, and capsize. I sailed with one of the guys from our Troop; we capsized in practice, but also turtled. Got the boat back up, and zoom; we were cruising the lake again. At 6'2" tall, it was a little tight on the boat for me, ducking under the boom and switching sides.

I also took my RC sailboat; the sailing counselors and I had a blast sailing it too.

After the Labor Day parade, I think the Farmall might go up for sale... I'm eyeing a Lido-14.

There are three lakes right here in Sacramento that have yacht clubs for small boats, as well as a state university aquatics center with classes. I'm going to check out the wednesday nigth races on Folsom Lake next week...
 
   / Sailing #2  
Careful Robert; them things can get addicting. The small ones always seem to require a bigger one as replacement.

First thing you know you'll be sitting on a twin hulled rocket breaking speed records.:D :D :D
 
   / Sailing #3  
I have spent lots of time in those little pico's and the similar. What a blast :D

Except, it is always so darn cold in the UK :mad:
 
   / Sailing
  • Thread Starter
#4  
Yes, since returning home and checking in to those boats, I find there are clubs that race them worldwide. Seems Pico's, Lasers, and Sunfish are very popular worldwide.

Cold; that's what wetsuits are for :D :eek:

Grrrr said:
I have spent lots of time in those little pico's and the similar. What a blast :D

Except, it is always so darn cold in the UK :mad:
 
   / Sailing #5  
Yeah Robert, once you get the but you never lose it. I earned small boat sailing Merit Badge when I was a Scout and have longed for a sailboat since. We're on vacation this week in Door County, WI and rented kayaks today. Paddled past a 40 foot sloop that made me John Deere green with envy. One year I'll do it, but I need more free time to justify the investment. Sure would be great to take off and tour the Great Lakes!
 
   / Sailing #6  
RobertN said:
Yes, since returning home and checking in to those boats, I find there are clubs that race them worldwide. Seems Pico's, Lasers, and Sunfish are very popular worldwide.

Cold; that's what wetsuits are for :D :eek:

Or Dry Suits (going by the weather we have had this summer :eek: :D)
 
   / Sailing #7  
Robert,
Sailing is addictive.... The small boats are actually more challanging in some ways than the big ones.... Everything happens slower on a big boat.

My wife and I are on our 7th season with our Catalina 36... We have covered thousands of miles over the years... We just came back from a two week cruise...

Enjoy the ride...

Regards,
Chris
 

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   / Sailing #8  
Afternoon Robert,
BTW Chris thats one beautiful sailboat !!

I have done some sailing on LI sound, mostly with a Sunfish that I owned for many years ! I had great fun with it especially when the wind was right, if nothing else you learn the principles of sailing ! When I was in scouts I didnt have the oppurtunity to get that merit badge, but I did get all the other water related badges. Swimming, lifesaving, rowing, canoeing to name a few. I just liked anything to do with being on the water. Congrats to you and your son, that did sound like lots of fun !
 
   / Sailing #9  
Scott,
The sunfish and sailfish were great boats.... I spent a lot of time on a sunfish as a kid. They are still made by Vanguard in Rhode Island.

The all-time maximum fun ride for a lake is got to be a Hobiecat...

Fast and with a Jib they will point higher up into the wind. Lake sailing, unlike sailing on the ocean has to contend with puffy winds and greater shifting in wind direction....

When I was in the scouts they didn't have sailing as a merit badge either...
We did the canoeing, swimming, lifesaving..etc...

That was 35 years ago.. Then again they had a shooting merit badge and we range fired 22's...

I guess things change...

Regards,
Chris
 
   / Sailing
  • Thread Starter
#10  
Vangaurd makes the
[http://www.teamvanguard.com/2007/Boats/Pico/photos.htm]Pico[/url] too, which is what we sailed at Scout Camp.

We did Canoe merit badge too.

They still have rifle/shotgun/blackpowder too. A couple of our boys finished rifle and shotgun merit badge at this camp.

A couple months ago we had a Troop shoot at the local club range. 24 kids and 6 adults went through over 8000 rounds of ammo :D 7000 or so were 22lr; the rest a mix of .30carbine, .243, .270, .38spl, 9mm,.44mag, .50 black powder... :D

cmhyland said:
Scott,
The sunfish and sailfish were great boats.... I spent a lot of time on a sunfish as a kid. They are still made by Vanguard in Rhode Island.


When I was in the scouts they didn't have sailing as a merit badge either...
We did the canoeing, swimming, lifesaving..etc...

That was 35 years ago.. Then again they had a shooting merit badge and we range fired 22's...
 

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