2024 - Fern Ridge Lake, Oregon 2023 - Fern Ridge Lake, Oregon 2022 - Fern Ridge Lake, Oregon 2021 - Fern Ridge Lake, Oregon 2020 - Fern Ridge Lake, Oregon 2019 - Fern Ridge Lake, Oregon 2018 - In covered storage 2017 Stop #1 - Back in the Columbia River 2016 Stop #5 - The Thousand Islands, NY 2016 Stop #4 - Georgian Bay, ON 2016 Stop #3 - Lake Simcoe, ON 2016 Stop #2 - Lake Murray, SC 2016 Stop #1 - Lake Monroe, Florida 2015 Stop #4 - Lake Monroe, Florida

2015 Stop #3 - The Thousand Islands, NY 2015 Stop #2 - Lake George, New York 2015 Stop #1 - Lake Monroe, Florida 2014 Stop #3 - Lake Coeur d'Alene, Idaho 2014 Stop #2 - Flathead Lake, Montana 2014 Stop #1 - Fern Ridge, Oregon 2013 Stop #3 - Columbia River, Vancouver, WA 2013 Stop #2 - Lake Coeur d'Alene, Idaho 2013 Stop #1 - Clear Lake, California 2012 Stop #5 - Columbia River, Portland, OR 2012 Stop #4 - Okanagan Lake, B.C., Canada 2012 Stop #3 - Flathead Lake, Montana 2012 Stop #2 - Lake Coeur d'Alene, Idaho 2012 Stop #1 - Fern Ridge Lake, Oregon

Fernridge Lake, Oregon -- Aprl 19 - Oct, 2024

Fernridge Lake, Oregon -- June 1 - Oct, 2023

Fernridge Lake, Oregon -- May 15 - Oct, 2022

Fernridge Lake, Oregon -- April 5 - Sept, 2021

Fernridge Lake, Oregon -- May 1 - Aug 24, 2020

May 8 - Aug 24, 2020 We're ready for another excellent summer sailing season at Fern Ridge Lake with our first sailing day of the 2020 season today and hoping to exceed last summer's record of 25 days on the water for the season. We launched the boat on Tuesday and got in our first day of sailing today. // Oregon had sub-normal rainfall so the lake never reached normal levels and consequently, we had to pull the boat out for the season on August 24. Better luck next year! We did exceed last summer's record of 25 sailing days... this year we got in 31.

Fernridge Lake, Oregon -- June 6 - Oct 1, 2019

Oct 1, 2019 We concluded an excellent summer sailing season at Fern Ridge Lake with a final day of sailing on 9/22 and 25 days on the water for the season. We pulled the boat out on Oct as the Army Corps of Engineers began their annual ritual of draining the lake for winter flood control. We expect to put her back in the water in the spring.

Columbia River - Vancouver, WA

The Thousand Islands, NY -- Sept 1-28m 2016

Georgian Bay, Ontario -- July 29 - Aug 25, 2016

Lake Simcoe, Ontario -- June 13 - July 13, 2016

Lake Murray, South Carolina -- April 12 - May 11, 2016

Lake Monroe, Sanford Florida -- Nov 1, 2015 - April 8, 2016

The Thousand Islands on the St Lawrence Seaway -- July 8 -Aug 20, 2015

Lake George, New York -- June 6-30, 2015

Lake Monroe, Sanford Florida -- March 17 - April 15, 2015

Lake Coeur d'Alene, Idaho - Aug 29 - Sept 12, 2014

Flathead Lake, Montana - July 12 - Aug 25, 2014, 2014

Fern Ridge Lake, OR -- May 19 - June 1, 2014

Columbia River, Vancouver WA -- August 18 - November 30, 2013

August 18 Back in the Columbia. After our travels this year we returned to the Portland metro area in July to field an offer to buy our house which we put up for sale this spring. The house sold and we have bought another in Vancouver WA on the other side of the Columbia, and will be maintaining a slip at Steamboat Landing Marina, After we finished with the move, we launched the Anne Marie last week and went out for a pleasant afternoon of sailing on Sunday with friends in 10-12 mph winds. We should get in plenty of sailing over the next few months as we await our new home to be ready to move into.

Lake Coeur d'Alene, Idaho -- June 2 - July 14, 2013

Clear Lake, California -- April 12 - April 30, 2013, 2013

April 19 The day started out quietly with barely a breath of wind but by 2:00 the wind was up. No weather system at all - the skies were clear - so it must have been pressure differentials causing the wind. It was a very WINDY afternoon . By 3:00 we were getting a steady 15 mph with higher gusts and we sailed over close to the windward shore by Lakeport where the chop was a bit less. By 4:00 it was 15 gusting to 20. We were sailing on the mainsail with only a hint of jib to facilitate the tacks. But it is a bit early in the season to be pushing our boat to its limits, so around 4:00 we dropped the main, turned tail and sailed in on the jib at about 50%, hitting speeds above 7 mph even so! We got in close to 5 and the wind was still building. An exciting afternoon! We were glad we left Corey at home.

Columbia River, Portland OR -- Aug 14 - Nov 2, 2012

Okanagan Lake, B.C., Canada -- Aug 4-11, 2012

August 8 We arrived to record heat in Kelowna, an unwelcome event. It hit 100 here the first day we were were here, Sunday. It was hotter here than at our home in Texas! Go figure! Monday it cooled back down to a high of around 90, still hot but tolerable. We launched the sailboat on Monday morning and sailed Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, today. Tuesday was the best day with steady winds around 10-12 from the NE, which is the best direction when sailing out of the harbor where Hotel Eldorado is located because the bridge just to the north flattens the rollers from the lake and it is relatively smooth sailing. Today winds were from the SW and it was very choppy indeed as the waves have many miles in which to build up. It was also much gustier and not an altogether pleasant experience. We'll sail one more day before we leave either tomorrow or Friday. The marina at Hotel Eldorado is remarkably the only marina we could find on Okanagan which accepts short term slip rentals... not a very friendly place for those traveling with their boats. And the Eldorado is a TERRIBLE marina... possibly the worst I have ever stayed at. There is nothing to break the chop of the main lake so when windy the boats bounce around terribly. And the "slip" if you call it that, it just a spot between two big wood posts with the wood dock at the front... so you have to pull in very carefully and try to secure yourself to these posts and not ram the dock... and then you have to climb off and on over the bow rail. Awful. And to add insult to injury they charge $50/day plus tax. Gimme a break. $280 for 5 days and they don't even have a log boom to break the chop. Ridiculous. It was worth the trip and the money to visit with our friends Haim and Vika and their kids and get them out on the lake sailing one day. But I would NEVER bring our boat to this lake again. Okanagan is off my list. Two thumbs down.

Flathead Lake, Montana -- July 5-Aug 3, 2012

July 31 We took a few days off and visited Glacier National Park over the weekend. Given some questionable weather the end of last week we hadn't sailed in several days. So we took the boat out Monday and Tuesday, today. Excellent sailing both days... clear weather, blue skies, perfect steady wind and flat water. Superlatives fail. We sailed about 3 hours each day... and I have to say that sailing just doesn't get any better than this. The entire bay was filled in today so we sailed all the way across and then back, up through the straights between the islands out almost to the main lake then back in around Melita Island and took a downwind run back to the marina. We got out about 2pm each day and about 5-6:00 pm it generally seems to back off. But today it backed off some around 4:30 but we had enough to get 3-4 mph wing and wing back to the marina. Yet as we arrived at the marina it kicked back in and was almost as strong as when we arrived. Could have sailed a couple more hours, I guess, but we needed to get back in. That first hour, inside the islands, I could have had it on autopilot... the wind was so steady our speed never changed from 6.3 - 6.5 mph as indicated on the GPS and the boat was on a blissful heel of about 20 degrees. How perfect is that?

July 21 Since our "lesson" detailed below, we have enjoyed many idyllic days on Flathead Lake. We have avoided a few substantial t-storm days, but have had lots of great afternoons on this spectacular lake. Today was no exception... crystal clear skies with some high puffy white clouds for relief. Steady 10-12 mph winds all afternoon... sailing full 150 jennie closehauled and beam reaches across Big Arm Bay. Probably a dozen sailboats out within view, though visibility is so great here, some of these were probably 8 miles away. We cruised back and forth, out to Wildhorse, over to Melita and back... never even having to tend the main, so steady were the winds. The scenery is sublime with many inspiring views to enjoy depending on where you are on the lake. On a scale of 1-10, Flathead is definitely a 10! See our photo gallery for many other fine photos.

July 9 We headed out of the marina about 12:30 and motored out to the wind line where there was a decent breeze on the water. Skies were mostly clear with a few puffy clouds. We sailed a couple hours and were hitting speeds close to 6 mph on a pretty good heel... so it was a nice sailing afternoon. This is just a gorgeous lake to sail on... probably the best place I have ever sailed. A wide bay, steady prevailing winds from the NE. We look forward to exploring some of the islands off shore like Wild Horse Island and the smaller Cromwell Island, about 5 miles across the bay from our marina. About 2:30 we noticed a dark cloud over one of the mountains behind the marina which was moving our way. And as the cloud obscured the sun, the wind faded off so we turned toward the marina and thought we would sail as far as we could, then drop sail and motor in. But about half way, the wind began to shift around to the East. Then it whipped up suddenly real strong, and we started scrambling to furl the jib... then suddenly the squall swung 180 degrees around to the E and it got very dicey for a few minutes. We managed to just release the main and the jib, which were flapping wildly in the strong squall and then used the furling line to reel in the jib quickly. Once the jib was in it still took a bit of scrambling in the squally conditions to drop the main but once that was done, it was quick task to tie it up, start the motor and head back to the marina. Whew! This was unlike any conditions I have ever experienced with those violent shifts in wind direction. Almost tornadic! Important lesson learned... take thunderstorm clouds moving toward you very seriously on midwestern lakes!

July 7 We cruised over to Flathead Lake, Montana in the motor coach arriving Thurs July 5. We did a little RV park shuffling the first couple days and then settled down in Polson at the foot of the great lake. We found a terrific little marina called Sunny Shores about 12 miles up the Hwy 93 along the west shore of the Lake. It is right across Big Arm Bay from the Big Arm State Park where they have an excellent boat launch. The little bay is just south of Wild Horse Island and the Dayton marina which is reputedly the best sailing spot on the lake. Moorage is just $300 for the month, half the price of Dayton Marina and 40% of the price up at Lakeview Marina further north which we also checked out. If you are a sailor, you can forget Lakeview Marina. Sunny Shores, on the other hand is a very quiet tucked away little marina with perhaps 30 slips... nice wood docks and nice grassy shady shoreline for hanging out between sailing sessions. We have already met a couple other sailors among the half dozen other sailboats at the marina, and they welcomed us heartily. We launched today across the bay and I motored across to Sunny Shores Marina (pictured at right) while Libby drove the car and trailer around to meet me. As soon as the high pressure moves out, we look forward to some excellent sailing.

Lake Coeur d'Alene, Idaho -- June 1-July 5, 2012

July 3 Last night we had huge thunderstorms with lightning and pouring rain. It kept the dogs up a good part of the night... and us with them. Today we had more t-storms and even some hail... in July! Then as predicted it finally broke around 4 and by 5 it was definitely clearing. So we took the Anne Marie our for a final sail on Lake CDA... We had excellent winds and achieved speeds of 7.5 mph on a heart pounding heel. And then about 7:30 pm we took her over to the boat launch directly across from Blackwell Island where we're staying and pulled her out. We brought her back to our campsite... to the empty parking area across from our spot and in the morning, July 4th, we'll unstep the mast and get her road ready. We'll break camp tomorrow as well and be ready to pull out for Flathead Lake MT first thing Thursday morning.

June 29 It has not been a banner month for sailing Lake CDA, unfortunately. Although we have certainly had some nice afternoons out there, we have seen an unusual amount of rain... and then after days of rain, it clears and instead of clearing winds we have frequently had high pressure move in and dead calm. As we approach the last day of the month we have probably sailed 6-8 days total, so not skunked but nothing to brag about either. We have not once had to partially reef the jib, but rather we've sailed with a full 150 genoa every time. No complaints, but it shows how the winds have been on the light side all month. We had a nice day this past Weds, the 27th, and took new friends Bill and Ginny Evans out for a sail. We stopped at the docks downtown and walked across to Hudson's for one of their famous hamburgers. Today was one of the best days we have had... but still never needed to reef the jennie. Still we had fairly consistent winds from the SSW, cruising at up to 6.5 mph and tacked our way through the throat of the upper lake and over to Arrow Point. Very nice afternoon and beautiful weather in the mid 70's. We hope to sail a few more times before we pull the boat next Tuesday and get ready to head for Flathead Lake July 5.

June 15 June 11 was indeed a picture perfect day, but unfortunately very still. Not a day for sailors. We had another decent day on the 12th and did get out for some enjoyable sailing, finally. Winds were probably 10-12 and we had the Anne Marie up over 6 knots a couple times. It was kind of cloudy and cool though, but better days were in store. June 14 and 15 were beautiful... sunny and warm with a modest breeze on the lake. We were out both afternoons as the photo to the right will attest. That is looking south down beautiful Lake Coeur d'Alene past Arrow point on the left. The lake is 26 miles long. The north bay is a good 6 miles across and we do most of our sailing up there between our marina in the northwest corner, over past Coeur d'Alene Resort, Tubbs Hill, and Across towards Arrow Point or up in to the bay above it. Very nice sailing,

June 10 We finished out our Fern Ridge trip with good sailing almost every day the last week. Then we pulled the boat, derigged and and headed for Lake Coeur d'Alene, Idaho. Our first 9 days here in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho were pretty much rained out. We got some sun breaks, but it was cold and wet and stormy all over the Pacific Northwest, and so we waited until today to get the boat rigged and launched and over to her slip at Murphy's Marina, adjacent to Blackwell RV Resort. Tomorrow promises to be a picture perfect day and we will for sure be out there on the Anne Marie. I will get some photos out on the lake tomorrow.

Fern Ridge Lake, Oregon -- May 2-31, 2012

May 21 Well after good sailing winds almost every day since we got here, the weather changed today and we got rain most of the afternoon. Not atypical at all for this time of year in the Pacific NW. Same thing is forecast for tomorrow and potentially the next few days, so we're getting a a break from sailing and can get a few other things done on the coach. Should be nice by the weekend.

May 15 The last couple days had excellent winds. Yesterday the direction was out of the East rather than the usual prevailing NW. But once we got a few hundred yards offshore we had excellent winds which picked up to the high teens in the late afternoon. Most of the day was calm today and some light breezes came up around 5:00 pm but we're taking the day off... winds are supposed to be better tomorrow.

May 12 Yet another great sailing day on Fern Ridge Lake again today... an extraordinarily steady 10-12 all afternoon... never a single gust and no light spots either. Just rock steady with nice flat water and about 80° and clear blue skies. There were more than a dozen other sailboats out, and only saw 3 or 4 powerboats the whole time. Fern Ridge is great for that... a real sailor's lake. We also sailed yesterday, Friday in a bit stronger winds. We skipped Thursday the 10th, as it was really blowing hard 20+. and we needed a day off. We had already sailed two other days this week. All in all today was yet another excellent afternoon of sailing. We took Corey along... he really enjoys his sailing days, especially when it's not too rough out there.

May 8 Terrific sailing on Fern Ridge Lake again today... a little cooler... high just around 60 or so, blue skies with some puffy clouds, obscuring the sun at times. Went out around 2:30 after the weather warmed up a little.. had 15-20 out of the North east which is the prevailing direction here. Wind held til about 4 pm when it pulled back for a bit. Then it picked back up and blew 12-16 or so til we went in around 5. Only two other sailboats out. Had her on a 30 degree heel at times... kept the 150 jenny furled to about a 90 most of the day until the wind backed off around 4 and then opened up the full jenny. GPS had us clocked at 7.2 mph at times. All in all another excellent afternoon of sailing. The Anne Marie performed marvelously as usual.

May 6 Doesn't get much better than this... We sailed Fern Ridge Lake again today... outstanding day, high around 70, cloudless blue skies, perfect 14-18 steady winds ALL day. Maybe a dozen boats out. Had her on a 30 degree heel quite a bit... kept the 150 jenny furled to about a 110 most of the day except the last downwind run back to the marina. GPS had us clocked over 7.5 mph at times. This is just the greatest lake for sailing boats, I'll tell ya... we have heard any number of people say it is reputed to be one of the best sailing lakes in the country.... easy to see why. A delightful day was had by all!

May 5 After arriving at the RV resort on beautiful Fern Ridge Lake in northwest Oregon on May 2 to rainy weather, we spent the first few days getting settled anyhow and doing some shopping. By Saturday, today, the weather broke and the forecast on Sailflow.com was for good wind this afternoon. So after lunch, we stepped the mast, rigged the sails and the running gear and were soon out on the lake in nice solid 10 kt winds that were picking up nicely. The air temps only peaked around 60 today, so we dressed warmly and sailed until around 6:00 pm or so. The winds had picked up to 12-15 with some whitecaps, so we had an invigorating session, putting the Anne Marie through her paces smartly. We're tickled with the new Garmin GPS 740s Chartplotter we just had installed. We got the US inland waters and lakes card with it and so we have a beautiful 7" touchscreen color chart of the lake, and all the data you want like speed, depth, course, bottom contours, etc. Ain't technology grand! The Anne Marie is very proud of her new toy! And we feel like it will be a worthwhile investment as we sail many new unfamiliar lakes over the coming years: Coeur d'Alene Lake, ID; Flathead Lake, MT; Lake Okanagan, Kelowna B.C.; Canyon Lake, TX; Texoma Lake, OK; Lake Eufaula, OK; Beaver Lake, AR; Stockton Lake, MO; Lake Winnebago, WI; Lake of the Woods, MN; Tellico Lake TN, Chesapeake Bay, MD; Lake George, NY; St. Lawrence Seaway, CA... many wonderful places to explore with the aid of Garmin.

Clear Lake, California -- October 12 - 25, 2011 October 25 Well, we got skunked... Fall doldrums were in full force for our two weeks at Clear Lake. We never even bothered to launch the boat. Could be a very nice place to sail if the wind cooperates, but it appears fall is not the time to go. Lots of bass fishing tournaments and jetskis and the like... but no sailing was to be had. What little breeze we did detect on the placid lake was down in the southeast corner the couple times we drove around that way. But the majority of the lake was glassy most of the time. Ah well... that is why they call the wind capricious. We'll try again another time.

(October 17 - initial entry) This is our first trip towing the Anne Marie, our Catalina 22 MkII sailboat behind the Gulfstream Motor Coach in search of fair winds and following seas :-) We arrived under a persistent high pressure system and so, sad to report, no winds. This was fine, we thought, because we needed to devote ourselves to setting up the new coach anyway. The weather forecast is promising winds to begin the second week as the high pressure system lifts and cooler weather moves in. I will add additional info after we get the boat rigged and into the water.