Remember to wear a life jacket to the first day of the event and encourage everyone to wear them to work, etc. as May 21 is National Wear Your Lifejacket to Work Day!
LEARN ABOUT SAFE BOATING AT THIS ANNUAL EVENT! ATTENDED BY SHERIFF MARINE DEPARTMENTS FROM KOOTENAI & SPOKANE COUNTIES, US COAST GUARD, AND STATE AGENCIES.
SUPPORT SAFE BOATING IN THE INLAND NORTHWEST BY BECOMING A SPONSOR/DONOR &/OR VOLUNTEERINGS. Email us at accesstooutdoors@gmail.com to learn more.
Current Sponsors... Kootenai County Sheriff Marne Division; Idaho Parks and Rec; Access To Outdoors; Inland Northwest Sailors; FunToSAIL; Fins & Feathers Tackle Shop; Black Sheep
ATTENTION THIS EVENT HAS BEEN MOVED TO JUNE! EXACT DATE TBA.
SPONSORED BY INLAND NORTHWEST SAILORS
For Sailors and Kite fliers
Due to the Desert Regatta being cancelled again we have set up a new annual event called the Scablands Fun Sail. The plan is to simply have a beach party, fly kites, and go for a sail around the Islands on June TBA. If the water is warm enough, swim.
We will camp on the Northeast Shoreline of the reservoir, some will start to camp on June TBA and stay until the TBA. Our official event will be on May TBA.
The Reservoir has some nice launches around the lake with one private and one state run campgrounds. Covid restrictions are enforced at the state park and private campgrounds. We will be camping in the open primitive camping area where covid restrictions are less stringent. There are public restrooms where we will be camping but we are not sure they will be open so we suggest you bring your own portable toilets. And make sure you bring your own drinking water and food, etc. GOOD NEWS! If you have never sailed or flown a kite at the Potholes Reservoir your in for a treat as the wind seems to almost always be spectacular and the water great. Great place to kayak as well.
The spring refill of Lake Pend Oreille begins today, April 1. The planned operation for April is to target a lake elevation of approximately 2055 ft by the end of the month. The day-to-day rate of refill will vary based on changing inflows to Lake Pend Oreille. This week, the elevation of Lake Pend Oreille is expected to increase gradually within the 2052-2053 ft range.
Albeni Falls operations during May and June will be set according to observed and forecast conditions in order to manage flood risk. The Corps monitors snowpack and weather forecasts to determine timing to reach the summer operating range of 2062.0 to 2062.5 ft. In a typical non-flood year this summer range is reached in mid to late June. The current seasonal water supply forecast for April-July inflow volume is 88% of average.
Short term modeling forecasts are provided by the Northwest River Forecast Center. Their projections for Albeni Falls Dam inflow, outflow, and the elevation of Lake Pend Oreille at the Hope gage can be found here:
The first Corsair Pulse 600 ever in the Inland Northwest has arrived... It is here and ready for interested parties to go on a demo sail. Email us (funtosail@gmail.com) to secure your time to demo this amazing family friendly but high performance sailboat...
Kootenai County leads all counties in Idaho with the most registered vessels, followed by Bonner County (Lake Pend Oreille). Spokane County leads all counties in Eastern WA with the most registered boats. And Flathead County has the most boats registered in Montana. On top of that these areas have a large non motorized boating and water enthusiast population. With many boats register and active non-motorized enthusiasts comes with more boating accidents and drownings. Not to mention the Inland Northwest is a boating paradise with its vast marine environments of small and large lakes/reservoirs and many rivers. All this combined creates a unique and daunting challenge for marine law enforcement. Sheriff Marine divisions of the Inland NW asks all marine enthusiasts to make a difference in prevent recreational marine accidents. Here are 10 things you can do to accomplish this...
Federal law requires the operator or owner of a recreational vessel to file a boating accident report with the State reporting authority if the recreational vessel is involved in an accident that results in any of the following:
· A person dies
· A person is injured and requires medical treatment beyond first aid
· A person disappears from the vessel under circumstances that indicate death or injury
· Damage to vessels and other property totals $2,000 (lower amounts in some states and territories)
· The boat is destroyed
2. Boater Education (email FunToSAIL for more info)
Boating safety courses are offered for all types and ages of recreational boaters. These courses are conducted by qualified volunteer organizations, such as the The Sheriff Marine Divisions, U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary, U.S. Power Squadron, and other sponsors including state boating agencies. FunToSAIL.com offers sailing lessons for those interested in learning to sail small daysailors such as Hobie Cats to coastal sailing for keelboaters/multihullers.
Both the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary and the United States Power Squadrons have certified vessel examiners who will perform a free Vessel Safety Check ("VSC") at your boat, at a time of mutual convenience.
The U.S. Coast Guard says boaters should file a float plan before embarking on the water. Why? The answer is simple... there are just too many facts that need to be accurately remembered and ultimately conveyed in an emergency situation. Without a float plan, you are counting on someone else, a friend, neighbor, or family member to remember detailed information that rescue personnel needs in order to find you. Information can make a difference in the outcome.
Carbon monoxide (CO) can harm and even kill you inside or outside your boat. The U.S. Coast Guard urges boaters to educate themselves about the dangers of carbon monoxide.
BUI is just as dangerous as driving under the influence (DUI). The leading contributing factor in fatal boating accidents is alcohol. Alcohol and water do not mix.
Boats designed for shallow water fishing or recreational use are most prone to shallow water accidents, according to the U.S. Coast Guard. These boaters need to know how to handle this situation before going out on the water.
Boat propellers are a hidden danger to boaters. To avoid boat propeller accidents remove keys from the ignition when stopping. Make sure your motor safety lanyard is attacked to the safety off switch and is attached to the skipper/person who is driving the boat.
CONCLUSION: Doing these 11 things will help you and others to have a safe boating experience. If you see unsafe boaters such as those under the influence of alcohol write down the boats registration number and report to the local marine enforcement (should have this contact info on your float plan and on your boat). Take immediate action if one can do it safely. Do not engage drunk or violent acting individuals/groups. Best to contact law enforcement while on the water via VHF radio safety channel. Cell phone signals are not always reliable while on the water.
This video shows the beautify of the former 12 meter Americas Cup yachts. A bygone day for the Americas Cup but not today for the 12 meter class. Some think these boats should be brought back to the Americas Cup after recent years of techy boats going for speed versus exciting close quarters match racing... Enjoy the video...
With the first day of spring fast approaching on March 20 we have some fun spring events coming. Online you can watch SailGP's first series of races for the year on April 24-25 in Bermuda. In May we have our first Inland NW Sailors club activity, FunToSAIL sailing lessons start, and the first annual Silver Lake Mall National Safe Boating event on 5/21-22 (see calendar)
It is finally here, our new Adventure Coastal Sailing class, designed specifically for sailors who sail shallow draft sailboats up to 27 feet/8.2 meters, and for those wanting to sail bigger coastal cruising sailboats but need the skill first.
Our primary instructor Miles Moore has taught classes like it before but this class is new in the fact it creates a whole new lesson format that specifically targets those people who want to camp sail, or use a small shallow draft sailboat to access areas of coastal environments that are not accessible to larger cruising sailboats.
There is an interesting development in the world of catamaran sailing... the disappearance of in-the-water racing catamaran still in production. Catamarans that do not lift out of the water via hydro foils.
For years the Hobie 16 has been the staple of one-design catamaran racing and recreational sailing, plus is known for its wild ride in strong winds. Other catamaran designs to a slightly or much less degree have had a good showing in race turn out. Many designs have come and gone since the Hobie 16 was introduced (1972-present). From the 1970's in-the-water beach cats has been the ticket for speed and hull flying fun but that all changed with the development of foiling trimarans and catamarans (foilers) such as the Flying Phantom, Nacra 17, or iFly, etc. We have seen many Hobie Cat and Prindle/Nacra models, the Olympic Tornado (replaced by the foiling Nacra 17), and others die over the years, and die more quickly recently due to foiling cats. Production of foiling cats started to appear in 2010, but took off sales and racing wise in 2013 when the Americas Cup was using large foiling cats. This was the nail in the coffin for all in-the-water racing cats other than the Hobie 16.
Recreational cats (not typically used for racing) however have not been affected by foilers because they are low cost and low maintenance boats such as the Hobie Getaway or RS cat, but they are not good for high end racing. Even though Foiling cats are amazing to sail due primarily to their speed, the down side is high cost and maintenance. Building a foiler is a lot like building an airplane and so one should not expect an airplane to cost the same as an hang-glider. Plus hydro foils are like wings that require constant maintenance, if the foils get nicked and/or rough the foil like a wing will not develop good lift.
So why is a 1972 cat design (slight upgrades over the years, particularly in 1996) surviving the modern world of foiling cats? It is four fold, It's the best by far in the surf, great low maintenance recreational sailboat, is an ideal in-the-water racing cat, and exciting to sail. In addition the Hobie 16 has years of promotion and has been the most popular beach catamaran sense its introduction. And interesting to note the Hobie 16 world championships still has the best attendance of any catamaran class.
And one final note the Hobie 16 is the only cat used for accessible/disAbled sailing via adding adaptive wings seats to each side of the boat called Trapseats.
So if you want to enjoy fun racing on a classic catamaran, surf, etc. then Hobie 16 is your cat.
PS: Hobie 16 North Americans Championships. June 6-11, 2021; Ocean Springs YC, Ocean Springs, Mississippi. Click here to learn more!
Inland NW (N ID, E WA, NW MT) Hobie Regatta and Events contact Miles Moore at accesstooutdoors@gmail.com or see FunToSAIL calendar.
