Stranded on a Deserted Island

I do not know about you but I like stories of adventure, etc. True stories about people being stranded on deserted islands fascinates me. This particular store was the inspiration for the book Robinson Crusoe. Here is one such story...

 

SailGP Racing

Next SailGP Racing series at Sydney Australia, Feb 7-8, 2024

Watch SailGP racing live or via replay on Youtube.com/sailgp

Racing starts again this weekend Feb 18-19, 2025.

Many of us are excited to watch racing in Australia in particular due to the new T-Foils that will give the boats better control and higher speeds over the old L shaped foils.

Let's see what speeds they hit. In San Fransico they tested the new T-Foils, and they hit for the first time 100+ kph (101.98 or basically 102 kph / 55 knots / 63 mph) on Nov 15th, 2024, in San Fransico Bay. Team New Zealand just hit 97.2 / 52 knots / 60 mph on Jan 13 in Waitematā Harbour in Auckland, just before the upcoming racing. It will be curious to see who hits 100 kph / 54 knots / 62 mph during actual racing.

I am happy to say Team USA is sitting in 3rd place in the current standing before this weekend's racing. They are looking good, and I have high hopes they can continue their good results? We shall see...

102 kph, watch the video

 

LPO Lakes Commission meeting change

Greetings All,

Below is a forwarded message from the USACE that Flexible Winter Pool Operations (FWPO) have been requested by BPA this year and the USACE will accommodate that request by adjusting the operations at Albeni Falls Dam temporarily.  The notice shows they will likely raise Lake Pend Oreille (LPO) by 3 feet over the next couple days.  They will likely release that water in the near future to generate power.  As a reminder, FWPO is an agreement with Bonneville Power Administration (BPA) that allows them to request LPO be filled up to 5 feet in the winter and then released again to generate power when power is in demand.  FWPO, and power generation overall, is the reason we have had a maximum lake drawdown for the past 10 years.  2013 was the last year LPO was held at a high winter pool of 2055.5'.   

Lakes Commission Meeting Adjustment:  January 9th is postponed. Since our agenda has numerous USACE speakers, we are attempting to reschedule our meeting.  Stay tuned!  We will let you know ASAP of the new date.  Zoom link for attending virtually, will remain the same.

Best,

Molly McCahon: Lakes Commission Executive Director; Phone 208-265-4568, Cell 208-255-9675; Email lakescommission@gmail.com; Website lakescommission.org

Viking Ship R2AK?

Here is a video about a replica Viking Ship that was sailed across the Atlantic Ocean. Great video. What intrigues me is their comment about possibly being in the Race 2 Alaska, like the same year my wife and I will be doing it. Would be amazing to see this boat and possibly sail the same year in the race. Hope you enjoy this video.

 

Gearing up for 2025 and more

So, my fellow sailors and friends here is what is going to happen in 2025...

1. A big effort this year is the WA360 (Washington 360), a race around the Puget Sound WA and north to the WA and CAN boarder, followed by in 2026 the Race 2 Alaska (R2AK). We are looking for sponsors and donations for this effort. We will be dedicating these two races to men's suicide prevention. Learn more at our R2AK page.

2. Our big focus sales wise is the Malbec18 sportboat/trailerable keelboat . We are developing an access chair for this boat so those with disAbilities can enjoy sailing her as well.

3. Starting January 1st, 2025, we will no longer sell Hobie Catamarans or any Hobie products other than the Hobie Mirage Tandem Island (TI) (currently at the low price of $6,999) while stock lasts. We highly recommend taking a look at TopCats for an alternative to Hobie catamarans. With Hobie continued delays and moving production to Mexico, seems Hobie Cat of old has been replaced by Hobie Corp of new, with their focus on kayaks. All the old Hobie Cat employees of old have been let go and replaced by non-sailors to again focus on their kayaks. From this point on Hobie catamarans (when and if available), parts, and accessories can be purchased from Murrays. We will continue to sell use Hobie Cats and other sailboats and supply our expertise to any that ask. We have wonderful memories of Hobie Cat of old but sadly they are no more. May we all remember Hobart "Hobie" Laidlaw Alter of old and the amazing products he created and produced, such as the Hobie 16, etc. RIP Hobie Alter and Hobie Cat.

4. We are creating a historical Lake Coeur d'Alene chart that will be available spring 2025. In association with this chart, we will create steamboat stickers, shirts and hats, etc.

5. We wanted to get involved more in our local community so on July 19th in Coeur d'Alene Idaho we are running cardboard boat races with a historical theme of Steamboats of Lake Coeur d'Alene.

6. We will start our new video series FINALLY! Of course, much of the content will be about sailing, but also about safety gear, the environment, ancient sailing, various marine education content, better mental health via adventures, etc., and even some stuff not about sailing but may apply like nutrition and fitness, religion/spiritual, etc. See our current videos at https://www.youtube.com/funtosail

7. Skipper Miles Moore has written a learn-to-sail book that is in process of being edited. Still working on the diagrams. We do not have an official publishing date, but hopefully late Spring. His next book will be about small boat coastal sailing.

8. Our Access To Outdoors efforts will of course continue with our accessibled Lakes Guide or officially called Marine Access Guide and development of our access chair for the Malbec18. To help us with these 2 projects please visit Access To Outdoors and Donate if you can.

2025 will be an exciting year! We greatly appreciate your support.

Wish you all Fair Winds in 2025

Christmas Season Specials

 

This is a great time of year to purchase our many sailing products

One of our most popular offerings is our Learn-To-Sail gift certificates (with or without a toy sailboat to open on Christmas)... Click Here!

Buy a Hobie Mirage Tandem Island at a huge discount for $6,999 (retail for $8,300), while supplies last Click Here!

Buy a Malbec18 sportboat/keelboat (has cabin) Click Here!

Not ready for a full-size sailboat how about a Radio-Controlled sailboat or one of our pond sailboats. Click Here!

Get great pricing on used sailboats. Click Here!

Shop at online at FunToSAIL.com . Click Here!

Buy a kite! Stunt kite, Floater Kite, Pocket Kite. Click Here!

One can also make a donation to the non-profit Access To Outdoors to support marine access work, accessible sailing, and other projects. To donate email accesstooutdoors@gmail.com

Text 208-704-4454

Email funtosail@gmail.com

  

Hayden Lake, Kootenai County, Idaho

Hayden Lake (3,880 acres), with its crystal clear waters, sandy beaches and picturesque timber shores... is one of the most beautiful and popular lakes of Northern Idaho. It's irregular shape gives it about 40 miles of shoreline with the main portion of the lake being seven miles long and one to two miles wide. Normal lake elevation is 2,239 ft. above sea level, and portions of it reach 178 ft. deep. The lake is surrounded on three sides by panoramic timbered mountains which rise to an elevation of 4,500 to 6,000 ft. In the early years as many as four steamboats served the lake industry, and Bing Crosby built a summer home on its shores.

Hayden lake is a great sailing lake and I have personally sailed many times on this lake. Its winds are similar to Lake Coeur d’Alene’s with Spring and Fall having the best winds; winter also has nice winds but they are lighter than Spring and Fall winds. Summer winds are light during the day with morning and late evenings producing nice thermal winds (from the East or West). This lake tends to produce winds from all different directions during mid day and seems to not have consistent wind patterns other than in the morning and evenings, but it is still a very enjoyable lake to sail on. This lake is a popular location for water skiing and fishing.

There are two boat launches on Hayden lake, one on the Southwest end (Honeysuckle) and one on the Northeast end (Sportsmen Access). There is also a private marina just a short distance from the Honeysuckle Launch to the Southeast from this boat launch. Honeysuckle Beach boat launch and park is located on the east end of Honeysuckle Avenue and is by far the best public launch facility and the only one you could launch a swing keel sailboat from. Hayden Lake Sportsmen Access is on the Northeast end of the lake. Hayden Lake is suited for dinghies and has a steep road down to the ramp (I really do not feel this is a good place to launch a sailboat of any kind from. It's best suited for kayaks & dinghies 16’ and under).

Free printable Map available soon!

OTHER: Hayden Chamber of Commerce http://www.haydenchamber.org ; Phone #'s: Honeysuckle Beach 772-4411; N.E. Sportsman's Access 446-1275.

BOAT LAUNCHES AND MARINA

1. Honeysuckle Park, Boat Launch, & Beach 

Directions: From Hayden Idaho on US HWY 95...  Go east on Honeysuckle Avenue all the way to the Honeysuckle Boat Launch and park. East Honeysuckle Road intersects with 4th Street. Maps: View Google Map below...

ACCESSIBILITY: PARKING... Paved from level to 3 percent inclines; PATHS/TRAILS... Marked paths to and from launch and beach area. Paved wide path to beach from parking lot. There is a gravel wide level path along the dike to and from low head dam; RESTROOMS/FACILITIES/SHADE… One fully accessible restroom. Shade via trees; DOCKS/LAUNCHES/PLATFORMS… Fully accessible docks and ramps. One 2 lane cement launch, 3% grade; DIRECT WATER ACCESS… There is a paved wide path to the beach, No access pad for wheeled mobility devices over the beach into the water. Beach sand is not supper soft and beach has about a 2% grade; TRANSFER SYSTEMS... None; SENSORY... No sensory tactile markers for those with visual and other impairments; CAMPING... No camping at or near by; O.T.H.E.R… Oddities/Barriers: None; Terrain: Is mostly level with steepest grade of 3 percent in the northeast end of the parking lot; H2O/Water: Water normally clear. Water temperature in the summer can be around 70 degree. Drinking water available; Environmental Conditions: Varies; Resources: Summer months there is a concessions stand at the launch park area. Food, drinks, and gas in town of Hayden. Here are two links from the City of Hayden Honeysuckle launch/park info http://www.hayden.govoffice.com/ and Kootenai County parks and water ways Hayden Lake sportsman access info http://www.co.kootenai.id.us/departments/parkswaterways/facilities/SportsmansAccessHayden.asp

2. Hayden Marina
Marine, boat launch (2 ramps), services...

Directions: From Hayden Idaho on US HWY 95... Travel east on E. Honeysuckle Ave. Turn right after intersecting 4th Street on East Honeysuckle Ave. Take East Hayden Ave. to Hayden Marina. Maps: View Google Map below...

ACCESSIBILITY: PARKING... Paved from level to 3 percent inclines; PATHS/TRAILS... None; RESTROOMS/FACILITIES/SHADE… Not accessible; DOCKS/LAUNCHES/PLATFORMS… Fully accessible docks and ramps. One cement single lane launch, 7% grade; DIRECT WATER ACCESS… None; TRANSFER SYSTEMS... None; SENSORY... No sensory tactile markers for those with visual and other impairments; CAMPING... No camping at or near by; O.T.H.E.R… Oddities/Barriers: None; Terrain: Is mostly level with steepest grade of 5 percent; H2O/Water: Water normally clear. Water temperature in the summer can be around 70 degree. Drinking water available; Environmental Conditions: Varies; Resources: Food, drinks, and gas in town of Hayden.

3. Mokins Bay & Campground

Directions: From Interstate 90 in Coeur d'Alene... Go north on US Hwy 95 for 6 miles. Turn east on Lancaster Road (turns into East Hayden Lake Rd). Go 5 miles (paved), and then 11 miles around Hayden Lake to Mokins Bay. Turn east at the "Public Camp" sign and go 200 feet to campground. 

 

ACCESSIBILITY: Will be assessed May 2019

NATIONAL FOREST SERVICE: Mokins Bay Campground - Open from late spring to late summer.  Facilities: Sixteen camp units, potable water... Contact the Coeur d'Alene River Ranger District for actual opening and closing dates. You can anchor your boat in the bay across the road from the campground and/or walk down the lake bank to the water and paddle out via small watercraft. Fees: There are fees to camp. Contact the Forest Service for details. Reservations aren't necessary. For more information contact the Coeur d'Alene River Ranger District at http://www.fs.fed.us/ipnf/rec/yourplace/cgguide/map.html

There are no BLM lands on Hayden Lake.

4. Hayden Lake Sportsman Access Boat Launch
This site is built on a sloping hill of significant grade of 10 percent or less. The water at this launch site is heavily invested with lily pad and other aquatic plant life.

Directions: On HWY 95 passing through Hayden Idaho going north... Turn onto E. Lancaster road (turns into East Hayden Lake road); follow to the East Park road Sportsman Access sign.

ACCESSIBILITY: PARKING... Paved from 3 to 7 percent inclines. Parking lot is split from launch area by steep 10 percent inclined paved road; PATHS/TRAILS... None. One must use the launch road from vehicle in parking lot to launch area. Road is 10 percent incline; RESTROOMS/FACILITIES/SHADE… One fully accessible restroom. Shade via trees; DOCKS/LAUNCHES/PLATFORMS… One fully accessible dock with gangway, with one single lane cement launch ramp with 7% grade; DIRECT WATER ACCESS… None. Not suitable for this site; TRANSFER SYSTEMS... None; SENSORY... No sensory tactile markers for those with visual and other impairments; CAMPING... No camping at this site but about 10 miles away is the Mokins Bay Campground (see #3 above this launch info); O.T.H.E.R… Oddities/Barriers: This end of the lake is heavily infested with lily pads and other aquatic plant life making for an idea location for fish and waterfowl to live; Terrain: Is heavily inclined up to 10 percent inclines; H2O/Water: Water normally clear. Water temperature in the summer can be around 70 degrees. No drinking water available; Environmental Conditions: Varies; Resources: Food, drinks, and gas in town of Hayden.

Maps: View Google Map below...

Hayden Lake Google Map... Zoom in to see waypoints... for boat launches, etc.

CLICK THIS LINK TO SEE LIVE CAM VIDEO OF HAYDEN LAKE IDAHO USA AT HAYDEN LAKE COUNTRY CLUB MARINA

4th of July

 Have an amazing

4th of July!

Hope you enjoy story of the Star Spangled Banner as most have never heard it, 

and two musical renditions of the Star Spangled Banner, 

which will reminds us all why this nation is so amazing.

(scroll down)!

Rock out to this amazing rock n roll version of the Star Spangle Banner.

>

Race 2 Alaska 2024

Hello fellow sailors, its time again for the Race 2 Alaska (R2AK) 2024, actually I am posting a bit late as some teams have already arrived in Ketichan Alaska, the big fast boats. I actually don't really follow the big boats but the small boats, boats 20' and under, kayaks, paddleboards, small day sailor dinghies, and Hobie cats.

This year I went to watch the start of the race, actually I arrived the day before to attend the pre race party and check out many of the boats and their gear (pics and more info coming soon). I was able to talk to many of the racers. They all seemed to be down to earth, regular people who have a desire for adventure and to test their abilities, yet none of them took lightly the challenge ahead.

I will be posting pics and boat and gear details via more post shortly.

The race started at 5:am on Sunday June 6. Many of the participants were up and getting their boats ready to go at 3:am, or earlier. I got up at 3:am and about half the racers were already at their boats.

The racers I was most interested in is Team Spirit of Nevetz skipper by Ohad Shafrir from Israel aboard his 16' catamaran (X Cat); Team Tips Up skippered by John Ped & Kaila Pfrang from Colorado USA aboard their 16' Hobie catamaran; Team X skippers by Xia Huang from USA/Singapore/China aboard his Hobie Mirage Tandem Island; Team Willy Wild Cat skippered by Adam Cove from Maine USA aboard his cat boat monohull; I was going to mention a few other teams but by this writing, sadly they have all ended their attempts, Did Not Finish.

More news coming. Visit R2AK.comVisit R2AK.com

Memorial Day

SEE MEMORIAL SERVICES Times below for the Coeur d'Alene and Hayden Idaho area. Contact your local military group(s) for events in your area.

 

I thought it was only fitting I supply you with this article about honoring those that have fallen in war to keep us free. See Article Below!

And I personally would like to thank those who USA military family members have paid the ultimate sacrifice to keep us free, not just in this country but also for the world. There is no greater love than to give your life for another!

May we all remember their sacrifices today and forever. Let us visit their graves, support gold star families, and help lift where we stand, in our communities. Let us always stand, put our hands over our hearts, and take off our hats for the national anthem. And let us remember to defend the US Constitution at all costs via voting for those who know and uphold it, and by getting involved in our local communities. To truly honor the fallen is to uphold that which they fought and died for.

And to add to this, today is to specifically remember our fallen US military members and no one else! Memorial Day Monday is more than just another holiday. See Memorial events at the end of this page to enhance our remembrance. Also watch a USA military movie to remember the fallen, such as the Band of Brothers, Pearl Harbor, Midway, etc. Make a comment below related to your favorite war movies and memories of the fallen.

Have a wonderful Memorial Day!

Skipper Miles Moore

MEMORIAL ARTICLE by the Navy SEAL who killed Usama bin Laden

Don't wish me a happy Memorial Day

Don’t wish me a happy Memorial Day. There is nothing happy about the loss of the brave men and women of our armed forces who died in combat defending America. Memorial Day is not a celebration.

Memorial Day is a time for reflection, pause, remembrance and thanksgiving for patriots who gave up their own lives to protect the lives and freedom of us all – including the freedom of generations long gone and generations yet unborn. We owe the fallen a debt so enormous that it can never be repaid.

Memorial Day is a time to honor the lives of those who would rather die than take a knee when our national anthem is played. But they will fight and die for the rights of those who kneel.

This holiday is a time to think of young lives cut short, of wives and husbands turned into widows and widowers, of children growing up without a father or mother, of parents burying their children.

Memorial Day is a time to think of might have beens that never were. Of brave Americans who put their country before themselves. Without these heroes, America would not be America.

Unfortunately, for many Americans this solemn holiday might as well be called Summer Day – marking the unofficial start of the season of barbecues, days at the beach, time spent on baseball fields and golf courses, hiking and enjoying the great the outdoors. All those things are great – we all appreciate them and they are some of the best things in life.

But Memorial Day is not Summer Day. Nor was the holiday created as a way to promote sales of cars, furniture or clothes.

Another Memorial Day brings with it a whole lot more than the start of summer. Since last Memorial Day, grass is now growing above the final resting places of many young men and women whose lives were taken too soon while defending our country in Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria and other far-off places many Americans have rarely heard of.

When Army Sgt. La David Johnson, Staff Sgt. Bryan Black, Sgt. 1st Class Jeremiah Johnson and Staff Sgt. Dustin Wright were killed last October in an ISIS ambush in Niger, many Americans asked: We have troops in Niger? These unknown soldiers lost their lives protecting you – every one of you reading these words.   

Think about this: Millions of high-school seniors are walking across auditorium stages this season, receiving their diplomas. Most will go on to college or jobs, but some will choose a career of military service, joining the second generation of American warriors fighting in the Global War on Terror – a war that began with the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks that took the lives of almost 3,000 people in our homeland.

Most of these new recruits – who were not even born or who were just infants when the 9/11 attacks took place – will make it home just fine. But some will not. I pray that I am wrong, but the sad truth is that the number of American war dead on Memorial Day in 2019 will be higher than it is on this Memorial Day.  

On Memorial Day, I salute my brothers and sisters-in-arms who have served beside me in War on Terror. My heart especially goes out to the families of those who did not return home. In fact, I think about all those who served and those who have given their lives fighting for America from our county’s earliest days in the Revolutionary War. They all have my gratitude.

We think we are strong, but in war any of us can be turned into just a memory in an instant. And war seems to have been the universal experience of just about every society on the planet at one time or another, for as long as there have been human societies.

How do we stop the wars resulting in such tragic waste of lives? How do we stop the number of American war dead and war dead in other nations from growing? I wish I knew the answer. But battle lines are being drawn and redrawn, and wars and terrorist attacks just keep going on and on. Weapons are getting bigger. Bombs are becoming smarter and more lives are being lost every day all over the world, leading to more death, more anger and more war.

Some are so loyal to their cause that they strap bombs on their bodies or fly passenger jets into buildings. They conduct beheadings. They set prisoners on fire. How do we find common ground with them? Do we even try to find common ground, or do we finally take the gloves off and start landing punches intended to take our enemy out for good?

I’ve been on over 400 Army combat missions and have seen more war than most Americans. More than I care to remember, but cannot forget. There is never a shortage of war. War spreads faster than fire and like fire it leaves destruction in its wake.

It hurts my heart as an American every time I see another service member’s body being brought home draped in an American flag. But it hurts my heart as a human being with every act of war we are all unleashing against each other around the world.

This Memorial Day, I urge all Americans to remember all the fallen sailors, soldiers, airmen, Marines and Coast Guard members who have so bravely served our country, as well as their families.

And I urge all Americans to join me in the hope and prayer that somehow, someday people around the world will focus more on our similarities than our differences and that we will move closer to a time when war is just a memory – part of our past but not our future.

Robert O'Neill is a Fox News contributor and ex-Navy SEAL best known as “the man who killed Usama bin Laden.” O'Neill joined the Navy in 1996 and deployed as a SEAL more than a dozen times, participating in more than 400 combat missions across four different theaters of war.

Hello everyone! I hope you all will find a Memorial Day ceremony in your area and go to it to honor our fallen Heroes. I know I will as I have family that have served and one son who is serving now in the Navy. We need to make this day more than a day to buy things and barbecue, etc. It should be a day of reverence.

Here below are two events in my area that honor our fallen Heroes.

Plus after noted events is an amazing article by the Navy Seal who killed Usama bin Laden. A very inspiring article by an American hero who teaches how to truly observe Memorial Day.

MONDAY/MEMORIAL DAY

Kootenai County Memorial Day events:

• 9 a.m. Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 889 Memorial Day ceremony — McEuen Park, 420 E. Front St., Coeur d'Alene

• 9:30 a.m. Hayden Veterans Commission and U.S. Submarine Veterans Inc. wreath laying on Hayden Lake — Honeysuckle Beach, 2369 E. Honeysuckle Ave., Hayden

• 11 a.m. Marine Corps League Detachment 966 Memorial Day ceremony — Coeur d'Alene Memorial Gardens, 7315 N. Government Way, Coeur d'Alene

• 11 a.m. American Legion Post 143 Memorial Day ceremony — Evergreen Cemetery, 2834 N. Spokane St., Post Falls

• 11 a.m. Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 889 Memorial Day ceremony — Forest Cemetery, 1001 N. Government Way, Coeur d'Alene

• 11 a.m. Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 3603 Memorial Day ceremony — Pleasant View Cemetery, 1298 S. Goldfinch Road, Post Falls

• 11 a.m. Hayden Veterans Commission Memorial Day ceremony — McIntire Family Park, 8930 N. Government Way, Hayden

• Noon, American Legion Post 154 and the city of Rathdrum Memorial Day ceremony — Pinegrove Cemetery, 6693 W. Highway 53, Rathdrum

• Noon, Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 1473 Memorial Day ceremony — Greenwood Cemetery, 400 10th Ave., Spirit Lake