i was just contemplating when a good time would be to put in at the great salt lake. i set up a goal last winter that i would sail gsl at least once this year. as i think about a good date for the excursion, i am daunted with the thoughts that i would prefer not to take the family on this one. because of the nature of the lake, i would rather save a family event for later when i am more familiar with the lake. on the same note, i would rather not sail it alone...... anyone want to come?
i am going whether i go alone or not but i hate to pass up any potential company. i don't know if i can talk britt into putting his weekender in this year but your welcome abord the daydream. that goes for anyone else space permitting. derik? britt? phill?.......anyone else not mentioned???
Buler?....Buler?.....Buler?.......Buler?
I am all for a mid to late September GSL cruise, perhaps marina to marina. School is in full swing, so scheduling may be an issue, and there's this little matter of towing that keeps sticking it's ugly head in my business....
But let's start figuring it out.
i just had an idea! it would require a round trip rather than one way but here it is:
i tow the daydream to the south marina and drop her off. drive 15 minutes to your hood and hich up your ship and tow her back tho the marina. we do a round trip tour from south marina to antelope island and back. after which, i tow your boat back to your place and then go back for mine.
the only problem i can come up with is that i don't know how long it would take to sail round trip there and back. i am sure that it would take longer to return if we are navagating againsed the predominant north eatern winds. but then if the wind is fairly consistant in its direction, i am not againsed the journey.
do you know if there is cell service out on the big lake? it is kind of out in the middle of nowhere.
There is not any reliable cell phone service out on the lake, at least that I have found. A radio would be a nice option.
http://www.sailflow.com is the only wind forecasting site (or otherwise) that I have found for Utah....you can look at it to see the prevailing wind patterns, although it looks alot like a whirlpool at the moment... :lol:
Take note that the lake produces it's own weather patterns.
Wind speeds look real nice for this weekend
Sailing from one marina to the other is done all the time by the locals (GSLYC). Some of them make it and back in a day. However, our boats go a lot slower. I have only done it once (and that was at night). The winds were moderate to none. It is a little over 20 miles. It took me around 12 hours to do it I planned to sleep a bit and head back. That didn't work out and I bagged the return trip.
If I were to do a round trip again I would leave as early as I could. Sail 'till I got there. If I didn't make it, I would anchor off the island in a wind protected spot for morning. Sleep good that night and sail back the next day. The marina is a good place to tie up. Restrooms are a blessing. They are now planning to charge for that service. There are other good overnight options: South marina to Crystal bay, North marina to Freemont Island. For a shorter option South marina to Southern Antelope Island.
Remember, one of the bigest concerns is night winds and consequent waves. The mezowest sights are great places to find current and historical weather info. The GSLYC also has a great compendium of sites:
http://www.gslyc.org/weather/index.html
Cell phones do not work for most of the trip. I took a 5 watt marine radio, but that only gets about 5 miles. It would be good for ship to ship, but useless for most emergencies. Still a good thing to have, sometimes you can get lucky and contact a radio at greater distance. Even a 25 watt radio is not useful on parts of the lake.
I think a good gas motor is a requirement.
I would like to try an overnight, but my times this year have been extremly limited. I had one planed for the 4th, but winds were around 30 knots and I got scared.
thank you sooo much for the info. we were hoping you would post your thoughts. it's a shame to here of your schedule. i hope things clear up for you before too long. if by some chance you are able to get away when we go you would be an asset to have.....
there are a few items i want to have before the trip.
gps
marine radio
porta poty (have it)
sea anchor
spot light (have it)
gps map
pleanty of food and drink (i would rather not have to use the purifyer)
what am i forgetting?