sailing on lake Dillon, Colorado.

[Dutch]

i purchased my 2010 Legacy 4  years ago.   this is my favorite boat so far.  i have also owned a Catalina 18 and a Precision 21.  last week we
decided to take " Lil Dutch"  to lake Dillon for  6 days. wow, what a experience. the elevation of this lake is over 9000 feet and is surrounded by
14000 foot mountains.  the second day started of with clear skies and a very little wind.  after a few hours the wind shifted 4 times which should have been my warning sign.  within 2 minutes we got hit by a Micro burst with winds reaching 30-40 MPH. That day there  were around 24
Santana 20 sailboats on the water as  they were racing for the national Championship.  i was able to  take all my sails down  and head back to
my slip but it was not easy.   the other boats kept  on racing.  4 got dismasted and one Santana 20 actually sunk.  it took on water   as they got knocked down and did not have their hatch closed.  the cabin filled up rapidly and that was the end of it. everybody on board  was rescued and turned out unharmed.   it did make me think about a few changes i need to make on my Legacy.
1. the mainsheet cleat is in my opinion dangerous as it has a tendency to " cleat"   itself  when the wind picks up very easily.  has anybody addressed this.
2. also thinking about changing over to  a Furler for the jib.  i  have installed a Jib dowhaul but the Jib still need to be bundled up as the wind blows
it everywhere up front. under those condition, i do not want to go to the front.  i definitely need to order a smaller Headsail as the Lapper is to big

i have made a few improvements to the boat

1 adjustable motor mount
2 Teak grabrails
3 Rudder Crafts Rudder and Tiller
4 Tiller clutch
5 Torqueedo electric Motor

i have learned my lesson now.  all the locals that sail Lake Dillon reef their Main no matter what the weather is like. and most Boats on that lake
never even put up the Head sail as these Micro burts can happen  without hardly  any warning.  Also a reminder to close the hatch when the going gets rough.

[kahpho]

Beautiful area. My sister used to live in Frisco and I visited as often as I could. I had a "Sail the Summit" T-shirt that I wore until thread bare. Glad you made it back OK.

Is your Rudder Crafts rudder a stocked item or custom made to order? I've been wanting to upgrade my rudder.

[Dutch]

it is the same assembly  that is listed under the Com-pac 16 in their catalog. i did have to give them specific dimensions   regarding the  spindles
that drop down  ( the measurements between the two) and the angle of the transom. they have a form that you have to e-mail to them.


Dutch

2010 Legacy

[Jim23]

Welcome Dutch, It's great to hear more Colorado Com-pacs are out there.

We get conditions like Dillon over here on Lake Granby. After being smacked around a few times (slow learner) I now always watch the water. I've circled the entire lake before without changing tack. I've also sailed going in the same direction as a buddy's boat but on opposite tacks...go figure. Lighter boats can be challenging with all of the sudden wind shifts and gusts. 23's aren't the stiffest boats but the keel to weight ration is a big plus. I personally don't reef right away unless it's already white capping or gusting. A furler will be a great addition for quickly adjusting to changing conditions.

Hopefully see you on the water sometime.

[JBC]

Welcome Dutch,

I sailed mostly on Dillon for almost 20 years, various boats but the last couple of years with a ComPac 16/3. Dillon is beautiful but very challenging at times, like all high mountain lakes as Jim mentioned. Never got in a micro burst (saw several), but did have some "exciting" blows sometimes. 16 always held up well. Best time to sail in my opinion is June and Sept. Less weather buildup and fewer storms,  but you can catch snow storms once in a while in those months.

I didn't reef the main unless I didn't like the weather forecast. I do very much like a roller furling jib. And my last two boats had lifelines. All in all, a wonderful Colorado lake for sailing...many great days there.  Now park our boat at Aurora Resv. and trailer sail there. My wife does most of the sailing these days.

Jett