Sailing Mercer Lake in a CP16...

[MKBLK]

Hi all,

Picked the right day to try out Mercer Lake. The lake is part of Mercer County Park (near MCCC) and although not terribly large, is big enough for a 16. Sunday was, as advertised, sunny with 5 mph winds. Perfect for a first-time cruise with two of my grandkids. Gavin, a 10 year old did 99 percent of the steering (with a gentle nudge from the captain every 30 seconds!) and Gianna, 6, liked taking a nap in the cabin most. Daughter Wendy (my sailing buddy from waaay back) liked stretching out in the cockpit. All in all, we had a great time in Pegasus and look forward to doing it again.

Pegasus now sports her new maroon stripe just under the rub-rail and it looks really good. Hopefully, she'll get her bottom painted maroon as well before next season.

One caveat re: Mercer Lake - mast height above the water-line is limited to 22 feet. CP16's are 21 feet, so no problem. The restriction is due to low hanging high tension lines... 'nuff said.

Marty K.

[Salty19]

Just a note on the tension lines.  High voltage can easily jump a foot from the wire to mast.  Steer clear of them!!

Mercer county...born and raised there.   Haven't been back in some years now. 

[MKBLK]

Salty19 - That's an affirmative! The 22 foot limit allows for a considerable safety margin. As we passed under the wires, I would guess at least 15 - 20 feet separated us from them. If in doubt, steer clear of the center of the lake where the wires hang lowest. But, I'm pretty sure that the authorities have built-in an adequate safety factor - so long as sailors obey the posted 22' rule.

Another observation - I understand that the lake was created by excavating the area to provide filler material for the construction of I-295. Be cautious near the shoreline as rocks appear to lurk below! I ran up on one about 20 feet from the shore line. Fortunately, I was barely drifting at the time. Even so, it took 5 minutes of work with the MinnKota and re-balancing the boat in order to break free.

Marty K.

[skip1930]

NO CP-19'S HERE THEN.
SOME 25 FOOT TOP-O-MAST TO WATER LINE INCLUDES 30" RADIO WHIP UP THERE.

skip.

[MKBLK]

Skip -

Yeah, only CP16's allowed! Of course any smaller sailboat would do well there. One advantage of the CP16 is it's "short" mast compared to many other 16' boats. The boat ramp works well. Had no problem launching the CP16. Best of all - it's free!

BTW - The park facilities at Mercer are very, very nice. Even "off-season" there is much to do. Boating, kayaking, hiking, biking, piciniking, playground, etc. I would imagine that "in-season" it's a pretty crowded place.

Marty K.

[Salty19]

Marty--sorry, I misunderstood (my fault). With the extra clearance, sounds like you'll be more than fine.