lake james

[rogue]

As you may notice,  from my former note, I,m looking for a sailable lake in western North Carolina.  Does anyone sail on lake James in  N.C.?  I have a CP 16. Thanks

[gfspencer]

I have never sailed on Lake James so I can't help you.  It is certainly big enough but I know nothing about ramps, etc.  Why don't you drive another hour down to Lake Norman?  Or - going in the other direction - what about Lake Jocassee?  I sailed my Flying Scott there years ago.  I'm not sure how the lake would be now.  Don't drop anything overboard.  The lake is 300 feet deep!  

I just noticed that you were asking about Lake Jocassee in another post.  If we are talking about the same lake, I believe that it's spelled with an "o".  That threw me off.

[BobK]

I sail out of the Western Carolina Sailing Club on Lake Hartwell.  Tow your boat down and take a look and a sail.  We have an open house on May 26th or I can meet you most any weekend.  There is pleanty of mast up storage available. There are pleanty of deep ramps on the lake besides what we have at the club. Our website is wcsc.clubexpress.com or google western carolina sailing club.

[gfspencer]

I sail out of the Western Carolina Sailing Club on Lake Hartwell.  Tow your boat down and take a look and a sail.  We have an open house on May 26th or I can meet you most any weekend.  There is pleanty of mast up storage available. There are pleanty of deep ramps on the lake besides what we have at the club. Our website is wcsc.clubexpress.com or google western carolina sailing club.

+1 for Lake Hartwell.  It's a nice lake.

[shamblin]

ill be glad to help you get familiar with lake james.  i have sailed several different compacs there and like having a marina slot there.

there is an east end and a west end separated by a 20?ft high bridge in the middle.   there are good ramps on both side of the bridge.  with the c16 you could let the mast down at the bridge if required.

if you google "morganton, nc" you can look at the sateliet map of the lake.  the eastern end is generally deeper, with lots of coves for dropping anchor and camping.

email me at bshamblin2012@yahoo.com  or phone me at 9pm est 828 433 8321 and we can discuss it. 

the linville access ramp is good for the east end but in the winter the lake gets too low for it.

bill shamblin

bill shamblin

[rogue]

ill be glad to help you get familiar with lake james.  i have sailed several different compacs there and like having a marina slot there.

there is an east end and a west end separated by a 20?ft high bridge in the middle.   there are good ramps on both side of the bridge.  with the c16 you could let the mast down at the bridge if required.

if you google "morganton, nc" you can look at the sateliet map of the lake.  the eastern end is generally deeper, with lots of coves for dropping anchor and camping.

email me at bshamblin2012@yahoo.com  or phone me at 9pm est 828 433 8321 and we can discuss it. 

the linville access ramp is good for the east end but in the winter the lake gets too low for it.

bill shamblin

bill shamblin

Hi Bill,
Thanks for your kind offer.   I do have several questions.  How often and for how long, is the lake in a "draw down  situation?  Jocassee was down last weekend and there is no way I would be able to back down that ramp!  Do you sail out of a sailing club?  Is there a facility there that I could leave the cp16 (mast up) on a trailer?  Are there any camping or over nighting facilities? We may drive up this weekend for a look.
Thanks again,
Rogue
PS I tried your e mail address....did not work

[shamblin]

sorry i didnt see this til sunday night.
the water level can be 5-10 feet low in the winter.   the ramps are unusable then
scott hunt will keep your boat here for 25$/month but with the mast down a short drive from the water and "will deliver it to the water for you".
i pay 120$/month to keep mine in the water at benfield's marina.
there is a nearby state park  - google "lake james state park"
there are many good spots to anchor out.

email again bshamblin2012@yahoo.com

bill

[BobK]

Rogue,
Did you get to lake Hartwell (WCSC) last weekend?

[rogue]

sorry i didnt see this til sunday night.
the water level can be 5-10 feet low in the winter.   the ramps are unusable then
scott hunt will keep your boat here for 25$/month but with the mast down a short drive from the water and "will deliver it to the water for you".
i pay 120$/month to keep mine in the water at benfield's marina.
there is a nearby state park  - google "lake james state park"
there are many good spots to anchor out.

email again bshamblin2012@yahoo.com
Hi Bill,
How long is the "sailing season"?  I'm from Florida and we sail all year round...very difficult to get used to a "sailing season". Does Scot keep the boat all year round?  How difficult are the ramps in the summer?  I'm the worlds worst "backer'!
Do you  sail a compac?  What size is it?
Thanks for all the info,
ROGUE

[RobinC]

I live about 45 minutes east of Lake James.  It is a beautiful lake but the surrounding mountains make the wind iffy at times. Though shallow at the ramp when the lake is down, the Linville end of the lake has the most open water and more consistent wind due to the cooler air flowing out of Linville Gorge.

There is a very small lake outside Asheville (Lake Julian) with a sailing club. They have regattas about twice a month.  The lake is used for cooling by a power plant so the water stays warm and they sail late into the fall/winter.  They have a website, Facebook site, and Google groups forum.  Just Google Asheville Sailing Club for info.

Kerr Scott is a small lake near Wilkesboro, NC. I used to sail my Sunfish there a lot years ago when I was a student at ASU.

Depending on your location, you might want to check out Watauga Lake in eastern Tennessee. It is a beautiful lake.  It is located about 45 minutes west of Boone.  I sailed my first CP- 16 there most of the time when I lived in Boone.  I met Peck Garner there on the water in his CP-19. I thought I was cruising along pretty good and then noticed a nice boat rapidly overtaking me. He pulled up along side, introduced himself,  chatted a bit then left me in his wake.  LOL

I spent a lot of time on Lake Hartwell as a grad student at Clemson but mostly in a powerboat. From my location, Lake Norman, Keowee, and Jocassee are closer than Hartwell. Lake Norman is about an hour from my house. My sister is in Charlotte and has a powerboat on lake Norman so go there on occasion but not on the weekends or holidays when it is slammed with powerboats and jet skis. 

I hope this helps.