Sailing Anyone?

Now that you have read the recent issue of Cottage Life and have seen the article on sailing you may have wondered, “Should I/We?” The magazine article discussed different types of sailboats and we would not want to repeat the subject here. However, there are some other related topics you might consider.

Boats at Three Mile Lake

This might be helpful for you in a couple of ways.

· It may be more fun to acquire a boat similar to others at the Lake so that you will have someone to race against, either formally or informally. Racing on the Lake, during the picnic/regatta uses a handicapping system which allows different types of boats to race against each other.

· Some sailboats become inactive (a son or daughter move away) and have little prospect of being sailed in the next few years and the owner may be prepared to sell if approached. We are aware that at least one boat in this situation may be coming up for sale and may be put in the Market Place on the website.

· The boats at Three Mile Lake include:

o Albacore

o CL14 (2)

o Enterprise

o Invitation

o Laser

o Wayfarer (2)

o There are at least five other boats on the Lake, two are of a type that are no longer in production. Some we have been told about but we have not seen them so are reluctant to mention further, they may have been sold.

Consider the Second Hand Market

There is an active second hand market in sailboats which may make it possible to acquire a good boat for considerably less money. You can check the newspapers for advertisements and there are boat brokers who can be found via the yellow pages or the internet.

How Can I Learn to Sail?

There are sailing schools - check the yellow pages. There are several books available which address this topic. It might pay to purchase your own rather than rely on the Library. You will need it over time for reference. Choose one with lots of diagrams and pictures.

There is another solution. Experienced sailors, many with years of sailing experience, at Three Mile Lake can help you rig your boat and get is sailing. You can send an email to this website ( 3milelake@cogeco.ca ) giving particulars and we will get the closest sailor to help you. If you get a boat similar to one already on the Lake we will endeavour to put you in touch with a person with the same type of boat.

Sailing…It’s Fun AND Environmentally Friendly!!