"Bob Crantz" wrote in message
k.net...

"Maxprop" wrote in message
link.net...

I spent an hour on Granby one warm summer afternoon in the mid-70s. A
guy we met there told me to take his El Toro out and knock myself out.
Nearly did with the low boom, but had a ball. Wind was about 8kts. and
the scenery is tough to beat. Paradise it was, that day. That was in
August, and the lake water temp was still in the low 40s.

Max

The scenery is great. I've been caught out in thunderstorms on the lake.
The best sailing is on the east end. The wind travels in "slots" (because
of the valley) so you have to find the best location on the water. I also
sailboarded there with no wetsuit. It didn't seem too cold. The one
drawback is pulling a sailboat with a big iron keel over Berthoud Pass.

Water temps vary radically at higher altitudes. Once, while backpacking, I
crept over a low rise and cast in some flies to see if I could catch a
trout. Got one bite and then the fish seemed to have figured out it was a
ruse--nothing after that. So we decided to take a dip in the lake, if the
water wasn't too frigid. Turned out the water was around 68 degrees (warm
for that lake) and refreshing!! One year later to the day we stuck toes in
the same lake and nearly died of heart failure. Temp that day was 38. That
lake was roughly at timberline. It all depends upon the solar energy
component--if cloudy weather is prevalent, the temps won't rise. We've seen
ice on some alpine lakes in July.

I've often wondered what sailboat would be ideal for sailing in the
mountains, that is, which boat would be reasonable to trailer, launch, and
still have enough stiffness to be comfortable and safe in the widely
variable winds and water temps encountered. Any ideas?

Max