Re: lake tahoe questions
Hey Bruce!
66, your question has several answers. It depends on the weather that day, your particular location on the lake, and the time of day. Tahoe can feel like flying on a magic carpet some mornings - open glass and water you can see through like turquoise air, as you glide over some of the most beautiful sand and rock formations for 1000 miles. Tahoe can ALSO boat like the Great Lakes on some days!! (well maybe an exaggeration but on a 23 footer it can feel that way with cresting 4 foot rollers on the northeast side of the lake on a bad day).
So one rule of thumb for unfamiliar boaters is pay attention to the weather and winds, go early in the morning until you get used to the lake and know what to look for, and be a little more conservative than you might be at home... as far as where, how and why you do what you do out there. I boat in Tahoe about four to five times a month - I go out early and if the forecast and actual conditions call for wind over 10 knots in the afternoon (typical) I'm closer to my safe harbor by mid day so I can get off the water quickly if it whips up. The West side of the lake often is better sheltered from typical south-westerly winds and can be enjoyed into the late afternoons on many days. The East side of the lake, while having the prettiest beaches IMHO, has many more hazards for the non local like submerged rocks, tricky wind conditions and is much less populated in case you have a mechanical condition. Bring a marine hand held to get ch16 if needed, know the coast guard numbers at a minimum for the cell phone. Oh, another thing - no small boat under 30 feet has any business in the middle of the lake whatsoever. Stay close to the shores (within a couple miles max). I've seen and heard about waves and sudden winds in the middle areas that give me reason to offer that advice, and I have over 3 feet of draft on my boat.
The water is pretty low this year, best spots right now are the Coast Guard ramp and Obexers on the North Shore, and the Keys on the south shore. Sand Harbor closes this week due to low water and I'm sure many other spots are closed or marginal. Be careful near shore for submerged rocks and watch for the marked hazard buoys and diver/swimmer flags.
Now that I've told my ghost stories I have to say I almost don't boat anywhere else. I love boating at Tahoe, it's a natural treasure, and one that has to be experienced.
