Sailing Lake Powell (Arizona & Utah)

[Sumner]

...I would like to take the MAC there, but don't relish the idea of poking around all night trying to find a beach because I don't know where to go. I would prefer to go when Sumner goes or Doug or even better when BOTH of them go I would want to be there too. ....

So I guess there are two places, Hole In The Rock and the "Hall". I've never been above to where the Hall is.

With your experience you would not have any problems there. The lake can be dangerous if you are out in big wind so I'd suggest that people watch going there when they are on a tight schedule that would force them to move when they shouldn't.



I'd also suggest putting in at Bull Frog or Halls Crossing (middle arrow above). They are opposite each other 2/3's of the way up the lake. I think finding places to beach the boat would be easier up there, as many more boats go in at Page (boat ramp at Wahweap Marina)....



... the widest ramp I've ever seen. Also I for sure wouldn't go on any of the Holidays!! The summer can have more settled weather but also very hot. I think the best time is mid-Sept to Mid-Oct, but you can get a front going through. Mid-Sept the water is still quite warm. Spring (May) is also cooler but can have fronts and the water will be cold still from the mountain snow melt in Wyoming/Colorado.

It can be a discouraging place to actually sail at times, with unpredictable winds. Ruth and I wanted to sail the lake, not motor, so only sailed, except to motor on and off an anchorage or beaching location. We only made a couple miles a couple days and set out weather also for more than a day at a time. It took us 18 days to make it from Page to Halls Crossing. Most people will want to motor a lot so that they can see more of the lake in a shorter amount of time,

Sumner

============================
1300 miles to the Bahamas and back -- 2015

The MacGregor 26-S

The Endeavour 37

Trips to Utah, Wyoming, Idaho, Canada, Florida

Mac-Venture Links

[BOAT]

Sumner,

I'm pretty sure the place was called "Dance Hall Rock". I think they danced and played music there because they were happy and thought the worst of the trip was behind them. When we were there there were no people anywhere to be seen for the five days we were up there - no one anywhere. We camped there for one night I recall. Then we proceeded down the road about ? ten miles? and reached another formation I recall as "FIFTY MILE SPRING"?? (It's been a long time), but I do recall we spent two nights there camping out and exploring the surrounding terrain. I'm sure that the Hole in the Rock place was only about ten miles down the trail from there - it was an easy drive from Fifty mile spring to Hole in the Rock but that was the end of the line for our dune buggies - we could not get past that big cliff. We never saw or heard or even saw sign of another human the whole time we were there.

I remember looking down that cliff thing - it was tall and narrow and you could just see some of the lake below between the two sides of the walls.

[NiceAft]

I remember looking down that cliff thing - it was tall and narrow and you could just see some of the lake below between the two sides of the walls.

BOAT, I was reading your post, and you just stopped A real cliff hanger So, what happened You just turned around and went home

Ray

[Doug W]

Doug,

Love your videos. I understand you had some dealings with the Macgregor dealer in Kearney, Nebraska (my old stomping grounds). I bought a bigger helm wheel from him-great guy!

How do you keep your so clean? Mine always looks like a hot mess in about 3 days of sailing...

Thanks! I really appreciate that!

Yes, We bought from John in Kearney. He's a wealth of knowledge and sea-lore. On our way to Flaming Gorge Lake in 2015, he showed me how to cut the shrunken bolt rope on my old Main and gave me the ratcheting block for our main to try out--buy if we liked it!

Angie and I work together keeping it clean--and the main berth under the cockpit is our storage...it doesn't look so clean!


Doug & Angie

[Doug W]

I haven't watched Episode 4 yet, but the others were well done, and quite interesting. I watch the Delos vlogs every friday, and now I'm going to have to add yours to the watch list.

Winters are long and gray here. Not that cold. Just long. And gray.

Time to watch Captain Ron yet again.



(love the Caribbean water in that movie)

You're Right!! Captain Ron is calling me too! I also follow the vlogs of Delos! They've had quite an adventure! I have to work 50 weeks out of the year so we pack a lot into our vacation trips!

[Doug W]

Great video Doug.
How did you get the bracket for the table onto the console grab bar? (The part that is left behind) That table is really nice.

Thanks! The u-bracket/grab bar was part of the Table kit we originally bought--from either BWY or Kelly Hansen. Pretty sure it was BWY. It had a plastic table top that was too small and thing slid off of it so I just made my own table and mounted it where the plastic cutting board-like table was.

We really like the table and tend to eat up in the cockpit unless it's just way too cold out.

Doug & Angie

[Doug W]

Nice videos Doug & Angie. Your Flaming Gorge trip videos were one of the main reasons that Dottie and I took the 13 day trip there last summer. Loved it!!
......
We hope to get back to Lake Powell later this year and finish 'sailing only' the last 50 miles of the lake to finish what Ruth and I started when we 'sailed only' from Page to Bull Frog/Halls Crossing (90+ miles).

Sumner

============================
1300 miles to the Bahamas and back -- 2015

The MacGregor 26-S

The Endeavour 37

Trips to Utah, Wyoming, Idaho, Canada, Florida

Mac-Venture Links

Thanks, Sumner! It was following your blog that emboldened Angie and I to push our envelope and explore different environments! Now we look forward to it all year! I want to return to Powell in a few years and put in where you all did. At times, there was a steady stream of power boats and house boats heading from Wahweap and Antelope up to Rainbow Bridge!

The information in your blog really helped us prepare and set us up for safe success (even though I sort of got electrocuted in a pair of microbursts at Dungeon Canyon...but that story will probably be in episode 6. ) Your experiences really saved Galactica from damage!

Doug & Angie

[Doug W]

So I am counting four boats already! Could be a fun trip.

That would be a LOT of fun!

[Sumner]

.... I want to return to Powell in a few years and put in where you all did. At times, there was a steady stream of power boats and house boats heading from Wahweap and Antelope up to Rainbow Bridge!...

On our long trip we put in at Wahweap and took out at Halls Crossing/Bull Frog, so endured all the boats between Wahweap to Rainbow Bridge. Past there you can pretty much have the lake to yourself.


http://purplesagetradingpost.com/sumner ... powell.jpg

On our first short 3 day trip there with friends we put in at Hite, where the Colorado and Dirty Devil Rivers enter the headwaters of the lake. The lake was too far down to use the ramp but we were able to launch off the shore (above). Now the lake is even lower and that is impossible.



The picture above is when Dottie and I took the motorcycle on a trip to Bryce Canyon last fall ( http://1fatgmc.com/motorcycle/suzuki-65 ... Index.html ) and you can see the mud flats at Hite now and the boat ramp high and dry at the upper right side of the picture. I really liked the lake up by Hite and....



... the scenery is spectacular and I look forward to going back when we put in at Halls Crossing/Bull Frog and sail north. Also there is very little boat traffic on that part of the lake and some relative large areas that would be good for sailing in.

Any of you that find yourselves going through Blanding be sure and stop and say hi,

Sumner

============================
1300 miles to the Bahamas and back -- 2015

The MacGregor 26-S

The Endeavour 37

Trips to Utah, Wyoming, Idaho, Canada, Florida

Mac-Venture Links

[Curwen]

Looks fun! I need to head south and spend some time on Powell.

Curwen

[K9Kampers]

I was thinking about what BOAT (a left coast sailor with all the 'lectronics at the helm) was saying about wanting to follow someone with local knowledge to know where to go on Lake Powell.

How hard can it be, really, outfitted with chartplotter and GPS. Even without electronic navigation, one could follow traditional charts: Fred's Guide to Lake Powell (click the maps tab).

As far as someone knowing where all the beaches are, good luck with that, as the waters change every year: Lake Powell Water Level Changes (click each button below the picture)

I've never been to Lake Powell, I only know New England sailing. Whether navigating the left coast, the right coast or canyon lakes, what's the difference? I bet Lake Powell would be quite a challenge tho as the landscape would pretty much look the same in all directions, especially going up one of the skinny canyon offshoots!

[Sumner]

If one is going to Lake Powell I'd strongly recommend getting FISH-n-MAP CO's Lake Powell South and Lake Powell North maps.

http://www.fishnmap.com/

They have channel markers every mile on the lake with the mile number on them and the maps have the mile markers also so you always know where you are.



I'd also take good long shore lines to tie the boat to shore. We use a couple extra 3 twist nylon anchor rodes for the lines. Some places 30 feet off shore can be hundreds of feet deep.





Beaching is best when you can,

Sumner

============================
1300 miles to the Bahamas and back -- 2015

The MacGregor 26-S

The Endeavour 37

Trips to Utah, Wyoming, Idaho, Canada, Florida

Mac-Venture Links

[BOAT]

I was thinking about what BOAT (a left coast sailor with all the 'lectronics at the helm) was saying about wanting to follow someone with local knowledge to know where to go on Lake Powell.

How hard can it be, really, outfitted with chartplotter and GPS. Even without electronic navigation, one could follow traditional charts: Fred's Guide to Lake Powell (click the maps tab).

As far as someone knowing where all the beaches are, good luck with that, as the waters change every year: Lake Powell Water Level Changes (click each button below the picture)

I've never been to Lake Powell, I only know New England sailing. Whether navigating the left coast, the right coast or canyon lakes, what's the difference? I bet Lake Powell would be quite a challenge tho as the landscape would pretty much look the same in all directions, especially going up one of the skinny canyon offshoots!

My understanding is that the water can be very deep close to shore and that without a good idea where to find sandy shore you often end up quickly trying to tie off against rocky cliffs or shorelines before it gets dark and that can be a challenge in strong winds when it's just you and the wife. It's not the greatest place to try to set an anchor in the water from what I am told, (unless your anchor is a 800 pound boulder). I have no issue grinding the aluminum pontoons of a houseboat up onto the sandstone to spend the night but I am not going to do that to my fiberglass MAC boat - I would prefer to avoid that damage.

Also the navigation is an issue - I am not so much worried about getting lost as I am about wasting a day of travel to a place i don't really want to go - I don't know where I want to end up at the end of each day and as they say - if you don't know where you want to be you won't know what direction to go. It would be better to be with folks that know what they are looking for.

I also think a trip like that would be more enjoyable with other people and more boats. Out in the middle of the ocean where I do all my sailing it's all about solitude and inner reflection and all that philosophical crap that draws us landlubbers to the sea. Lake Powell to me would be more of a place to swim with friends in warm water and drink beer and wine and swap stories and have a campfire.

We don't do campfires out in the middle of the Pacific, and if we did I would want some friends there to share it with me so for me Lake Powell is more of a "go with others and enjoy the campfire" type of boating trip.

[Tomfoolery]

I also think a trip like that would be more enjoyable with other people and more boats. Out in the middle of the ocean where I do all my sailing it's all about solitude and inner reflection and all that philosophical crap that draws us landlubbers to the sea. Lake Powell to me would be more of a place to swim with friends in warm water and drink beer and wine and swap stories and have a campfire.

We don't do campfires out in the middle of the Pacific, and if we did I would want some friends there to share it with me so for me Lake Powell is more of a "go with others and enjoy the campfire" type of boating trip.

That's why I like the MMOR trips. I used to ride (motorcycles) with buddies of like mind, taking road trips up and down the east coast. Sailing in a group is a lot like that, only slower.

I'd go with you, BOAT, but it's a bit of a drive just to get there from here, and I don't want to use up most of my vacay time behind the wheel with Tomfoolery in my lee, wagging the dog in a cross-wind.

[Doug W]

As long as you're prepared, Powell is a great adventure. As Sumner pointed out, Anchorages are one of the more difficult challenges and the sudden storms! I've been solo sailing and got knocked over perhaps 75+ degrees from a 50mph thunderstorm on Mark Twain but I didn't feel out of control even though I was hanging onto the life line and standing on the side of the helm. It was fun!

We got hit by a couple hard hitting squalls in Dungeon Canyon where a houseboat broke free from the shore and was blowing right at Galactica out of control with no steerage and its motor too ineffective. A speed boat with it hooked on and it managed to stop it from ramming us or at minimum hitting the submerged sandstone on our windward side with maybe 50 feet to spare and they slowly worked their way center channel and held water under power. A local camped near us said that it was the worst pair of microburst storms they had seen in the thirty years they'd been boating on Powell. I had a few minutes of fear for my boat's hull during that one--not to mention I got some nasty shocks from the shrouds!

I've published Episode 5 in our Lake Powell trip! https://youtu.be/V81nz_GdqCo

Hope you enjoy!

Doug & Angie
Galactica