Sunday we made another attempt. Leaving the north boat launch at 11:30 we made great time till we hit the dreaded dead spot below the monastery. The wind died to a trickle but we still were making 2mph so we slogged ahead. Most people sail either the N or the S ends and stay out of the middle because of this spot. Well it took a while but we finally drifted through the dead zone and made it to a freshening breeze further south. We almost turned around at one point as we calculated the time left to finish the seven and a half mile lake and then return, but stubbornly we pressed on. As we neared the boat launch on the S end the wind had picked up drastically and it was a struggle to to beat into the wind and make ground.
Make ground we did and we stretched our backs, allowed circulation to return to our buttocks and then jumped back in the boats for the return trip, after all we were still only half way and it was after 5pm. Sailing down wind is a no brainer, it takes no skill, so we surged ahead till we hit the dreaded dead spot again. Again we were only making 2mph or less but still making headway till we got back to the wind and made the last couple miles hitting 7+mph as we charged onto the beach under full sail.
We had made it, dodged the thunderstorms that were around us and had a marvelous day on the water on a 90 degree day.
All together we sailed 18 miles, it took a little over seven hours and three years of attempts were realized. We have already done Canadice and Conesus, next is Honeoye and the rest of the Finger Lakes? Time will tell.
