Schedule of Mead Madness & Fall Flotilla Sail 2010-Lake Mead

[Captain Kimo]

Ahoy Lake Mead Sailmates ,

Regular sailors of Lake Mead here is the schedule for 2010 events:

• Mead Madness Sail '10 : March 26 to April 2, 20010
• 12th Annual LVBMA Founders' Day Cup Race : March 27, 2010
• Fall Flotilla Sail '10 : October 8-15, 2010 (Including 2nd Annual "Lake Mead Sailing Rally" while transiting the various Lake Mead Basins)

WHAT: The two schedule Sails are non-sponsored week long group sail to the five basins of Lake Mead. Overnighting in either sheltered coves or one of Lake Mead marina's courtesy docks. Newbie skippers are welcome. We have a group of regular Lake Mead sailors that have sailed together for many years and have a wealth of advise and assistance.

The LVBMA Founders' Day Cup Race is open to all trailerable sailboats and skipper experience. Minimum racing rules apply. A small donations from participating skippers will be appreciated for off setting the cost of the awards. Request registration at las_vegas_bay_ macgregor_ assoc@yahoo. com with:
• Name of the boat
• Boat's Manufacture and model
• Name of the skipper and crew
• ETA at Callville Bay

Winner award is a engraved SS Coleman coffee cup and the "Bitter End" award for last boat to finish. DNF boats are disqualified.

The Lake Mead Sailing Rally is timed sailing runs ("legs") between various navigation buoys/markers along the transit route of the lake basins. Maps of the four route legs and timing tally sheets for start and finish will be supplied to registered participants.

Award is the yellow winner's T shirts (ala' Tour de France Bike Race) for best adjusted time for a given leg.

For detailed maps of the both Mead Madness and Fall Flotilla Sails, go to http://maps. google.com/ > in the search block type "lake mead sails" > click "show search options" > select "related maps" > click search.

WHERE: Launching at Callville Bay Marina ramp. Callville Bay Marina is located 12 miles East of Junction RTs 147/167 on the Northshore Scenic Drive, Lake Mead NV. Group to assembly at a SW sheltered cove of Callville Bay just outside and to starboard coming out of the marina's tire jetty entrance. Will be monitoring VHF Channel 68 on the hour to provide directions. Overnight courtesy dock fee at Callville Bay Marina is $15 assessed about 11 PM. Mast up boat camping overnight in the Callville Bay camp grounds $10. If available, use the camp sites along the South side for widest spaces in the camp ground. A $50 fine could be assessed for boat camping in the marina parking lot. Only trailer-less vehicles may park down by the ramp. Recommend parking in the Long Term parking lot at the lower level of the parking area. Water, ice, fuel, food, small grocers available at all the marinas.

WHEN: Group Sails usually start out from Callville Bay in the AM on first Sunday. If winds are favorable during the Fall Flotilla Sail, we will conduct the annual Lake Mead Sailing Rally between designated navigation buoys / markers along the transit routes to the various Lake Mead basins.

LVBMA Founders' Day Cup Race (Saturday of Mead Madness Sail):
8:00 AM Captains' Meeting at the courtesy dock to provide time 'hack', minimum rules, preparation and race start signals, the designated race course with a map. Those overnighting in the sheltered Callville Bay cove on Friday will already have the information. .

9:30 AM Start of the Race at Navigation Buoy CB-A (Callville Bay entry buoy) and closest point of land. This will also be the finish line.

~3:00 PM No Host BBQ and Awards ceremony and group picture at the overnight cove.

PROVISIONING: Recommend provisioning before entering the tolled Lake Mead National Recreation Area. Food4Less (with Ice and Dry Ice), Wal-Mart, West Marine are located at a strip mall at Lake Mead Drive (Rt 147) and Boulder Hwy. Recommend fueling vehicle and boat before entering. Expensive vehicle and boat fuel is available at the marina.

If there is anything I forgot, or a Sailmate I missed please pass the "word" to me and them. Hope to see you all there.

"The Goal is the Voyage, Not the Destination"

Captain Kimo
Second Commodore & Events Coordinator
Las Vegas Bay Macgregor Association
las_vegas_bay_ macgregor_ assoc@yahoo. com
96' Mac26X "FOREVER"
Callville Bay, Lake Mead National Recreation Area

[Patrick Gilbert]

Hello Jim and other Mead Madness Sailors. Once again I look forward to see everyone this Spring. I will arrive at Callville Bay on Tuesday, March 23 and take some time for myself in the Boulder Basin before everyone else arrives. I will overnight in Callville Bay just outside the breakwater on Thursday and Friday nights for those who arrive early. I will monitor channel 68. For those who have thought of comming to Mead Madness, it is a fun trip.

You can't control the wind,
bur you can adjust your sails.
Blessed be the wind.

Patrick Gilbert
"Tropico" (99MacX)
Canyon Country, CA

[Theo]

Hey Guys,

Just a heads up to be nice and well behaved. I will probably be at Mead the week after your Madness. I'm not sure I need all the funny looks I got back in 2007. Jest Kidding.

I wish i could join you guys and generate a bad reputation, but my kids are on Spring Break starting April 5th, which means we usually drive outta here Saturday April 3rd. Gonna miss ya'll. This is a bit of a scheduling heads up since many schools in CA have spring break this and the following week. This is also when it would be convenient for the parents to take time off also. I have noticed this for the last few years or so. If you pushed your Mead Madness back a week, we would be able to attend. But then, we might miss the blessed solitude.

Theo

[Captain Kimo]

I wish i could join you guys and generate a bad reputation, but my kids are on Spring Break starting April 5th, which means we usually drive outta here Saturday April 3rd. Gonna miss ya'll. This is a bit of a scheduling heads up since many schools in CA have spring break this and the following week. This is also when it would be convenient for the parents to take time off also. I have noticed this for the last few years or so. If you pushed your Mead Madness back a week, we would be able to attend. But then, we might miss the blessed solitude.

Ahoy Theo,
Sorry we are going to miss you. Reasons for the scheduling in late March is two fold.
1. Winds in the past in April tend to be too light for good sailing. Usually, heavy winds in late March, which most feel is better than light to no winds, especially the heavier sailboats.
2. I am aware of the CA school spring break, as my daughter is a special teacher in the CA school system. Have had others who have total family commitments to other family gatherings over Easter/Spring school break week, which precludes them from coming out to Mead Madness. Therefore, have tried to avoid that weekend and following week.

Personally, would love to find the ideal schedule (best wind conditions and maximum attendance). May try your suggestion next year as our sailing group is getting older with their kids out of the "nest", and the total family gathering not an imperative during the school break week

[Irafatsar]

Greets

We have been trying to do some lake sailing, our spring break happens to fall perfectly onto your schedule.Anyone heading out from san diego or LA Friday night? we are in the planning process.

[Captain Kimo]

Greets

We have been trying to do some lake sailing, our spring break happens to fall perfectly onto your schedule.Anyone heading out from san diego or LA Friday night? we are in the planning process.

Ahoy Irafatsar,

We have some regulars I know coming in from LA and Victorville, but they both plan to arrive early. They do monitor this site so they will see you posting. Most coming from California try to avoid Friday night if at all possible due to the heavy weekend traffic to Las Vegas from LA. What ever you do, turn off I-15 at RT-146/147 (Lake Mead Drive/Blvd) before you come into Las Vegas, and head for Henderson. I believe my original information and directions will guide you from there.

Give us a hail on VHF Channel 68 on the hour and we can give you a hand in launching your boat. We normally beach our boats in a sheltered cove just outside the marina's tire jetty on the SW shore of Callville Bay. We should have plenty of lights to guide you into the sandy beach area. Predicted to be a Gibbous Moon (75%) Friday March 26 as well. Alternatively, the overnight fee at the courtesy dock is $15 assessed at about 11 PM. Usually very noisy on Friday night with Boom Boxes blaring at the courtesy dock. Mast up camp grounds is $10 overnight and quieter.

[Steve K]

Hi all,
I'll be driving up on the 25th or 26th.
Looking forward to seeing all of you.

Steve K
26D

[Captain Kimo]

Ahoy Steve the K,

Good to hear from you. Have gotten a ex-Marine and his power boat to be the committee boat this year for the LVBMA Founders' Cup Race on March 27, so we should not have any "cheater" stealing the cup this year as they did when you were in the lead at the finish.

Also have your LVBMA burgee for purchase. Also have a few left for anyone else interested in the purchase at my cost, $25.


Captain Kimo
Second Commodore and Events Coordinator
Las Vegas Bay Macgregor Association (not affiliated with MacGregor Yachts)

[Steve K]

Hi Jimbo,
And you'll be there????

Seems like the past couple years we haven't been able to connect, due to equipment failures etc.

BTW: I, pretty sure I'm going to finally get paroled (spelled retirement) on June 30th.

Should be able to get up there more often after then. I might have more time to work on the boat too. Lookout I'm going to make her as fast & pretty as she can possibly be. Likely not for the rest of this year though.
Looking forward to getting my burgee.

Best Breezes,
SK

[Patrick Gilbert]

Hello Steve.

We all have missed you as well. Be glad to see you there. I will be a few days before you and will stay for 12 days. Can't wait to retire and be able to do that all the time. My son Chris will come up for the first weekend and will crew for the Founders Day Race.
Drive safe and we will see you there.

Patrick Gilbert
"Tropico" (99MacX)
Canyon Country, CA

[Captain Kimo]

Ahoy LVBMA regulars:

Plan to launch this weekend to shake out the wob webs from the sail, especially the main that been repaired by Eric. Did a great job. Gave him the material for the anchor sail, Head sail hanging bag on the forestay, and a main cover. All from Sail Rite years ago that I never could get the right tension on my Mom's old Singer to do the job. Jim Grant, of SailRite says it could be done, but he is a Sailmaker, I am not. Eric has the proper sail maker's industrial sewing machine and base on the price, it must be a labor of love for him, or he taking pity on me. .

The "Sailmeister" is feeling better and wants to go sailing. I not been pushing him to join me, for the last time out I was really worried about his health based on his looks. I think he is again worried about the country's problem and wants to have our lengthy discussions under sail on how to solve them all, if they would only listen to us .

Lake Mead is up 10 feet from the low of October Fall Flotilla Sail (1093 ' Above Sea Level), now it is 1103' ASL and raising about a foot a month. Rain has really helped, but understand the snow pack on the Rocky Mountain Western slope still not at average yet. Been told we need at least 5 heavy snow packs to off set the drought condition. Report that we can expect 20% less water coming down the Colorado River to us in the future.

SEA you next week guys and always remember "The Goal is the Voyage, NOT the Destination!" , and the Mac25D

Captain Kimo

[Theo]

Hey Guys,

Are you still on? The long term forecast indicate we are in for a little punkiness late next week. As mentioned, we will be there a week after you guys. Many thanks to Capt. Kimo for his info that April is very calm. It is actually what we are hoping for. A nice calm relaxing 6 days on the lake.

Are any of you going to be there afterwards? We are driving out from Cal. Saturday morning. We plan to spend the first night in Boulder campground then launch Sunday and head out. We usually launch out of the Boulder bay marina's rather than Calville.

Good luck.

Theo

[pokerrick1]

So Capt Kimo - - - what happened at Mead Madness this year?????

Rick Less

[Theo]

Hi Guys,

Got the first of my pics up so I thought I would post them. Commentarry to follow. Remember we were there the week following Mead Madness.



Happy Easter! It still freaks me out travelling through the Mojave towing a boat. Whenever I see others towing a boat around Barstow I think they are nuts.





Isn't that the shizzle? But if you look carefully you can see danger looming. I only saw one other boat that day. It was another Mac, a 26M motoring out of the Narrows both rudders up.



http://i166.photobucket.com/albums/u97/ ... 050077.jpg

Hey, why is my boat sideways?

http://i166.photobucket.com/albums/u97/ ... 050079.jpg

Uh, Oh, suddenly a Lee Shore. Gotta Move!

This went on for three days. We were constantly "admonished" by the weather gods. As soon as we could find a protected cove, the wind would switch on us. With a vengence too. We motored through some gusts as high as 40mph and sustained winds around 25 to 35 mph. If you look closely none of our anchorages were actually exposed much. The wind just always found a way to get at us. Welcome to the Great American Southwest. Here is your obligatory A$$KICKING, now y'all enjoy yourselves y'hear!

http://i166.photobucket.com/albums/u97/ ... 060082.jpg

http://i166.photobucket.com/albums/u97/ ... 090097.jpg

!	Moderator Note:
	Heath instituted a 3 picture limit about a year ago. All members are expected to follow the rule and if you have more pictures to post, please place them in link form, as I have done above. If you would like to chronicle a trip, or write an article on some other subject, the proper place for those is under the features found at the top of the page. Thanks for your cooperation. ~Rich---Hamin' X~

[Sumner]

Nice pictures and report Theo . We will be looking for more and we can sympathize with you on the wind deal,

Sum and Ruth

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