The Secret Sailors

The mountains of Northern New Hampshire are not know for sailing. Canoes, kayaks and fishing boats are common enough. A sail billowing in the wind is a rare sight indeed.

That being said, in the last couple of days I've bumped into a few who sail. One guy has a Core Sound half built. He travelled out of state to take a sailing course. Another fellow has two Scorpions, a boat design similar to a Sunfish. Today I met a man with a 17 foot open boat who was looking for a heavy duty sewing machine to fix his sail.

It's a long ways from a West Marine or any other company that supplies parts for small boats. Often we make do with homemade work arounds. Inspiration comes from “Small Craft Advisor” and other sailing magazines. When sailing nuts meet our here in the North Woods it's like finding long lost family.

We are all small boat guys. Nothing beats the feeling of sailing on a small boat, close to the wind and water. There are some good sized lakes in the area. Sailing is tricky due to the mountains. Changes in wind speed and direction can be sudden and dramatic. There are lakes that are big enough for very long days on the water. Some are big enough for overnight trips.

I'm thinking there just might be enough of us hidden sailors in this area to have our own little sailing rally. We may dream of sailing in the Everglades Challenge or the Texas 200, but what we really want is to meet people who share our passion. It just might be possible to gather enough of us hidden sailing nuts to make our own get together.

-Sixbears