I am considering a job transfer that would take me to Atlanta. Lake Lanier is near by, but I don't know anything about it. Is it good for sailing? If so, are there many catamarans in the area?
Thanks for the input.
Just moved to NC from Gainesville area. There is a pretty inactive fleet 12 in the area but there are some great cat sailors around. southern sailing in flowery branch is a hobie dealer and would be a good place to get parts/ info.
Lake lanier is a great sailing lake with lots of open water. Have fun. It is a great base for some of Div, 9 races at Lake Hartwell, Lake keowee, And of course Lake Lanier.
You might find all you need to know for Atlanta sailing info here. Their group is pretty active.
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/AtlantaBeachcats
Also try:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Beachcats
Nationwide Beachcat group, we're a hoot!
ZUHL
Hobie 17
MISTER LUCKY
It depends on what you are used to. Compared to an ocean area that has bays and sea breezes (Ft Walton, Pensacola), Lake Lanier is no comparison. It is quite large but the wind usually only blows well when there is some sort of changing weather pattern to setup a gradiant. Sailing on the lake in July and August and most of Sept is terrible. Little wind, just
shake and bake
. Shake is from power boat wakes which are quite bad on weekends. Spring, Fall, Winter you often get good wind, but it is dangerous to sail a cat on the lake in Dec, Jan, Feb cause of hypothermia if you flip. Not many other boats around to help if in trouble. Fleet 12 is very inactive. If you are in Atlanta, the lake is only game in town and is better than not sailing. On the plus side there is and excellent marina called Aqualand where you can keep your cat on a trailer with the mast up for about $480/yr. If you go there, get a spot in Area 6. Most cat sailors are there because there is a small beach by the ramp. FYI, It is a 6-7 hour drive to the Ft Walton where the sailing is perfect!
My cat got killed last year by a storm and I bought a F24MII tri that is at Aqualand dry storage. Better for family sailing than the cat. From'90 to '95 I kept my cat at the lake. Burned out on the lake and from '95 to '00 I kept it in storage in Destin and drove down to sail every 4 or 5 weeks April till Oct for a long weekend of sailing. Now with the big boat and a family, I am back on the lake. Maybe I'll see you there.
Ken