Long Race (3): In the Narrows

Cal 2-24 John D. Morgan and Coyote in the Narrows

Cal 2-24 John D. Morgan and Coyote

John D. Morgan and Coyote

Race fleet in the Narrows

J/24 Coyote and race fleet


Coyote

Coyote and fleet

Coyote and fleet beyond

Coyote with race fleet and steep, rugged cliffs lining the Narrows

Coyote and fleet


Coyote and fleet

Boats in echelon

Narrows full of sailboats

Heron Lake is situated at an altitude currently about 7160 feet above sea level. During much of the year, snow-covered mountains of Colorado and New Mexico are visible. The lake has a surface area of about 10 square miles and portions reach depths exceeding 200 feet. Unusually, Heron's water comes via tunnels from the other, western, side of the Continental Divide.

The Heron Lake Marina, owned and operated for all boaters by the New Mexico Sailing Club, is sited in an almost-landlocked cove of the Lake. From Willow Creek Cove, sailors reach the main body of the lake via the Narrows, a cliff-lined passage. The passage is only about 200 feet wide in places and a third of a mile or more long, so cruising sailboat owners will often motor their boats through it before hoisting sail in the main body of Heron Lake.