Sailing at Elephant Butte Lake, January 1, 2009

Freedom 21 "Five Planks" at Elephant Butte Lake on January 1, 2009.





On New Year's eve we drove to Elephant Butte Lake, and visited "Husker" and "Bassmaster", in whose house we spent the night. During the evening, we drove over to the lake to the cabin of "Dumbledore" and "Mother Superior", who were having a quiet New Year's eve celebration with "Zorro", "Magnum PI" and "Lady Magnum".

New Year's day was cool and cloudy, and football was on the tube to somewhat mesmerize "Batgal" and "Tad". But the day offered a bit of good wind, so when I heard from Zorro I gladly accepted an offer and went out on his Constellation for a good start to the year. That meant missing out on some good food and a close football game, but a good day on the water counts as some sort of delicacy for the soul, so it was a fair exchange. Although the breezes had lightened some since earlier in the day, we still had enough wind to go up and down the race course a couple of times and give me some practice on spinnaker handling that I much needed.


We weren't the only sailors out; "Five Planks", a Freedom 21, was also out on the water for a while.

Kris Kringle Race 2008, Rio Grande Sailing Club, New Mexico

Hunter 28 Erebus, named for the Antarctic peak.

S2 7.9 (26') sloop "Delfin" serving as committee boat for the regatta


Five Planks and Nessie

Twenty-six foot S2 (S27.9, committee boat), C&C 29 Nessie, and Freedom 21 Five Planks.

Freedom 21 (sloop-rigged with staysail jib), Five Planks

Yet more from the would-be Commodore's Cup Regatta, November 15, 2008, Elephant Butte Lake, New Mexico

MC Scow no. 609 glides along


Freedom 21 sloop Five Planks and S2 Cultural Infidel in front of Kettletop Mesa at Elephant Butte LAke in southern New Mexico

J/24 Oso and C&C Renovatio

Boats and pin buoy

Boats around pin

Boat panorama