MacGregorSailors.com

Following Sumner's blog of his and Ruth's sail down the upper end of Lake Powell while we were still saving up to buy our own boat, I knew that we would want to sail there too--when we had enough skill and experience to handle the sometimes violent nature of the lake!

It was well worth it.

I've published the first two episodes in 8-9 minute vignettes on youtube. We put in on the western end of the lake and worked our way east to the majestic Rainbow Bridge. The lake goes from a pale yellow landscape in the west to rugged red, brown, orange beauty as you travel eastward and northward!

Hope you enjoy and it inspires others to make the journey!

Lake Powell: Episode 1 - The Journey to the Lake. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m61_no49JNM
Lake Powell: Episode 2 - Warm Creek Bay. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4XWo2F1jxYQ

Doug & Angie
Galactica

Thanks for sharing. What time of year were you there?

we were there the last days of July through the first week of August,2016. It was generally high 90's to 105 degrees. Saw a number of showers and one pair of holy-sh8te-tie-down-the-dog-and-hold-my-beer-this-may-hurt squalls. Sailing was almost always better in the afternoon but soft beaches for tying up were hard to come by so we'd try to find an anchorage by 1pm each day.

Doug & Angie

Doug W wrote:
Hope you enjoy and it inspires others to make the journey!

Lake Powell: Episode 1 - The Journey to the Lake. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m61_no49JNM
Lake Powell: Episode 2 - Warm Creek Bay. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4XWo2F1jxYQ

Doug & Angie
Galactica

I think Lake Powell would be a great place to do a Western US meet up. I just picked up the small gennie and A/C for these types of trips.

:

tlgeddes wrote:I think Lake Powell would be a great place to do a Western US meet up. I just picked up the small gennie and A/C for these types of trips.

That would a lot of fun. Sandy beach Anchorages are plentiful in Wahweap Bay on the far western end of the lake. As you move up the lake and it becomes more rugged, rocky and gorgeous, sand spots are highly prized and change year to year as the lake's water level rises and falls!

Here is my newest release from this trip:

Sailing Lake Powell: Episode 3 (Camel Rock, Last Chance Canyon) https://youtu.be/IWwGpe6nKjc

This lake is definitely worth the preparation and effort getting to it!

Fair Winds!
Doug & Angie
Galactica :macm

Doug W wrote: ...
Here is my newest release from this trip:

Sailing Lake Powell: Episode 3 (Camel Rock, Last Chance Canyon) https://youtu.be/IWwGpe6nKjc

These videos are quite polished. Somebody has experience handling a camera and using video editing software.

Phil M wrote:

Doug W wrote: ...
Here is my newest release from this trip:

Sailing Lake Powell: Episode 3 (Camel Rock, Last Chance Canyon) https://youtu.be/IWwGpe6nKjc

These videos are quite polished. Somebody has experience handling a camera and using video editing software.

Thanks! As we learned to sail, we also learned to video. I watch them in the dead of winter and I know I'll want to watch them when I'm old.

We just published Episode 4! https://youtu.be/FcdNmCSl4HY

Hope you all enjoy!

Doug and Angie
Galactica

Doug,

Love your videos. I understand you had some dealings with the Macgregor dealer in Kearney, Nebraska (my old stomping grounds). I bought a bigger helm wheel from him-great guy!

How do you keep your so clean? Mine always looks like a hot mess in about 3 days of sailing...

I haven't watched Episode 4 yet, but the others were well done, and quite interesting. I watch the Delos vlogs every friday, and now I'm going to have to add yours to the watch list.

Winters are long and gray here. Not that cold. Just long. And gray.

Time to watch Captain Ron yet again.



(love the Caribbean water in that movie)

Great video Doug.
How did you get the bracket for the table onto the console grab bar? (The part that is left behind) That table is really nice.

I remember my dad driving us through Glenn Canyon in the family station wagon back in the early 60's when Lake Powell did not exist.

later, they went sailing there. That is the one trip I missed with my dad growing up - by the time he started exploring Lake Powell I was 19 and more interested in girls and stuff than going sailing with my dad anymore. My little sister and my mom sailed all over Powell with friends who also had sailboats and even some houseboats. They had a really good time. I missed all three trips they made. At that time I was interested in off- roading in my dune buggy and in fact on one of their trips I was off-roading up in a place called "The Hall" where the Mormons camped while my dad and sister were on the water down on Powell - but there was no way to get to them - in fact there were still holes in the canyon walls where the Mormons had to lower their wagons down using ropes because it was a cliff - my dune buggy could not make the trip either.

I would love to go to Powell but since I have never been there on the water I would prefer to go with Doug or Sumner there too so I have someone to help me find places to stay at night.

Nice videos Doug & Angie. Your Flaming Gorge trip videos were one of the main reasons that Dottie and I took the 13 day trip there last summer. Loved it!!

BOAT wrote:.....At that time I was interested in off- roading in my dune buggy and in fact on one of their trips I was off-roading up in a place called "The Hall" where the Mormons camped while my dad and sister were on the water down on Powell - but there was no way to get to them - in fact there were still holes in the canyon walls where the Mormons had to lower their wagons down using ropes because it was a cliff - my dune buggy could not make the trip either...

That is actually "The Hole In The Rock" . They put planks in the holes and the wagons went down with just the cliff side wheels on the planks along with the animals and people. They were on their way to found the town of Bluff, UT on the San Juan river 20 mile south of Blanding where we live.

http://bluffutah.org/town-history/

.... Then when the river kept flooding (1980's) most of them moved north the 20 miles and founded Blanding which was then called Grayson (another story about how it changed to Blanding).



The picture above is of "The Hole In The Rock" from Ruth's and my trip. Remember that the river was well below the lake level so they had to get horses/cows, people and wagons from that cliff down to and across the river and up the other side with still many canyons to cross before reaching what would become Bluff, UT.

"November 1879, 250 men, women, and children, with 80 wagons and 1,000 head of cattle, found themselves up against terribly broken, seemingly impassable terrain. The settlers had been en route for more than two weeks when they reached the 1,200-foot-deep Colorado River gorge, sixty-five miles southeast of Escalante."

There is a guy in the yard here in Florida now, Steve, who probably sailed with your dad as he sailed a number of times with people from the southern California area. We were talking about some of those trips the other day. That was before I started sailing.

We hope to get back to Lake Powell later this year and finish 'sailing only' the last 50 miles of the lake to finish what Ruth and I started when we 'sailed only' from Page to Bull Frog/Halls Crossing (90+ miles).

Sumner

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1300 miles to the Bahamas and back -- 2015

The MacGregor 26-S

The Endeavour 37

Trips to Utah, Wyoming, Idaho, Canada, Florida

Mac-Venture Links

I made the mistake of showing my better half, Lisa, Doug's videos so now I think I am committed to at least a fun 4-5 days there. My family always did the ski-boat thing at Bullfrog so that is where I went. I have never been much further south or north of there.

Yeah Sumner - I was up on top there where that picture is sometime back in the late 70's - there is a great big rock formation that looks like a great concert hall - I camped right inside that formation with a friend and our vans and our dune buggys. The story goes that the Mormons celebrated in that same formation unknowing that the cliff you pictured was just right up the road! We were up on top there and I knew at that same time My dad and sister and mom were down below on the lake. I remember going down the road from "the hall" to that cut in the rocks and we could actually see the holes in the side of the cliff where those Morman people put their ropes and stuff.

My parents would usually spend two to three weeks at a time in the lake in their 23 foot Aquarius.

I would like to take the MAC there, but don't relish the idea of poking around all night trying to find a beach because I don't know where to go. I would prefer to go when Sumner goes or Doug or even better when BOTH of them go I would want to be there too. (My parents have long since passed away so they can't help me).

So I am counting four boats already! Could be a fun trip.