This episode covers my 8th outing in the new-to-me 1987 Precision 16 sailing dinghy I purchased locally for $800. This time I return to Lake Pueblo, Colorado after a 5 year hiatus. Lake Pueblo is a Colorado state park along the Arkansas River just outside the city of Pueblo, Colorado. The park features swim beaches, two marinas, two modern boat ramps, ample trailer parking and nice picnic areas. The marinas offer boat and jet ski rentals and the lake gets very busy during the summer. But on a nice 67F day in December...there was hardly anyone on the lake. The Precision 16 is a lightweight Stephen Seaton-designed un-ballasted centerboard sailing dinghy with a planing hull manufactured from 1982 until the mid 90s. It was superseded in 1995 by the smaller Jim Taylor-designed Precision 15 (P-15CB and P-15K). Subscribe and follow @ColoradoSailing on YouTube for more original sailing videos, gear, boat maintenance, sailing tips and travel content as I sail my Precision 18 trailer sailer and Precision 16 sailing dinghy in Colorado, New Mexico, Utah, Wyoming and South Dakota. #sailing #sailingdinghy #coloradosailing #mountainsailing #AuroraReservoir #sailingvideo

This episode covers my 8th outing in the new-to-me 1987 Precision 16 sailing dinghy I purchased locally for $800. This time I return to beautiful Aurora Reservoir in Aurora, Colorado on another unusually warm mid-November day. Aurora Reservoir is a city park in the City of Aurora, CO. The park features a sandy swim beach, modern 3 lane boat ramp, clean restroom facilities and nice picnic areas. The reservoir permits electric motor and hand-powered watercraft only...no gas outboards permitted. The reservoir is open to boating until 1 December. The Precision 16 is a lightweight Stephen Seaton-designed un-ballasted centerboard sailing dinghy with a planing hull manufactured from 1982 until the mid 90s. It was superseded in 1995 by the smaller Jim Taylor-designed Precision 15 (P-15CB and P-15K). Subscribe and follow @ColoradoSailing on YouTube for more original sailing videos, gear, boat maintenance, sailing tips and travel content as I sail my Precision 18 trailer sailer and Precision 16 sailing dinghy in Colorado, New Mexico, Utah, Wyoming and South Dakota. #sailing #sailingdinghy #coloradosailing #mountainsailing #AuroraReservoir #sailingvideo

This episode covers my 7th outing in the new-to-me 1987 Precision 16 sailing dinghy I purchased locally for $800. This time I return to beautiful Aurora Reservoir in Aurora, Colorado on an unusually warm November day. Aurora Reservoir is a city park in the City of Aurora, CO. The park features a sandy swim beach, modern 3 lane boat ramp, clean restroom facilities and nice picnic areas. The reservoir permits electric motor and hand-powered watercraft only...no gas outboards permitted. The reservoir is open to boating until 1 December. The Precision 16 is a lightweight Stephen Seaton-designed un-ballasted centerboard sailing dinghy with a planing hull manufactured from 1982 until the mid 90s. It was superseded in 1995 by the smaller Jim Taylor-designed Precision 15 (P-15CB and P-15K). Subscribe and follow @ColoradoSailing on YouTube for more original sailing videos, gear, boat maintenance, sailing tips and travel content as I sail my Precision 18 trailer sailer and Precision 16 sailing dinghy in Colorado, New Mexico, Utah, Wyoming and South Dakota. #sailing #sailingdinghy #coloradosailing #mountainsailing #AuroraReservoir #sailingvideo

Inspecting a previous repair on my 2010 Precision 18 sailboat after finishing the sailing season in Colorado. Last year, I noticed my stern horn cleats were loose, the sealant at the deck had been broken, and they needed to be re-bedded. All boats require regular maintenance and re-bedding horn cleats, chain plates and other deck hardware is just a normal part of sailboat maintenance and ownership. Since the factory installation of the horn cleats only used stainless steel washers as backing, I decided to add a 1/2" HDPE board as a backing block to help strengthen the mounting location. I used JB Marine Weld epoxy and 3M 5200 sealant along with new stainless bolts, washers and lock nuts for this project. Subscribe and follow @ColoradoSailing on YouTube for more original sailing videos, gear, boat maintenance, sailing tips and travel content as I sail my Precision 18 trailer sailer and Precision 16 sailing dinghy in Colorado, New Mexico, Utah, Wyoming and South Dakota. #lakesailing #mountainsailing #sailing #boatmaintenance #howto #boatrepair

In this video, I spend a second day sailing beautiful Angostura Reservoir near Hot Springs, South Dakota. Angostura is a state recreation area in the southwest corner of the state about 6 hours from Colorado Springs. They have a great group of local Precision sailboat owners with several P-18s, P-21s and a P-23 among the fleet. The reservoir boasts 4,700 surface acres, sandy beaches, a well-protected marina, public restrooms and much steadier sailing winds than where I normally sail in the Rocky Mountains. Featured music: "Great Divide" by Ira Wolf Subscribe and follow @ColoradoSailing on YouTube for more original sailing videos, gear, boat maintenance, sailing tips and travel content as I sail my Precision 18 trailer sailer and Precision 16 sailing dinghy in Colorado, New Mexico, Utah, Wyoming and South Dakota. #sailing #Angostura #TrailerSailer #sailingvideo #sailingchannel #southdakota

In this video, I visit beautiful Angostura Reservoir near Hot Springs, South Dakota. Angostura is a state recreation area in the southwest corner of the state about 6 hours from Colorado Springs. They have a great group of local Precision sailboat owners with several P-18s, P-21s and a P-23 among the fleet. The reservoir boasts 4,700 surface acres, sandy beaches, a well-protected marina, public restrooms and much steadier sailing winds than where I normally sail in the Rocky Mountains. Subscribe and follow @ColoradoSailing on YouTube for more original sailing videos, gear, boat maintenance, sailing tips and travel content as I sail my Precision 18 trailer sailer and Precision 16 sailing dinghy in Colorado, New Mexico, Utah, Wyoming and South Dakota. #sailing #Angostura #TrailerSailer #sailingvideo #sailingchannel #southdakota

This episode covers my 6th outing in the new-to-me 1987 Precision 16 sailing dinghy I purchased locally for $800. This time I visit beautiful Aurora Reservoir in Aurora, Colorado. Aurora Reservoir is a city park in the City of Aurora, CO. The park features a sandy swim beach, nice 3 lane boat ramp, clean restroom facilities and nice picnic areas. The reservoir is electric motor and hand-powered watercraft only...no gas outboards permitted. The Precision 16 is a lightweight Stephen Seaton-designed un-ballasted centerboard sailing dinghy with a planing hull manufactured from 1982 until the mid 90s. It was superseded in 1995 by the smaller Jim Taylor-designed Precision 15 (P-15CB and P-15K). Subscribe and follow @ColoradoSailing on YouTube for more original sailing videos, gear, boat maintenance, sailing tips and travel content as I sail my Precision 18 trailer sailer and Precision 16 sailing dinghy in Colorado, New Mexico, Utah, Wyoming and South Dakota. #sailing #sailingdinghy #coloradosailing #mountainsailing #AuroraReservoir #sailingvideo

In this week's episode, I finish out my sailing season with a half-day of sailing before taking the boat out of the water. It was the best weather forecast for the week, but turned out rainy, grey and stormy. At one point, I was hit on the beam by a squall and a 28 mph gust. I was flying full sails (fully canvassed) and was nearly knocked down. I quickly spun the boat around through the wind and went straight into a hove-to position on a port tack. Unfortunately, my reefing lines are all on the startboard side, so I was unable to reef the boat on a port tack. The waves and white caps built up quickly, so I took down the sails and headed back to the marina to let the storm pass. Overall, not the ending to the season I was hoping for. Subscribe and follow @ColoradoSailing on YouTube for more original sailing videos, gear, boat maintenance, sailing tips and travel content as I sail my Precision 18 trailer sailer and Precision 16 sailing dinghy in Colorado, New Mexico, Utah, Wyoming and South Dakota. #sailingchannel #coloradosailing #sailing #mountainsailing #extremesports

Sailing my 2010 Precision 18 sailboat in unpredictable mid-day winds on a beautiful Rocky Mountain lake. This episode highlights some of the challenges of sailing on a high-altitude mountain lake: unreliable forecasts, frequent wind direction changes, flukey up and down wind speeds, sudden gusts, and lots of frustration. The episode also features plenty of nature, blue alpine skies, gorgeous mountain views and sailing sounds. Subscribe and follow @ColoradoSailing on YouTube for more original sailing videos, gear, boat maintenance, sailing tips and travel content as I sail my Precision 18 trailer sailer and Precision 16 sailing dinghy in Colorado, New Mexico, Utah, Wyoming and South Dakota. #sailing #lakesailing #mountainsailing #saillife #sailingchannel #coloradosailing

In this episode, I repair the tilt function on my 2019 Torqeedo 1103C electric outboard. Multiple welds on the tilt lever failed making the outboard difficult to lock in the tilted (up) position. The lever would either fail to lock or get jammed when lowering the outboard. I ordered the replacement part direct from Torqeedo for $21 USD. Installation was easy and only took a few minutes. This is the first issue I've had with my Torqeedo outboard after 5 seasons of sailing.   Subscribe and follow @ColoradoSailing on YouTube for more original sailing videos, gear, boat maintenance, sailing tips and travel content as I sail my Precision 18 trailer sailer and Precision 16 sailing dinghy in Colorado, New Mexico, Utah, Wyoming and South Dakota. #sailing #sailingdinghy #usedboat #boatrepair #Torqeedo

I spend some time mid-day ghosting on the lake waiting for the wind to pick back up. I decide to take the opportunity to try docking under sail for the very first time. Not perfect, but not bad for a first attempt. Then the winds pick up and I end the day with my first sunset sail of the season. Subscribe and follow @ColoradoSailing on YouTube for more original sailing videos, gear, boat maintenance, sailing tips and travel content as I sail my Precision 18 trailer sailer and Precision 16 sailing dinghy in Colorado, New Mexico, Utah, Wyoming and South Dakota. #sailing #lakesailing #mountainsailing #sailingchannel #coloradosailing

This episode demonstrates how to step the mast, rig the boat, and bend on the sails of the Precision 16 sailing dinghy. My particular boat has a taller aftermarket mast tabernacle which makes mast stepping easier than on the factory P-16 sailboat. The taller modified tabernacle on my boat allows inserting the base and raising the mast from a horizontal position. With the shorter factory tabernacle, you have to hold the mast over your head to clear the centerboard handle and then insert the base of the mast into the tabernacle at a downward angle. For any P-16 owner this would be a very worthwhile upgrade to install. The entire process of stepping the mast, bending on the sails and preparing the boat to launch takes less than 35 minutes. #sailingchannel #coloradosailing #sailing #learntosail #sailingtips #dinghysailing #sailingdinghy

Sailing my 2010 Precision 18 sailboat on a high-altitude (8,601ft) Rocky Mountain lake. This episode features late summer sailing on the last Wednesday of August. Late summer and early fall are the best time to sail in Colorado, because there are fewer afternoon thunderstorms and calmer winds. This time of year is when I start sailing from sunrise to sunset and get full 12-hour days on the lake. And since it's a weekday, I have the lake practically to myself. The episode features plenty of natural beauty, small coves, mountain views, and wind and water sounds. Subscribe and follow @ColoradoSailing on YouTube for more original sailing videos, gear, boat maintenance, sailing tips and travel content as I sail my Precision 18 trailer sailer and Precision 16 sailing dinghy in Colorado, New Mexico, Utah, Wyoming and South Dakota. #sailing #lakesailing #mountainsailing #saillife #sailingchannel #coloradosailing

This episode discusses a sailboat steering ("helming") technique I learned from one of my good friends and sailing mentors, Scott Tobin. Scott is an experienced sailor who frequently crewed on private yachts moving between the U.S. mainland and the Caribbean. He also solo sailed his own 40+ foot yacht in the Atlantic for many years. When I first got my boat, I called on Scott to help me improve my heavy air sailing skills. On one outing on my Precision 18 "Mandatory Fun", Scott noticed I was constantly correcting the course of the boat anytime the bow strayed away from the point we were heading to. In the sailing world, this is called "oversteer" or "oversteering." He told me to just "hold the tiller steady" and see how the boat reacted. With no steering input, the boat just naturally came back to the intended course just from the change of the wind on the sails and the angle of the hull moving through the water. On a sailboat, all the forces involved naturally want to be in balance and any change in the forces effects the opposing forces, which has a tendency to bring the boat back to equilibrium. Amazing! Sailboats are so cool. Subscribe and follow @ColoradoSailing on YouTube for more original sailing videos, gear, boat maintenance, sailing tips and travel content as I sail my Precision 18 trailer sailer and Precision 16 sailing dinghy in Colorado, New Mexico, Utah, Wyoming and South Dakota. #sailingchannel #coloradosailing #sailing #mountainsailing #sailingtips #sailinglife #learntosail

Just some very nice, peaceful mountain lake sailing with beautiful views set to calming piano music. Music by Aakash Gandhi and provided by YouTube Studio Creator Music. Subscribe and follow @ColoradoSailing on YouTube for more original sailing videos, gear, boat maintenance, sailing tips and travel content as I sail my Precision 18 trailer sailer and Precision 16 sailing dinghy in Colorado, New Mexico, Utah, Wyoming and South Dakota. #sailing #lakesailing #mountainsailing #asmr #sailingchannel #coloradosailing

In this episode I get waved down by some struggling paddleboarders who are having trouble getting back to shore against the wind and waves. I take them aboard while under sail by going hove to and sail them back to the marina. This is the 4th rescue I've been involved in at this lake, but usually I just tow kayakers back to a protected cove. This is the first time I've taken people onto the boat. Subscribe and follow @ColoradoSailing on YouTube for more original sailing videos, gear, boat maintenance, sailing tips and travel content as I sail my Precision 18 trailer sailer and Precision 16 sailing dinghy in Colorado, New Mexico, Utah, Wyoming and South Dakota. #sailingchannel #coloradosailing #sailing #mountainsailing #extremesports

This episode discusses proper placement of a sailboat's jib cars on the jib car track and how to find the neutral starting position or "baseline" placement of the cars along the track for your particular sails. Finding the baseline position involves measuring the luff of the sail to find the mid-point and then drawing a line from there, through the clew, and locating the intersecting point along the jib car track. This "baseline" position is the theoretical position where the jib car should be placed in ideal conditions (neither overpowered nor underpowered) and smooth water. It may be different for each sail in your inventory. I also discuss the adjustment of the jib cars based on different sailing conditions. Moving the cars fore and aft changes the angle of force applied to the clew of the headsail. Moving the car aft increases the horizontal force (more pressure on the foot) while decreasing the vertical force (less pressure on the leech). Moving the car forward does the opposite, decreasing the horizontal force on the clew and increasing the vertical force. Generally, for heavier wind the jib cars are moved aft to flatten (de-power) the foot (bottom third) of the headsail and decrease leech tension which increases twist and reduces heeling force. For light air sailing, jib cars can be moved forward to increase the chamber or "belly" in the sail which will provide more power. More belly in the headsail can also used to increase power when dealing with waves and chop. Subscribe and follow @ColoradoSailing on YouTube for more original sailing videos, gear, boat maintenance, sailing tips and travel content as I sail my Precision 18 trailer sailer and Precision 16 sailing dinghy in Colorado, New Mexico, Utah, Wyoming and South Dakota. #sailingchannel #coloradosailing #sailing #mountainsailing #learntosail #sailingtips

Sailing my 2010 Precision 18 sailboat on a beautiful evening in ideal winds on a high-altitude (8,601ft) Rocky Mountain lake. This episode features late summer sailing on the last Wednesday of August. Late summer and early fall is the best time to sail in Colorado, because there are fewer afternoon thunderstorms and calmer winds. This time of year is when I start sailing from sunrise to sunset and get full 12-hour days on the lake. And since it's a weekday, I have the lake all to myself. The episode features plenty of natural beauty, mountain views, and wind and water sounds. Subscribe and follow @ColoradoSailing on YouTube for more original sailing videos, gear, boat maintenance, sailing tips and travel content as I sail my Precision 18 trailer sailer and Precision 16 sailing dinghy in Colorado, New Mexico, Utah, Wyoming and South Dakota. #sailing #lakesailing #mountainsailing #saillife #sailingchannel #coloradosailing

A live YouTube video broadcast from my favorite sailing lake on Labor Day 2025 while sailing in light winds on a beautiful day. Subscribe and follow @ColoradoSailing on YouTube for more original sailing videos, gear, boat maintenance, sailing tips and travel content as I sail my Precision 18 trailer sailer and Precision 16 sailing dinghy in Colorado, New Mexico, Utah, Wyoming and South Dakota. #sailing #lakesailing #mountainsailing #saillife #sailingchannel #coloradosailing

Slowly sailing my 2010 Precision 18 sailboat at mid-day in very light winds on a beautiful Rocky Mountain lake. This episode features very light air sailing (aka: "ghosting") along the beautiful southeastern shore of the reservoir where I discover a new hazard just below the surface. With it's shoal draft keel, the Precision 18 can easily access shallow waters...as long as you remember to raise the centerboard! I have hit underwater obstructions with the 4'3" deep centerboard before, and it just bounces over them (as long as you are moving forward). It's not a pleasant experience though. This episode also shows off the Precision 18's superior light air sailing capabilities which come from the boat's "highest in class" sail area to displacement (SA/disp) ratio of 21.81. This episode features plenty of blue mountain skies, rocky shoreline, and gorgeous mountain views. Subscribe and follow @ColoradoSailing on YouTube for more original sailing videos, gear, boat maintenance, sailing tips and travel content as I sail my Precision 18 trailer sailer and Precision 16 sailing dinghy in Colorado, New Mexico, Utah, Wyoming and South Dakota. #sailing #lakesailing #mountainsailing #saillife #sailingchannel #coloradosailing