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

This episode discusses a recent drowning death of a paddleboarder at my small Colorado mountain lake. This is the 10th water recreation death of 2025 in Colorado. The last few years have been extremely dangerous with more people visiting the lakes and more frequent extreme weather. In 2022, Colorado set a new record for water recreation deaths with 42 recorded for the season. In both 2023 and 2024 there were 32 water recreation related deaths each year across the state. In this latest incident, the 33-year old male victim was not wearing a life vest or personal flotation device (PFD) and was thrown off his board by heavy winds and large waves. Anyone who enjoys water sports needs to have the proper safety gear and pay close attention to the weather. Don't put yourself at a disadvantage when the unexpected happens! Here's a link to my earlier video on "Storm Tactics: for Inland Sailors" https://youtu.be/Hixd4KHzCzs?si=r0hxHGvlIUwbg6zy And here's a link to my video "P-18 Lost: Let's Talk Sailboat Safety" https://youtu.be/-BYJR11H_p0?si=12gLnd6hJ2C7RMH8 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

In this week's episode, I sail to the very "bottom" (south end) of Eleven Mile Canyon Reservoir in Colorado. Beyond this point is a restricted area around Eleven Mile Canyon Dam. This episode has no music and very little dialogue, but plenty of blue alpine skies, water sounds, and 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 #asmr

Trying to be chill like Doggface while vibing at the lake on my 2010 Precision 18 sailboat with my Ocean Spray cranberry pineapple juice and listening to Fleetwood Mac! I've been wanting to do this video for a while and finally got my chance. I hope you like it! Filmed with my iPhone 14 Pro and Insta360 X3 camera. 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. Music credit: - "Dreams" by Fleetwood Mac #sailing #lakesailing #mountainsailing #cranberryjuice #oceanspray #doggface #vibing #fleetwoodmac

Sailing my 2010 Precision 18 sailboat on a Wednesday in late August on a beautiful Rocky Mountain lake. This episode features some really nice sailing in near-perfect conditions. The episode also feat

Continuing my rehabilitation of a 1987 Precision 16 sailing dinghy by replacing the centerboard trunk’s wood trim with a piece of HDPE from TAP Plastics. During the repair, I also discovered some damage to the trailing edge of the centerboard which I repaired with JB Marine Weld epoxy. 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 #usedboat #boatrepair #projectboat

Slowly sailing my 2010 Precision 18 sailboat in late morning light winds on a beautiful Rocky Mountain lake. This episode features light wind sailing in a beautiful cove and I share some tips and thoughts on very light air sailing. Compared to other boats of its' class, the Precision 18 is especially good at light air sailing due to its high sail area to displacement (SA/disp) ratio. 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

My third sail of the new-to-me 1987 Precision 16 sailing dinghy I purchased locally for $650 at Cherry Creek Reservoir in Aurora, Colorado. 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). Music credit: Body Talk by Elley Duhe 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 #cherrycreek #elleyduhe #sailingvideo

This episode discusses the tacking technique I often use when sailing in heavy weather with a reefed mainsail. The traditional method of tacking most sailors learn in sailing courses is to tack from a close-hauled course onto a close-hauled course on the new tack. Heading up onto a close-hauled course before tacking maintains the boat's speed through the tack and the additional pressure on the mainsail helps push the bow through the wind. This is a great way to tack a boat in light to medium air. But when the winds really pick up, I prefer to tack from a beam reach to a beam reach. Tacking from a beam reach (or even a close reach) is much more forgiving once the boat completes the tack and you come onto your new course. It avoids excessive heeling, keeps the bow from getting blown down and bearing away, and keeps the boat under control. When sailing a small trailerable sailboat in heavy winds, tacking from beam reach to beam reach can be a useful technique. 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