Beginner sailors find their sea legs on Flathead Lake

To drive a car, you don't necessarily have to know how the engine works, and distinguish all of its intricate parts. For the most part you buckle up, turn the key over, shift into gear, press on the gas, and you’re ready to go.

In a sailboat, however, you become a much greater function in order to harness the energy that propels you forward. With no wind you can get stuck out on the water, or with too much wind you might even capsize, that’s why it’s crucial to have a basic understanding of how a sailboat operates.

You can’t quite call him captain yet, but you can call him Skip. Skipper Asay, it’s got a nice ring to it.

David Asay, of Superior, just wrapped up his first season of sailing on Flathead Lake along with his wife Liz. The two of them spent beautiful summer days shuttling along the lakeshores, anchoring at Wildhorse Island, and getting used to their “sea” legs, all while David was officially living out one of his lifelong dreams.

“For many years I have wanted to sail," he said. "I had only been on one twice in my life but immediately fell in love with the peaceful quiet with the sails full and the hull cutting through the waves. And after 30 years sitting in a noisy UPS truck, I did not want a boat where I had to listen to constant motor noise.”

The Asays bought their boat, a MacGregor26M last year. It has a retractable keel and rudders, a 70-horsepower motor and is 26 feet long. David said, “The boat was named Buen Viaja. Which means bon voyage or good voyage. We liked it so it stayed on the stern.”

“We bought our boat last fall and only put in the water twice, just enough to scare the crap out of us," David recalled. "Both Liz and I had more than a few sleepless nights last winter wondering what the heck we did and could we ever be sailors?"

They eventually got on the waiting list for Dayton Yacht Marina on Flathead Lake and were fortunate to get a slip for the 2021 season due to Canadian boat owners being stranded behind the border.

But even though they bought a boat and found a spot in the marina, David still required some training to get it out on the water. He reasoned facetiously, “Sailing can be overwhelming at the beginning and no, you need no training to buy one. Any [dummy] can buy a sailboat.”

DAVID TOOK a two-day class with Go Sail Flathead Lake and received his certification in ASA 101, the first level of the American Sailing Association. It is the first of three levels of certification that includes both in classroom learning and testing, as well as hands-on sailing. After completing ASA104 you can call yourself captain, until then you are skipper of your vessel.

“The hands-on sailing included maneuvers into and with the wind, extra emphasis on man-overboard drills where the instructor throws a float over board and the crew has to turn the boat around and sail back to "rescue" the float, it's very challenging requiring several different sail sets,” David said.

A large portion of the course focused on the correct terminology for the boat, sails, lines and sheets. There are close to 30 different terms all regarding the layout and operation of the sailboat boat. And that’s just the outside.

“This became valuable when communicating with Liz while sailing," David noted. "Much more specific to say 'pull in the starboard Jib sheet' than 'grab the thingamajig by the whatchamacallit.' Our boat takes two people to comfortably sail so knowing the correct terms really helps.”

THROUGHOUT THE summer David and Liz spent numerous weekends on their sailboat, and at the marina.

“In my ASA101 book it said "you are not just buying a boat, you are joining a community," David said. "At first, I thought that was a bit corny but it turned out to be so true. We met dozens of wonderful people with good advice and best wishes on our new adventure.”

Each weekend David and Liz would voyage out for three or four nights at a time.

In terms of living quarters for several days at a time the sailboat has a head, galley, and berths.

“The space is small but has all basic needs," he said.

They always kept a close eye on the weather reports, because they learned that it is good to choose an anchorage on the leeward (downwind) side of land and not the windward side, for protection from the wind and less waves through the night.

"We also used an Anchor App on our smartphone," David added. "Using GPS we set a perimeter on the app, if the boat goes out of that area an alarm sounds. Helps with a good night’s sleep with less worries.”

Flathead Lake has been known to have some of the finest sailing in the United States. With favorable wind conditions created by the surrounding mountainous landscape, reliable and consistent winds make for smooth sailing days.

“We were told if you are serious about sailing it's Flathead Lake or the Pacific,” David said.

And he attested, “when you sail you are always at the mercy of the wind, it also determines which direction you can travel. A perfect day with north/northwest 10 to 20 mph wind is amazing and peaceful cutting through the waves healed over at 20 percent and the boat responding to maneuvers.”

They quickly learned that when winds were out of the south/southwest and gusting it was best to keep sails down and motor or stay tied up and simply go site seeing around the lake instead.

One things the Asays can speak to is that “sea legs are a real thing! “After a few days onboard, if I closed my eyes I just about fell over. One night the waves were very rough; I guess we had gotten used to it and slept just fine. The next day the weather was bad so we went to Bigfork to walk around and have dinner, neither one of us could walk straight, had a good laugh over our rubbery legs.”

AT THE end of each passage David and Liz would recap their adventures and acknowledge their learning moments.

“When we drive away headed for home, we feel good about what we did right and laugh about what we didn't. About half the way through the season we got the boat docked and tied up we looked at each other and realized we didn't yell at each other once all weekend, real progress,” David said.

“That is the fun and challenge of sailing, always learning, It's not just turning the key and hitting the throttle."

As the summer slipped by filled with days on the water, the Asays also found new friends along the way.

“The walk from our boat at the end of the marina to the clubhouse always took extra-long, with someone always to talk to,” David said. “We even got invited to sail in Mexico with new friends when we are there in February. The marina has gatherings with BBQs, live music and the occasional keg of beer. Cheapest lake house you'll ever buy.”

Their “lake house” is quite mobile; it can be trailered anywhere and easily launches at just about any boat ramp. Because their boat is trailerable they have plans to try it out on other lakes someday.

“It has always been a dream of mine to sail big water," David said. "On my trips to Mexico, I sit on the beach and watch the sailboats come in and anchor. At this point in my life not sure that will happen….but maybe?”

For the novice looking to get their feet wet in the sailing world, David offered a bit of advice.

“I just dove in and bought a boat," he said. "It's working out but I would suggest go to Go Sail Flathead Lake and take the ASA 101 first. You can even rent a boat by the day after getting certified.”

Take your time and decide what sailboat is best for you, he advised.

“Lucky for us, we both are bit by the sailing bug," he said.

Lastly, he quipped, “Another of the summers tips is the acronym, B.O.A.T. It means; Break Out Another Thousand. Nothing about boating is cheap.”