Nothing is quite like sailing on Lake Tahoe. While the lake’s beauty is obvious from nearly any angle, the experience of gliding across its blue waters in a sailboat is something special.

Fortunately, there are alternatives for those of us who don’t happen to own a sailboat. A handful of commercial sailing businesses can be found at the lake including the Woodwind II, a 50-passenger catamaran (twin-hulled) sailboat that offers daily public sailing excursions from April to October.

The Woodwind II, and its sister ship, Woodwind I, which is a smaller, trimaran (three hulled) boat, offer all the pleasures of sailing without doing much of the work. You don’t have to mess with the sails or do anything with a jib. You just sit back and enjoy the ride.

And what a ride.

On one of those warm, sleepy summer days at Tahoe, a cruise on a sail-powered boat, such as either Woodwind, is perfect way to experience the lake the way it was once described by writer Mark Twain.

In his classic book, “Roughing It,” Twain noted that “so singularly clear was the water (at Lake Tahoe) that when it was only twenty or thirty feet deep the bottom was so perfectly distinct that the boat seemed floating in the air . . . we called these boat excursions ‘balloon voyages.”

Indeed, boating on Tahoe offers the sensation of weightlessness; of hovering atop the water rather than sitting in it. On a still day, the water looks so much like glass that there is the temptation to step from the boat and attempt to walk on the lake’s surface, which appears to be made of acrylic rather than liquid. And yet you don’t because you know you will sink.

There is something exhilarating about standing on the deck of a sailboat as it lurches with each gust of wind. A stiff breeze musses your hair and the boat kicks up a misty spray that makes you blink back a tear or two. It might not be as exciting as hunting for Moby Dick but it’s certainly fun.

The Woodwind II, which shares the same dock at Zephyr Cove Resort as the M.S. Dixie II paddle wheeler, heads out into the lake’s blue waters five times daily. Regular cruises, which last about 90-minutes, are scheduled daily at 11:30 a.m., 1:30 p.m. and 3:30 p.m.

The Happy Hour cruise, which departs at 5:30 p.m., includes half-price drink specials. At 7 p.m., the catamaran takes a Sunset Champagne cruise, which includes complimentary beer, wine and champagne.

Woodwind II cruise prices (regular) are $28 for adults and $12 for children 3-12. Happy Hour prices are $26 for adults and the Sunset cruise is $36. There is $4 discount on any cruise for seniors over 60.

For more information or to make reservations call 888-867-6394, #2—submitted by Rich Moreno, http://backyardtraveler.blogspot.com.

Well I am back in Reno after the World Championships. It turned out to be an awesome event with Bus Eater Wave at a prime flow. I was paddling well and had good rides in the first round. For whatever reason in the second round I kept flushing off the wave and even after watching video I still am not sure why. The bottom line though is that I didn’t put it all together like I needed to and finished 17th. I have been competing for over 15 years now and I am very aware that sometimes things like that just happen, and even though I am disappointed I am certainly not discouraged.

It’s almost here! Already many of the pros are arriving in town to begin training for the annual Reno River Festival. You can walk down along the Truckee River and watch them throwing loops, cartwheels, and many other tricks.

RGJ.com has a lot of good articles, photos,  and video regarding the pros and the festival as a whole. Check it out at http://riverfest.rgj.com/

Next weekend there will be a lot going on with thousands of spectators, sponsors, food tents, music, video premiers and much more. Of course, we will be cheering on Reno’s very own Jay Kincaid.  He certainly has more than a couple of fans. It is a beautiful and exciting time to be in Downtown Reno, so come check it out!

Here is a copy of the official press release that went out today:

RENO, Nev. (Friday, May 4, 2007) – The $1.5 million Truckee River Whitewater Park and downtown Reno will soon host thousands of spectators and the world’s top kayakers at the 4th annual Reno River Festival. Top kayakers from America, Australia, Canada, England, Ireland, New Zealand and Norway are set to compete next week in the men’s, women’s and junior’s open freestyle competition. The festival will also include a downriver race and a boater cross competition. The paddling contests will be highlighted by play-by-play announcements, and admission to the events is free.

The Reno-Sparks Convention and Visitors Authority (RSCVA) produces the Reno River Festival and expects increased international participation this year because the Freestyle World Championships in Canada conclude on May 5, shortly before the festival.

Among the top competitors are Tennessee resident Eric Jackson, the 2005 and 2006 Reno River Festival men’s freestyle champion and three-time world freestyle kayak champion, and Jay Kincaid, the 2004 Reno River Festival champion who hails from Reno. Training at the Truckee River Whitewater Park has helped Kincaid win pro events in six countries. Challenging Jackson and Kincaid will be another freestyle winner Stephen Wright of Washington D.C., along with Bryan Kirk of Charlottesville, Va., Ben Guska of Palm Bay, Fla., and Maurice (Mo) Kelleher of Ireland.

The returning 2005 and 2006 women’s freestyle champion is Australia’s Tanya Faux. The 32-year-old will compete with 17-year-old Emily Jackson, another member of the Jackson ‘first family’ of kayaking, and the youngest female to navigate the Zambezi and Nile Rivers. Challenging Faux and Jackson will be Ruth Gordon of Canada and New Zealand native Nikki Kelley.

The junior’s competition will see a battle of best friends, as Reno native Jason Craig and Dane Jackson, son of Eric Jackson, go head to head. Now 13-years-old, Dane is the youngest member ever of the U.S. Freestyle Kayak Team, named to the team in 2004.

“It’s always a tight field, and podium placement usually comes down to performance on one or two tricks,” said Jim Litchfield, principal of Fluid Concepts and competition producer for the Reno River Festival.

A true festival, the Reno River Festival celebrations include a whitewater/kayak expo, a charity raft race, demonstrations, clinics, a food and beer garden, live music, and promotions and activities sponsored by the restaurants, lounges, shops and galleries along the River Walk in the heart of downtown Reno. The festival begins with an opening ceremony on Thursday, May 10 and competitions begin on Friday, May 11 running through Mother’s Day on Sunday, May 13.

More information, including directions and a printable parking map, are included at www.RenoRiverFestival.com. For more information on activities in America’s Adventure Place, go to www.VisitRenoTahoe.com, or call 800-FOR-RENO (800-367-7366).

tags: downtown, reno, nevada, whitewater, festival, kayaking, truckee, river

My rafting trip, down the Truckee River was one of my best experiences ever.

Gus Moreno

The last week was busy with media, promoting the upcoming Collegiate Nationals and Reno River Festival. I shot for a TV show one day and then spent the next day with the News Paper. I think that both projects should come out really well.

The last few weeks has been fun in the sun here in Reno. The fair weather boaters are coming out of the wood work and it is fun to see everyone on the water. Despite the warmer weather the river really hasn’t come up very much but because of our poor snow pack it might not come up much higher this year. Jason Craig and I have been boating a bunch together, as usual. We have been shooting some video for the new Jackson Kayak promo video, and that has been fun. I don’t often video myself, so I am always surprised how good looking I appear on video. Hmmmm?

I spent the last couple of weeks out east at the Jackson house in Tennessee.

I spent the last week paddling and visiting Jackson Kayak dealers in the North West. Despite the cold it was a great trip. I am now back in Reno until around the end of the month, then it is out to Tennessee for a couple of weeks. My paddling buddy Jason Craig is out there right now, so things are a bit lonely for me on the river right now. None the less, I will be kayaking everyday here in Reno. I am also doing a photo shoot with Reno Magazine at the end of the month, and am looking forward to that.

Things in Reno have been good. I have been boating most everyday with either of my two paddling partners, Macy and Jason. Jason Craig made a really cool short video of me that is posted on the Jackson Kayak web site. He is obviously very talented at his young age and I can hardly wait to see what he puts together in the future. Other then that I am still bird hunting a couple mornings a week, and wrestling during the evenings. I keep the paddling for the "heat’ of the day.

I just got back from week up in Eugene for the holiday and some great kayaking. My first day there I went up the Mckenzie River and got a great high water session in at a rapid called Clover. The bottom left hole was fast and foamy allowing for as good of aerial tricks as any hole I have ever been in. Lots of Front and back loops, and Space Godzillas was the name of the game. Even a fat boy like me can sometimes fly! I got a couple more sessions in there during the week, and every time it was sweet. It brought back a lot of old memories and that was fun as well.