First Mate
Your small-boat sailing companion for Adirondack waters.
Start-to-finish guide
1. Before you tow
- Check trailer tire pressure, lights and wheel bearings (grease them; cold lake water + hot bearings = failure).
- Lash mast, boom and spar together and pad them; stow rudder and daggerboard inside the car.
- Strap the hull at bow and stern; cross safety chains under the hitch.
- Check the wind forecast: a Sunfish is happiest from 5–15 mph. Over 18 mph, stay ashore or reef.
- Pack: PFD for everyone, paddle, bailer/sponge, whistle, bow line (painter), spare drain plug, sunscreen, water, dry bag with phone.
2. At the ramp
- Rig in the parking area, not on the ramp — keep the ramp clear for others.
- Look up before stepping the mast: power lines over ramps are the #1 small-boat killer.
- Clean, drain, dry: NY law requires it. Lake George requires an inspection before launching.
- Put in the drain plug! Then back in until the hull floats; keep the bow line in hand.
- Park the car and trailer, then walk the boat to the dock or beach to board.
3. Underway
- Never cleat the mainsheet — hold it so you can ease instantly in a gust.
- Mountain lakes gust hard down valleys and gaps; watch for dark ripples coming across the water.
- Afternoon thermal winds build after noon; thunderstorms are common late in the day — head in at the first thunder.
- Give motorboats and paddlers space; sail boats under sail have right-of-way over power but not over common sense.
- Stay within a swim-able distance of shore when water is under 60°F (May, June, September onward).
4. If you capsize
- Stay with the boat — it floats. Grab the daggerboard and lean back to right it.
- Point the bow into the wind before righting so it doesn't flip again.
- If the boat turtles, stand on the hull edge and pull the daggerboard.
- Cold water: get out of it fast. Change into dry clothes from your dry bag.
5. Coming in
- Approach the beach or dock slowly, sail eased, daggerboard pulled up in shallow water.
- Pull rudder up before it touches bottom.
- Haul out, then clean, drain, dry before leaving the lot.
- De-rig in the parking area; rinse hardware with fresh water when home.
Know the knots
- Bowline — fixed loop for the bow line.
- Cleat hitch — tying up at the dock.
- Figure-eight — stopper knot at the end of the mainsheet.
- Trucker's hitch — tightening trailer straps.
Locations are approximate. Confirm ramp access, fees and boat inspection rules with NYS DEC and local towns before you tow.