Making Tracks on Moosehead Lake

Bob's headquarters in Wareham, Massachusetts, is multihull ground zero. Scattered about the yard was a wonderful array of boat parts, a new ama here, a faded Hobie TriFoiler there, and two F-27s on trailers, both ready to scream across the water. Inside the boat shop, amid every imaginable piece of nautical hardware, was a place where non-monohull sailors probably hang out, sharing stories of fast sailing. When we found Bob, a few days before we took the trip, he had the multihull-sailor look, too: totally non-yachtie, with his loose-fitting printed shirt, khaki shorts, flip-flops, and a haircut that said I want to sail fast. Bob handed over his new Corsair Dash 750 and told us to have fun.

The Corsair 750 is an amazingly clever boat. From trailer to water, we had it sailing in a fraction of the time I could get previous trailer-sailers under way. Belowdecks, there was a shocking amount of stowage space.
The sailing was swift, even in light air, and when the breeze punched up, it was downright exhilarating. Beating, reaching, and screeching, it was fantastic. Even when the wind didn't show up to play, it was still great, because the boat had an expansive trampoline between the hulls on which to stretch out and relax, sort of like a couch that hovers above the water.

Monohull cruising and seeing some of the lake would've been fun, no doubt, but cruising fast and furious and covering all of the lake was even better. Even in only 7 knots of breeze, there was no fooling around, as the windward ama would rise above the water and spray would peel off the hull.

Covering more ground at a faster-than-normal pace, we had to be on the top of our navigating game and quick about it, especially on a lake that has twists and turns that lead to a few rocky surprises.

Every time I'd look up from the chart, we'd already be half a mile down the track, so it'd need another quick look. At times it felt like I had some kind of compulsive disorder: Glance at the chart. Put it away. No, wait, look at the chart again. OK, got it. Put it away. Whoa, we weren't here a second ago. Quick! Look at the chart again! We were making trees; it's a Great Lakes racing expression. If you're passing the other boat so fast that you start seeing trees on the shore ahead of its bow, you're doing well.

Honestly, I couldn't tell you which campsite on Moosehead Lake was our favorite. The trimaran draws only 3 inches of water, so we were able to get into some pretty tight places.

Marianne Lee

With the tri safely at rest by the shore of Farm Island, Skipper Mike Lee steps aboard for a beer to help him enjoy the setting sun.

Most afternoons, after hunting down a leeward campsite, we'd pitch the anchor off the bow, then slowly motor in reverse until the stern was close enough to the shore so I could hop in the water and tie the boat to the trees. After settling in, we'd swim in the fresh water, enjoy cold beer, and take naps on the trampoline in the sun. We used the campsite to do our cooking and dining. A crackling campfire as the moon came up would've been perfection-had we thought to fill the amas with firewood.