Waiting for the tide

Giving it some beans...

As I write, the heatwave has finally broken – England’s hottest summer since 1976 seems like a shimmering mirage, although more 30°C days are predicted for August. During the hottest week, I was in the far north on the shores of Lake Windermere enjoying a spot of sailing in the drizzle, which was gloroiusly cool and damp, but concealed the majestic mountainous backdrop.

Boatspeed on Windermere is strictly limited to 10mph under power and although the shores were swarmed with tourists, the water itself seemed surprisingly empty. Having never experienced the lake before the speed limit, I am unable to pass comment on how uncomfortable life once was for sailing folk, but I do remember when the speed limit was still being debated and how rancorous relations were between the motor and sail fraternities everywhere.

Has that all changed, or am

I out of touch? It seems to me that relations between sailors and powerboaters have improved in the last decade.

Now, I am not a big fan of high-speed powerboating, I am much more partial to the adventures of Tony Smith and his engine-less East Coast cruising (page 72). Yet I find myself wondering about Windermere and the ‘no motorboat zone’ it has effectively become... At just 10 miles long, it may be good for rowing and racing around the cans, but it’s apparently Heaven sent for waterskiing – surely there is a way to let everyone enjoy the water?

Low-speed waterskiing on England’s largest Lake, Windermere, may be good for beginners, but why the blanket speed ban? Surely there’s room for fast and slow?