CHARTERING ON LAKE TAHOE

We chartered a 27-foot Catalina from Sailing Ventures, located in the Tahoe Keys Marina in South Lake Tahoe. We found it was the only company on the lake that advertises bareboat sailboats for rent. Its fees were quite reasonable, and Michelle Dawn, the director, personally gave us a thorough and unhurried checkout. Rental rates begin at about $250.

Sailing Ventures is also an American Sailing Association school with a full roster of courses and a sister organization on San Francisco Bay. It begins letting boats out around May 15, but reservations can be made at any time of the year: sailingventures.com, PO Box 10583, Reno, NV 89510. Charterers can also call Michelle at 775-287-4356, or send email to michelle@sailingventures.com. Visit tahoekeysmarina.net for the location of the fuel dock and additional services. For overnight accommodations, the town boasts at least 50 hotels, motels and cabin complexes ranging in value from luxurious to basic. There are no hotels in the Tahoe Keys Marina itself, but many of the owners of the condominiums and cottages that surround it offer their places for rent during the summer. There are also large public campgrounds on the west side of town.

To fly to the Tahoe Keys Marina, it is best to land in Reno, Nevada, and take the 75-minute, $30 shuttle to South Lake Tahoe. It is a scenic ride over a stretch of the Sierra Nevada (southtahoeexpress.com). The local Lake Tahoe Airport is used only by private aircraft.

For those visiting by car, there are several good restaurants in the surrounding area, as well as provisioning stores and souvenir shops along U.S. Highway 50.