Only Small boats get here! Solo Camping

we go to Banks Lake Washington for three days to explore the beautiful high desert canyons from a small sailboat. we also hike the impressive 800 foot steamboat rock for excellent views. wildlife and stunning scenery abound.

[@markgibbs6512]

What a film! You have the most amazing cruising grounds. I sail a small skipper 17. Greetings from the uk 🙌

[@ruddyducksailing]

Thank you. We do have some beautiful lakes here in the States with a variety of scenery. I am fortunate to be able to explore them. Fair winds to you and your skipper 17.

[@squallyheiferadventures]

You had the lake all to yourself. That was awesome. Great vid.

[@ruddyducksailing]

Thank you! It was a great solo trip, so quiet and peaceful!

[@Jack-ne8vm]

Amazing the thickness of those lava flows.

[@ruddyducksailing]

For sure, the geology around there is very interesting.

[@jatampk9436]

thanks for sharing this beautiful video

[@ruddyducksailing]

My pleasure!

[@mattslater4605]

Fabulous place to sail

[@ruddyducksailing]

Definitely one of my favorites

[@edshires5482]

Beautiful, wonderful, quiet adventure! And, you had it all to yourself. Great job! Look forward to enjoying more. Thanks for sharing. Ed - NC

[@ruddyducksailing]

Yes it was amazing. Besides some fishermen and deer it was pretty quiet! Thanks for watching.

[@matthewmcdermit8744]

What a beautiful place.

[@ruddyducksailing]

Definitely. It’s quite a bit different terrain than we are used to and was fun to see.

[@duanegregg6222]

Very cool. 👍🏼

[@ruddyducksailing]

Thanks. I can’t wait to do more trips like that

[@conradevarts9947]

Nice video. Thanks.

[@ruddyducksailing]

Thanks for watching!

[@rikutaskinen5432]

Nice trip, greetings from Finland. Our lakes are frozen....waiting for the spring.

[@ruddyducksailing]

Thank you . Our smaller lakes are beginning to freeze up but we have a few large very deep lakes that never do. At lest not in my lifetime.

[@RicardoAFerraz]

Great Sailing video ... Greetings from the Atlantic Ocean - Portugal.

[@ruddyducksailing]

Greetings!! Thanks for watching.

[@christeague7596]

Amazing place you got your boat into there..👍👍

[@ruddyducksailing]

Yes it was a very fun spot. Quite different than the usual places I cruise and very beautiful.

[@mathewdavis-adventuresandd6643]

I had to come here to get some inspiration and motivation to paint my Catalina 22 that's in the barn sanded down and prepped for paint. Getting tired of the best RV sites being booked up.

[@ruddyducksailing]

Awesome. I do the same for motivation watching other channels and their adventures. Painting a boat is a lot of work but worth it in the end. I definitely need to paint my little boat. Thanks for watching and we wish you the best on your sailing travels

[@SailingKateLouise]

What a great adventure and stunning scenery thanks for sharing, cheers Paul

[@ruddyducksailing]

It was amazing to explore a new place and environment and can’t wait for the next one. Thanks for watching!

[@robertashton5198]

I’m so jealous! Lol. Glad your new jib lines working out. I just picked up a Siren 17 this past summer and your videos helped me make that decision. So thank you! I live on Vancouver Island and I’ll be able to get to Banks Lake in the future. Cheers.

[@ruddyducksailing]

That’s a good boat. Very similar to the Newport and it should be able to take you on many grand adventures. Glad to have been a inspiration and thanks for watching! Cheers.

[@ervinslens]

Beautiful scenery my friend! This looks amazing!

[@ruddyducksailing]

It was a special place for sure! Thanks for watching

[@Lucilla]

What a gorgeous sailing trip! You filmed it beautifully. I appreciate your efforts. Before we bought our Catalina Capri 26, we considered a Catalina 22. So many beautiful lakes and rivers to explore for a trailerable boat.

[@ruddyducksailing]

Thank you! It was definitely a special trip. I like the capri 26 a lot and almost bought one at the marina I work at but we ended up buying a ericson 30+ instead which had more room for my family. However the ericson was severely damaged in a storm so we’ve been sailing the Ruddy Duck primarily. I think the capri 26 would’ve been a very fun boat!

[@Kmanc172]

Incredible! Insanely beautiful! Quite thee adventure! Going to have to put that lake on my list.

[@ruddyducksailing]

Definitely! get there if you can! Just be careful of underwater boulders and storms, I hear the place can get pretty gnarly.

[@genevievechateau8742]

Love this channel!!! Love you guys!!!

[@ruddyducksailing]

Love you too!!!

[@sailingyachtrocknroll8402]

Just amazing

[@ruddyducksailing]

Thanks. Definitely a beautiful place

[@doneddy2204]

Beautiful. I’m from this area and it can be magical. I’ve also had heavy winds whitecaps and struggles. You can also go to coulee city at far end which is a longer sail but beware of underwater cliffs Down there it’s a little spicy. Lots of safe anchorages at Grand Coulee end, not so much at Coulee city end. Thanks again your efforts show. If you return and see a 24’ Seaward come say hi.

[@ruddyducksailing]

Man what a cool lake. I wish I had more time to explore . Hopefully I can make it back someday and see the whole thing. I kinda expected big winds but it was very calm when I was there. I bet the wind really rips through there at times! I will keep an eye out for you if I make it back.

[@1966dc]

Nicely done! Been meaning to check out Banks Lake for many years but just haven't made it there. Mostly sail north Idaho and the Salish Sea in my Montgomery 17 CornDog. Keep up the good work.

[@ruddyducksailing]

Thank you. Banks lake was definitely worth the trip. I was debating visiting the San Juan’s this winter for some more camp cruising, I know the weather may be bad but also less people. Do you sail during the winter?

[@1966dc]

Don't generally sail in the winter. Other hobbies take over when it gets cold. Spring and fall are great times to hit the San Juans. Better winds and smaller crowds.

[@groundowl3098]

Hello. I have to say I am bitten by the small boat bug. I don't have one yet, but I'd like to say that I find this completely inspiring. Thanks for posting and keep on your adventure!

[@ruddyducksailing]

Yes I was definitely bitten! I am all in on small sailboat cruising and can’t wait for the next trip. Thanks for watching!!

[@gertboerman3666]

Again great episode. I wish that there would be spots in Holland where you could sail to like that and spend the night. Unfortunately, it's forbidden by law. Bummer. One has to go to a marina, use crowded pontoons or anchor far away from shore on our lakes. Anyway, the US still seems to be the land of the free. Bit of etymology now. My girlfriend's name is Karin. However, me and my friends call her "Drijfsijs". In English that could be "Floating Bird". As "Sijs" is bird in Dutch. In The Hague the locals say "Drijfsijs" referring to a duck. Logical, it's a bird and it floats. I have a feeling that "Ruddy" means something like "pushing" or "going for it". The last would apply to Karin as well.

[@ruddyducksailing]

Thank you. That’s a real bummer you can’t stay overnight on the beach. There are states here that have laws against that also but luckily I live in a more rural area that allows it still. Being on anchor is fine but there’s something special about stepping off the boat directly onto land. And thanks for the etymology lesson. Drijfsijs might also be a good boat name however I have no idea how to pronounce it. Thanks again !!

[@gertboerman3666]

@@ruddyducksailing Well. Just a couple of weeks ago the name "Drijfsijs" was given to a boat in Amsterdam and Karin felt honoured as the name was given to a boat destined to protect animals. ☺An animal-ambulance. Pronounciation: draifsais gets close. The "ij" dipthong is not used in Englis

[@gonesailing]

Thanks for sharing this beautiful location and your trailer sailor adventures . Being both a geologist and a new owner of a Montgomery 15 I look forward to adding this to a future sail and hike itinerary. Fair winds

[@ruddyducksailing]

My pleasure! Congrats on the Monty, they are beautiful boats. Banks lake was stunning and I was admiring the rock features but more from a beauty and climbing standpoint! It would be fun to know the geological history . Fair winds to you also.

[@gonesailing]

Thank you again. The Monty sure is 😅 all the best

[@jjoo6229]

Nice choice of drone music.

[@markkubiak8296]

Banks Lake is a beauty!

[@ruddyducksailing]

For sure! More than I imagined it would be. And crazy good weather for late October!

[@gailclauson976]

Outstanding video. What a beautiful location! You have such a knack at catching the essence of God through his creation. Thanks for sharing your gifts.

[@ruddyducksailing]

Thank you! The diverse beauty in this world is amazing to me and if earth is only a shadow of heaven… I’ll be speechless.

[@thelostcompass]

So peaceful watching this!! The hair…

[@ruddyducksailing]

Yes , very chill. Hey if I had a lost compass hat my hair wouldn’t be so terrible in the mornings 😂 lol

[@tg2466]

Bloody awesome photography, well done mate. Terry from down under

[@ruddyducksailing]

Thanks Terry! I appreciate that.

[@fjordproa6510]

Just perfect exactly what I prefer.👍

[@ruddyducksailing]

👍

[@ptb-texas6111]

The quality of your content looks professional. Any media training? Really liked this adventure to Banks. Have you come across the funtosail blog? It has a lot of PNW lake reviews especially Idaho

[@ruddyducksailing]

Wow thank you. No I don’t have any formal training at all. I’ve watched a couple KZbin videos but other than that I just try to be creative and produce a video that I would love to look back on in the future. I’ve heard of fun to sail but haven’t seen the blog, I’ll check it out. Thanks

[@akbadinage]

(I think this'll be my first ever comment on a youtube video) Your videos are becoming more and more helpful to my own trip planning. I'm here in Seattle with a little 16' sailboat similar to yours and have been working towards doing more multi day trips in similar settings. I've gone boat camping in Lake Cle Elum and Lake Kachess and actually had a Banks lake trip planned earlier this year which I had to cancel. But I'll definitely be studying your video closely before I go. What was the date of your trip? Looks a lot warmer then late october.

[@ruddyducksailing]

Well that’s awesome! Thanks for watching and commenting. Lake kachess and cle elum look amazing and I’ve wondered if people camp out there every time I go over the pass. Beautiful area. Believe it or not my banks lake trip was last weekend before the weather turned( October 20-22) I almost didn’t go this year also but was so glad I did.

[@akbadinage]

@@ruddyducksailing Sounds like Sep-oct and April-may may be the best months to do Banks lake then. Temperatures look comfy and a local acquaintance told me about the sudden and violent thunderstorms that can go rolling over the lake mid-summer. Something that has me very nervous in a slow-moving boat with a 25' metal rod attached. Lake Kachess and Cle Elum were both fun to explore. Kachess is better as there are several island to camp on, there are not very many areas along the shoreline of Cle Elum that are sheltered well for mooring at, except maybe the north end and only when the lake is full. Both lakes definitely have some 'gotcha's' for visiting with a boat that one needs to be aware of.

[@baot.5770]

Thanks for the great footages. Curious what drone you used.

[@ruddyducksailing]

I believe it is a mavic mini gen1. I think there was debris in the gimbal system during that flight cause it was acting up but still captured the beauty of the area.

[@liamstone3437]

Small boat: $1500. Sailing on a lake without Go@ Dam#$& motor boats: Priceless!

[@ruddyducksailing]

😂 Definitely special when you have the lake to yourself

[@squirrellysquirrels1167]

Still working on repairs on a 23' McGregor $500 and hard work makes it even better. Can't wait to see how different it is compared to my sunfish.

[@donh8168]

If you only knew how close to a long lost gold mine you were

[@ruddyducksailing]

Oh really? Darn I love finding hidden treasures. I might have to go back to check it out! Any hints on location

[@SCOTT-vm5nj]

Thanks for the nice video. I missed maybe, did you mention which chart you were using? Thanks

[@ruddyducksailing]

Thanks for watching. The chart is from Fish n Map Co. Obviously its made for fishing purposes but definitely shows where the dangers are and other features of interest. They make charts of the more popular lakes in our area.

[@johnirby493]

" Long canyon"? ain't you ever seen a fjord? 😄

[@ruddyducksailing]

lol 😂 It was definitely a cool place and wish I had more time to explore

[@floridasailor3732]

Nice. What kind of boat is that?

[@ruddyducksailing]

1970 Newport 16

[@JohnBraman413]

what boat you got?

[@ruddyducksailing]

It’s a 1970 Newport 16

[@damienmayne7205]

@@ruddyducksailing I recently purchased a 1970 Snapdragon 26, solid little big sailboat for a coaster.

[@TheKnoxcountry]

Awesome video! Excellent camera work. Do you accept donations/tips thru PayPal?

[@ruddyducksailing]

Thank you. I don’t have anything set up as of now but I’ll look into a PayPal donation account.

[@TheKnoxcountry]

Ok sounds good 👍

[@ruddyducksailing]

I think I successfully added a donation link via PayPal on our channel page. Thanks for the recommendation!!

[@TheKnoxcountry]

Great! We look forward to your videos!

[@ruddyducksailing]

Thank you so much for your donation! That is very generous and actually the only money this channel has ever made! We have put a lot of effort into our videos and it means a lot to us that you recognized that and helped us out! We will keep up the video production.Thank you again!!!

[@johnburgess5534]

Your drone shots emphasised just how insignificant man is in this natural habitat. Great video but I had to mute the background music. Thanks.

[@ruddyducksailing]

Insignificant yes, but also powerful! That whole lake was influenced by man via dams and pumps lifting water from the Colombia river to create that amazing environment! Pretty cool. And sorry about the music as I wanted to portray a western theme , I know it’s not for everybody. Thanks for watching!