Irrigation Canals

choco42 · Joined: 03 Jun 2009 Posts: 3

Has anyone sailed(if your allowed) the irrigation canals in California?they look like a great speed run.

jimwilkins · Joined: 08 Feb 2008 Posts: 70

everyone make a note now, this is the dude that will clog all of so-cals water along with his rig when he gets sucked into the intake..

wyattmiller · Joined: 23 Jan 2008 Posts: 651

Ohhhh dude the old Irrigation Canal Speed Challenge of '82......

I'm pretty sure Brad Duffy won it.

Beet out Matt Prichard in the Final. But he was only 14.

Ahhh how I'd love to get back to the 80's

choco42 · Joined: 03 Jun 2009 Posts: 3

wyattmiller · Joined: 23 Jan 2008 Posts: 651

No No I was just joking. THe canals are not even very wide and the water is kinda below the concrete line most of the time so I am not sure the wind would be direct.

Choco42 are you danny from choco fins??

johnl · Joined: 05 Jun 1994 Posts: 1330 Location: Hood River OR

Another thing that most don't realize is that the canals have a current in them and concrete walls (that are pretty slick). So once you get in, getting out may be a problem.

windoggi · Joined: 22 Feb 2002 Posts: 2743

In my distant youth, we would waterski behind pickup trucks in the small canals around Merced. (carefully)

DanWeiss · Joined: 24 Jun 2008 Posts: 2296 Location: Connecticut, USA

swchandler · Joined: 08 Nov 1993 Posts: 10588

It's my thought that the irrigation canals that you've depicted in the picture are very likely part of the California aqueduct system. If that's the case, I doubt seriously that anyone would be permitted access for any kind of watersports. It's my guess that the fine for even entering the boundaries of the aqueduct would be very stiff.

Just off Interstate 5, on Highway 138, one of the aqueducts empties into a reasonable sized reservoir. Every time that I've driven past there on my way to Mammoth, the wind is howling north to south with lots of whitecaps, even though the fetch is pretty short (the reservoir is somewhat narrow, but covers a good sized area west to east). Looks like an awesome flat water speed sailing site, but I have to say that the whole area is fenced off with chain linked fence (I can't remember if the top of the fence includes a canted barbed wire portion). Still though, I'm guessing that an unauthorized intrusion would prove to be very costly. I have little doubt that if they opened the area up for windsurfing, the state of California would definitely benefit from the fees for entry.

jp5 · Joined: 19 May 1998 Posts: 3394 Location: OnUr6