To drive a car you don't necessarily have to know how the engine works and distinguish all of its intricate parts.

For the most part you buckle up, turn the key, shift into gear, press on the gas and off you go.

In a sailboat, however, you become a much greater function in order to harness the energy that propels you forward. With no wind you can get stuck out on the water, or with too much wind you might even capsize, that’s why it’s crucial to have a basic understanding of how a sailboat operates.

You can’t quite call him captain yet, but you can call him Skip. Skipper Asay, it’s got a nice ring to it.

David Asay of Superior, just wrapped up his first season of sailing on Flathead Lake along with his wife Liz. The two of them spent beautiful summer days shuttling along the lakeshores, anchoring at Wildhorse Island, and getting used to their “sea” legs, all while David was officially living out one of his lifelong dreams.

He shared, “For many years I have wanted to sail, I had only been on one twice in my life but immediately fell in love with the peaceful quiet with the sails full and the hull cutting through the waves. And after 30 years sitting in a noisy UPS truck, I did not want a boat where I had to listen to constant motor noise.”

The Asay’s bought their boat, a MacGregor26M last year. It has a retractable keel and rudders, a 70-horsepower motor and is 26 feet long. David said, “The boat was named Buen Viaja. Which means Bon voyage or Good voyage. We liked it so it stayed on the stern.”

“We bought our boat last fall and only put in the water twice, just enough to scare the crap out of us. Both Liz and I had more than a few sleepless nights last winter wondering what the heck we did and could we ever be sailors,” laughed David.

They eventually got on the waiting list for Dayton Yacht Marina on Flathead Lake and were fortunate to get a slip for the 2021 season due to Canadian boat owners being stranded behind the border.

But even though they bought a boat and found a spot in the marina, David still required some training to get it out on the water. He reasoned facetiously, “Sailing can be overwhelming at the beginning and no, you need no training to buy one. Any dumb ass can buy a sailboat.”

David ended up taking a two-day class with Go Sail Flathead Lake and received his certification in ASA 101, the first level of the American Sailing Association.

It is the first of three levels of certification that includes both in classroom learning and testing as well as hands on sailing. After completing ASA104 you can call yourself Captain, until then you are Skipper of your vessel.

David explained, “The hands-on sailing included maneuvers into and with the wind, extra emphasis on man overboard drills where the instructor throws a float over board and the crew has to turn the boat around and sail back to "rescue" the float, it's very challenging requiring several different sail sets.”

A large portion of the course focused on the correct terminology for the boat, sails, lines and sheets. There are close to 30 different terms all regarding the layout and operation of the sailboat boat. And that’s just the outside.

David remarked, “This became valuable when communicating with Liz while sailing. Much more specific to say "pull in the starboard Jib sheet” than "Grab the thingamajig by the whatchamacallit." Our boat takes two people to comfortably sail so knowing the correct terms really helps.”

Throughout the summer David and Liz spent numerous weekends on their sailboat, and at the marina. David recalled, “In my ASA101 book it said "you are not just buying a boat, you are joining a community." At first, I thought that was a bit corny but it turned out to be so true. We met dozens of wonderful people with good advice and best wishes on our new adventure.”

Each weekend David and Liz would voyage out for three or four nights at a time. He said, “Usually got there on Friday evening and stayed in our marina slip the first night heading out onto the lake in the morning. Depending on the weather we started to prefer nights out on the lake.”

In terms of living quarters for several days at a time the sailboat has a head, galley, and berths. David said, “The space is small but has all basic needs. Liz has organized the cabin and plans ahead for easy to cook meals. Most of our time is spent out in the cockpit, after three nights out we usually need to restock with ice, food, clean out any trash and empty the head, then we are ready to go back out.”

They always kept a close eye on the weather reports, because they learned that it is good to choose an anchorage on the leeward (downwind) side of land and not the windward side, for protection from the wind and less waves through the night. David noted, “We also used an Anchor App on our smartphone. Using GPS we set a perimeter on the app, if the boat goes out of that area an alarm sounds. Helps with a good night’s sleep with less worries.”

Flathead Lake has been known to have some of the finest sailing in the United States. With favorable wind conditions created by the surrounding mountainous landscape, reliable and consistent winds make for smooth sailing days. David remembered. “We were told if you are serious about sailing it's Flathead Lake or the Pacific.”

And he attested, “When you sail you are always at the mercy of the wind, it also determines which direction you can travel. A perfect day with north/northwest 10 to 20 mph wind is amazing and peaceful cutting through the waves healed over at 20 percent and the boat responding to maneuvers.”

They quickly learned that when winds were out of the south/southwest and gusting it was best to keep sails down and motor or stay tied up and simply go site seeing around the lake instead.

David claimed, “Then there are the days you can't find a puff of wind, time to put the motor down and explore under power, Flathead Lake is 28 miles long and 15 miles across with multiple islands and miles of shoreline. Eventually we will become experienced enough to sail in any weather but for now comfortable is good.”

One things Liz and David can speak to, “Sea legs are a real thing!” David reminisced, “After a few days onboard if I closed my eyes I just about fell over. One night the waves were very rough, I guess we had gotten used to it and slept just fine. The next day the weather was bad so we went to Bigfork to walk around and have dinner, neither one of us could walk straight, had a good laugh over our rubbery legs.”

And at the end of each passage David and Liz would recap their adventures and acknowledge their learning moments. David shared, “When we drive away headed for home, we feel good about what we did right and laugh about what we didn't. About half the way through the season we got the boat docked and tied up we looked at each other and realized we didn't yell at each other once all weekend, real progress.”

“That is the fun and challenge of sailing, always learning, It's not just turning the key and hitting the throttle,” exclaimed David.

As the summer slipped by filled with days on the water, the Asays also found new friends along the way.

“The walk from our boat at the end of the marina to the clubhouse always took extra-long, with someone always to talk to,” stated David. “We even got invited to sail in Mexico with new friends when we are there in February. The marina has gatherings with BBQs, live music and the occasional keg of beer. Cheapest lake house you'll ever buy.”

Their “lake house” is quite mobile, it can be trailered anywhere and easily launches at just about any boat ramp. David stated, “It could be called a hybrid as it can convert from sailboat to motorboat in 20 minutes, very convenient when there is not enough or too much wind or when a storm is coming in and you need to get in fast.”

The Mac also has a full cabin and can sleep up to six people, although it can get a bit cramped. He mentioned, “It could be called a camper with sails. We watch the weather forecast closely and if it is favorable, we find a cove or bay, drop anchor and spend the night. Still much nicer than fighting for a RV spot on shore.”

Because their boat is trailerable they have plans to try it out on other lakes someday. But most of all David said, “It has always been a dream of mine to sail big water. On my trips to Mexico, I sit on the beach and watch the sailboats come in and anchor. At this point in my life not sure that will happen….but maybe?”

Flathead Lake’s water level is controlled by the Kerr Dam near Polson. Because of this David stated, “We have to wait until the lake level comes up and pull out when the lake is drawn down. We got in around June 10 and out September 15. Kind of a short season but such is summer in Montana. We had a great season in our "lake house" is was sad to pull it out but really felt we made the most of our summer on the water.”

When they weren’t on their floating camper, David and Liz took their camper with wheels around Montana as well. During the off season they still have much to look forward to. David said, “In the fall, like everyone we are cleaning up, putting away and getting ready for winter. Then off to Mexico in February for our winter vacation.”

For the novice looking to get their ears wet in the sailing world David had a few pieces of advice.

“I just dove in and bought a boat; it's working out but I would suggest go to Go Sail Flathead Lake and take the ASA 101 first. You can even rent a boat by the day after getting certified.”

There are hundreds of different types and sizes of boats, so take your time and decide what is best for you.

He expressed, “Lucky for us we both are bit by the sailing bug but it would be bad if you dove in and spent a lot to find out it's not for you.”

Lastly, he quipped, “Another of the summers tips is the acronym, B.O.A.T. It means; Break Out Another Thousand. Nothing about boating is cheap.”