SAILBOAT RACING

Minneapolis Sailing Center Members of all ages are invited to participate in the weekly races on Bde Maka Ska. We hope to grow the amount of sailboat racing happening on our lake by encouraging new and experienced sailors to join a race and have some fun!  

If you are new to racing and want to learn, come down on a Wednesday evening at 5:00 PM and hop on as a crew. Members can sign up to be Crew by selecting the “ENSIGN CREW” on the MSC Race Sign Up page.

RACING Tutorial VIDEOS

Rules of the Road: Sail vs. Sail
Rules of the Road: The Race Course
Wednesday Night Race Sign-Up Tutorial

SCHEDULE

The 2024 Racing season starts on May 29th and runs through mid-September. Plan to arrive at least 30 minutes before the start of the race to get rigged and ready. The basic schedule for sailboat races is as follows. 

Wednesday Nights - Please register for Wednesday night races by clicking here

• Racers should arrive no later than 5:30 pm to check in and rig their boats.  

• C Scow races start at 6:00 pm followed by the Ensigns, then Lasers and 420s together.  

• We aim to sail two races on Wednesday nights.

Summer Regatta

• We will host a mid-summer regatta followed by food and socializing. Stay tuned for more info!

Race course

The race course for Wednesday night races is shown below. Races are typically two laps but sometimes will be reduced to one lap if needed. The start order is typically C Scows first, followed by Ensigns, then 420s/Lasers together.

MSC runs separate start and finish lines on either side of the judge’s boat. This helps us keep the races rolling along without having to wait for other fleets to finish. The start and finish lines are closed when you are not starting or finishing which means you need to sail around them on your downwind and upwind legs if you aren’t starting or finishing.

IMPORTANT: Please stay clear of the start and finish areas when your fleet is not starting or finishing. If your fleet is not currently starting stay away from the start line. Similarly, once you have crossed the finish line, steer clear of any boats that are starting and be sure not to impede anyone still racing.

Volunteer Judges and Safety Boat drivers Needed

To help safely run the races, we need volunteers who can operate a motorboat or who want to learn how to be a Race Official. The current Race Committee has offered to run free clinics on how to run a race and bring Members on board during actual races to gain experience. This is a great way to get involved and learn more about racing! To sign up, email us at info@sailmpls.org. Here is a link to a document on how to run races at MSC. Here is a link to the “Fleet Captain” job description.

history of racing on bde maka ska

To view a collection of the history of the Calhoun Yacht Club (now Minneapolis Sailing Center), including beautiful photos of old sailboats, check out the MN Digital Collections Library and the Hennepin County Library Archives.

The Calhoun Yacht Club, as it was known until 2020, was organized by eighteen charter members on August 10, 1901. The purpose of the club was to promote yacht racing, iceboating, canoe racing, tennis, and social events.

By the end of that first year, the club had eighty-five members and was incorporated under the laws of the state. Club headquarters were situated in the Long Meadow Hotel, located on the north shore and west of where the Lake Street bridge is now.

Sailboats were gathered and organized into the early fleet of 25 boats which consisted of an Open Class, Swallows, Snipe, and National Class boats. At this time, the longstanding C Class sailboats had not yet been designed.

The Open Class races were sailed on a handicap basis, and the time allowance was calculated using sail area and waterline measurements.

In order to participate in sailing during the winter months, 30 hearty sailors formed the first iceboat fleet on Bde Maka Ska. During the summer months, races were held on both Saturday and Sunday. A runner-mounted warming house was pushed out on the ice for participants.

Around this period of time, double tennis courts were built on Knox Avenue and 31st. Street for club competitions and open tournaments.

Several classes raced over the years, including the famous 32-foot B-Boats which were early one-design yachts and appeared in 1903. In 1911, to celebrate the creation of the chain of lakes, CYC hosted the first Trilakes Regatta between MYC, WBYC, and CYC.

The Calhoun Yacht Club raced 28-foot E Scows until the late 1960s, along with 20-foot C Scows and D Scows, 16-foot X Boats 16-foot M-16 Scows. The still-active C Scow fleet began racing on Bde Maka Ska in about 1923.

Due to the popularity of sailing and an interest in serving the community, several CYC members formed the Lake Calhoun Sailing School in 1989 (now the Minneapolis Sailing Center.) The Minneapolis Sailing Center grew from a small program with just a handful of boats to the vibrant sailing community it is today. In 2020, the Calhoun Yacht Club voted to become part of the Minneapolis Sailing Center.

Currently, the racing on Bde Maka Ska operates out of the Sailors’ Boathouse on the east shore of the lake, located close to the main dock in the northeast corner of Bde Maka Ska. The fleets consist of C, Laser, 420, Optimist, and Ensign Classes. The club meets for races on Wednesdays at 6:00 p.m.

CYC hosted the annual Aquatennial Regatta beginning in 1941, along with several other annual regattas on Bde Maka Ska, inviting sailors from area lakes to bring their boats ranging from RC sailboats to 20-foot C’s.

Minneapolis Sailing Center is a member of the Inland Lake Yachting Association, the United States Yacht Racing Union, the U.S. Laser Sailing Association, and the Inter-Lake Yachting Association.