Welcome to Lake Calhoun Sailing School

Affordable, Convenient Sailing and Racing Lessons for All Ages and Abilities

The time has come to experience the fun and excitement of sailing on beautiful Lake Calhoun in the heart of Minneapolis, MN. The Lake Calhoun Sailing School (LCSS), founded in 1989, has grown to one of the largest and most diverse schools in the Midwest, offering classes for all ages and levels of experience, from age 4 to adult and from beginning sailing to advanced racing. The school maintains a fleet of 50 Optimist and Club 420 sailboats and employs an enthusiastic staff of qualified instructors, many of whom have extensive racing experience. Explore the course offerings, and contact the school if you have any questions. We'd love to have you join us this summer.

Choosing a Class

The first step is to consider the age, skill level, and interests of the student. The school uses the following age brackets: 4-6, 7-11, 11-18 years old, and adults. Three levels of instruction - beginning, intermediate, and racing - are taught in Optimist dinghies and Club 420 sailboats. The following class overview chart will help you choose:

Information about the registration process as well as downloadable registration forms are located on the Registration page.

News / Bulletins

2009 Schedule now online
Look for a Sailing or Racing class on the left or above, and sign up under Registration.

New Course: "Basic Keelboat for Adults"
This will be a course that is designed to familiarize students with a 24 ft keelboat. Subjects covered will include rigging the boat, basic boathandling, landing and leaving from a buoy and dock. This course will be best suited to those with some sailing knowledge or experience. The course will not include certification for boat chartering. The course is in the planning stage; dates, times, and costs to be determined. Please let us know if you are interested. Call or e-mail Larry Salzman at 612-927-8552.

Sailing School T-Shirts
Order your sailing school t-shirt along with your registration or by itself (2nd page of the registration form).

2009 Twin Cities Youth Sailing Regattas

This summer, we want to promote student participation in the Twin Cities Youth Sailing (TCYS) regattas on Fridays-see schedule below. This is a series of very popular regattas that is sposored by several other sailing programs in the area: White Bear, Minnetonka, Wayzata, Lake Harriet, St. Croix, and Calhoun.

Participants spend the day on other lakes under the supervision of parents and an LCSS coach. If wind and weather permit, there will be five or six short races with participants placed in groups that fit their age and skill level. We are able to provide boats for participants and transport them to the events. Regattas generally last from 8:30 until 3:30. Lunches are provided and awards will be presented. This is an exciting opportunity to meet and sail with other sailors in a fun environment.

Information: Chris Boylan 651-295-1375; Larry Salzman 612-927-8552

Further information about the Twin Cities Youth Sailing (TCYS) regattas including race results can be found at www.youthsailing.org.