AN INTRODUCTION TO LAKE OF THE WOODS SAILING CLUB

Lake of the Woods Sailing Club was formed in 1979 after a group of sailors decided it was time to have some fun and engage in organized racing and other sailing activities here at the Lake. The racing program, elementary at first, has evolved over the years to where today we enjoy quality racing using excellent equipment and race management. However, the club has as its charge much more than just racing. We promote the sport of sailing and do this through the many "Learn to Sail" clinics, boat shows, rigging parties, etc., and mix into our schedule, several summer fun events. In 2001, the LOWSC Junior Sailing Program was founded to teach interested youth to sail in a safe manner, and to have fun in the process with certified USSA sailing instructors.
We help sailors of all ages!

As with any established yacht or sailing club, the formation of one-design boats into fleets (of their respective national class associations) usually takes place. We have started along that path ourselves with the organizing several years ago of Flying Scot Fleet 160. In 2001, the Day Sailer Association chartered Fleet 133, "The Battlefield Fleet". The potential is there for other fleets to form with classes such as Capri 14.2 and Sunfish - both classes having numerous boats here at LOW. All it takes is one (or two) energetic person(s) to get it going.

Our yearly schedule begins with the Annual Meeting in January or February. A couple more meetings in February and March prepare us for staging our annual Invitational Regatta, usually held in late April. By then we have begun our own Spring Series (5 race days, 15 races) that concludes in June. A couple of fun events during the summer months brings us to the start of the Fall Series in September. For the Flying Scot members, the Fleet Championship is held around the middle of September. Our annual Awards Banquet is held in the middle of November when the sailing is pretty much over, but still fresh in our minds. During the winter months, we shift gears and head indoors for most of our clinics. Scattered throughout the sailing season are numerous regattas, large and small, close by and distant, which some of the more enthusiastic racers like to attend. To put it mildly, it is a full schedule if you avail yourself of every function.

Every sailor, or would be sailor, is invited to join LOWSC - whether you want to race or not. The non-racing agenda is growing each year and needs the support of those so inclined. For those who want to race, a handicap system, developed by the United States Sailing Association (USSA) is used. No matter what kind of boat you may own, we have a handicap number for you.

Dues are $25 per year for an individual boat owner or $30 for a family. For those who race, there is an additional $80 per year racing fee (or $8 per day) that is used to purchase trophies, gasoline, pistol blanks - all of the expenses incurred in racing. Additional funds are also raised through the sale of Club burgees (flags), shirts and hats.

If you want more information or would like to join, write to LOWSC, PO Box 1114, Lake of the Woods, VA 22508, or check-out this website (http://www.lowsc.org). You can also contact any member of the club including one of the officers listed here

Officers for 2006