Sail with LMSS in 2021

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Join us! The Sail with LMSS Membership is for sailors with prior experience looking to improve their skills, weekday evenings and Saturday afternoons.

Schedule:

  • June 7 – August 27
  • Monday – Friday from 5pm – 8pm, Saturday 1pm – 5pm

Enjoy unlimited access to LMSS sailboats: Pram, Hartley and Club 420s, plus a two-hour lesson, Monday night small group “chalk talks” by accredited guest sailors and access to LMSS island facilities. Bring one friend or family member for free every time you sail!

LIMITED TIME ONLY! Save $100 off 2021 membership fees now through December 31, 2020. Learn more and register today!

LMSS Fall Team Racing

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LMSS is offering a Fall Team Race Series on Monday nights. This series is open to sailors of any age range (including students and adults) interested in competitive team racing in the 420. Create your team of six (three skippers and three crew) and sign up for one round-robin of racing.

Teams are reserved by paying a $60 entry fee for each Monday night event. Space is available on a first-come, first-served basis. Fees are refundable if races are cancelled due to storms and/or no breeze. Sailors will be responsible for distributing team fees ($10/sailor). 

All participants must complete an LMSS waiver to be eligible to race. Capacity is limited to six teams per night. Team arrivals will be staggered to coincide with flight times. The first racing flight starts at 4:30pm; no flight will start after 7pm.

Click on a date for team registration: September 21, September 28, October 5 and October 12.

NEW Learn to Sail Classes for Fall 2020

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Looking for an introduction to the sport of sailing? LMSS is offering an abbreviated learn-to-sail class for students in grades 6-8 and 9-12. These sessions are not affiliated with middle and high school sailing. The class capacity will be limited to 10 sailors. Register today.

Recreational Sailing Grades 6 – 8
Double-handed Hartley 12 Sailboat
Tuesday – Friday, 4:30pm – 7pm 
Cost: $195*
 Session 01 – Sept 7 – 10 (Tu – Th *$145)
Session 02 – Sept 14 – 18
Session 03 – Sept 21 – 25
Session 04 – Sept 29 – Oct 2		Recreational Sailing Grades 9 – 12
Double-handed 420 Sailboat
Tuesday – Friday, 4:00pm – 6:30pm 
Cost: $195*
Session 01 – Sept 7 – 10 (Tu – Th *$145)
Session 02 – Sept 14 – 18
Session 03 – Sept 21 – 25
Session 04 – Sept 29 – Oct 2

LMSS 2020 Pop-Up Fundraiser

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It’s time for our annual fundraiser!! With significant budget impact due to COVID-19, this year’s fundraising is more critical than ever. For nearly 50 years, LMSS has provided outstanding training, and an engaging camp experience for sailors on Lighthouse Island. We’ve hosted students of all ages and abilities – from beginners to competitive sailors, training them to achieve their goals as individuals and teammates, all while emphasizing safety and skill development for a lifetime of sailing. LMSS is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. 

As we are unable to provide an in-person event, we’ve come up with creative ways to support our organization virtually, “popping-up” now through Saturday, August 8:

  • Buy a Raffle Ticket for prizes ranging from restaurant gift certificates, stock the cellar items, or win half the jackpot! Drawings on Saturday, August 8 [purchase now]
  • Bid Online in the Auction August 1-8 for exciting items like sailing gear, jewelry, and personal services and treatments [preview items]
  • Suds for Sailors Boat Wash – secure a spot to have your boat cleaned by LMSS sailors at Minnetonka Yacht Club 11AM-1PM, Saturday, August 8 [secure a spot via ticket]
  • Join Us! We’ll be live on Facebook Saturday, August 8
  • Sponsor a Sailor – support a student who has set a goal to fundraise direct from friends and family [find a student]

Thank you! Your contributions this year will ensure our sailing community can sustain and thrive in these ever-changing circumstances, now and for years to come.

LMSS 2020 Singlehanded Invitational

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Join us! The LMSS Singlehanded Invitational Regatta, our first racing event of the summer, will be held August 5-7! Safety is our top priority at this this event, and the format has been updated accordingly:

  • Singlehanded Laser fleets race the mornings of August 5-7
  • Singlehanded Opti fleet will race the afternoons of August 6-7
  • Fleets will have staggered start times to limit interactions between sailors, staff and coaches

Please visit Clubspot for more information and to register.

2020 Season Update

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Thank you for your patience as we’ve navigated what is permissible for our classes the past several weeks. At this time, our plan going forward for the remainder of the summer is as follows below. Should this status change in the future, we will announce plans two weeks prior to the start of a new session.

Remainder of Season Offerings

LMSS will continue to operate single-handed, and select multi-household double-handed sailing to ensure social distancing measures can be met by all participants. For the remainder of the summer, we are able to operate the following as permitted by state and local government:

  • Opti Race Team and Opti Learn to Race
  • Recreational Camp, age 7-9 and 10-12
  • Laser Race Team
  • X Boat Race Team (multi-household)
  • Sail with LMSS Membership (multi-household)
  • Keelboat Sailing (solo, or family/household only at this time)

At this time all recreational camps are full. Capacity limits continue to dictate adjustments to class sizes and sessions. Classes are formed on a first-come, first-served basis, based on date of registration. If your registration is impacted, we will contact you, and thank you for your patience.

Class Cancellations

Some classes continue to be impacted due to state regulation, and/or concern for adherence to social distancing measures. We continue to be unable to provide the following:

New students! If you have not done so already, please take a moment to become familiar with the LMSS COVID-19 Resource Page detailing our LMSS Safety Policy, and the many details surrounding our sailing season. Please note, all participants are required to complete an electronic waiver prior to day one of your session.**

Sign Up for LMSS Text Alerts

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Once again this summer, LMSS will offer text alerts should we need to contact you in a timely manner (e.g. time-sensitive info, weather updates or cancellations).

To subscribe, text 22999 with the following keyword as the message: 

  • Keyword: LMSSCAMP for all daytime Recreational Camps: ages 7-9, 10-12
  • Keyword: LMSSRACE for Opti, Laser and X-Boat Learn to Race & Race Teams
  • Keyword: LMSS for evening Sail with LMSS and Keelboat Lessons

LMSS Summer 2020: Current Update

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As announced last week, Lake Minnetonka Sailing School will open June 15 for the summer season, though some offerings will be affected by current state guidelines.

Following is our plan for classes taking place June 15 – June 26. Class offerings beginning after June 26 will be announced two weeks prior to start date.

To recap, LMSS will operate single-handed, and family-only sailing classes to ensure social distancing measures can be met by all sailors. Beginning June 15, we are able to operate:

  • Opti Race Team and Opti Learn to Race
  • Recreational Camp, age 7-9 and 10-12
  • Laser Race Team
  • X Boat Race Team (family only)
  • Sail with LMSS Membership (family only)
  • Keelboat Sailing (solo or family only)

In some cases, capacity limits may dictate adjustments to class sizes and sessions, in which case we will contact you for any class taking place between June 15 – 26. Thank you for your patience. 

Class Cancelations June 15 – 26

Due to state regulation, and/or concern for adherence to social distancing measures, we are unable to provide the following at the onset of the season (June 15 – June 26). Should this status change, we will announce plans two weeks prior to the start of new classes.

  • 420 Race Team and 420 Learn to Race
  • Recreational Camp, age 13-16
  • Little Skippers
  • X Boat Race (modified to a family-only class)

Affected participants of the above classes were emailed Friday, May 29 which included a survey feedback link to choose an option, either an alternate course selection, or refund options. If you did not see this email, please check your junk folder, and/or contact us.

Be sure to follow us on social media and subscribe to LMSS newsletters for the latest updates.

LMSS May Update

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Last week we received what we find to be promising news from Governor Tim Walz regarding the upcoming sailing season. There’s no doubt this summer will look and feel different from usual. As we digest how the most recent order impacts the sailing community, we want to keep you informed regarding our programs and how we plan to adapt operations this summer.

What remains unchanged is our commitment to the safety of our sailors, staff and community, which has, and will always be our top priority.

We hope to see you soon!

LMSS Safety Policy Update

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As we await governance on the upcoming summer sailing season, we want to keep you informed of any updates regarding our programs and how we plan to adapt operations at LMSS this summer. LMSS has redesigned all of our activities with a focus on structured social distancing, hygiene and sanitization, and personal protection. As always, the safety of our sailors, staff and community remains our top priority. In addition, we have partnered with the Minnetonka Yacht Club (MYC) to limit the number of people on Lighthouse Island.

We’ve drafted an LMSS Updated Safety Policy, based on recommendations from local and national government authorities, and our peer associations and partners. This summer, our sailing community will be seeing changes including:

  • Six-foot radius delineation created for shuttle docks, pontoon shuttles and all on-island activities including chalk talk instruction
  • Minimized touch points on all LMSS facilities including dock areas, transportation, equipment and surfaces
  • Hand washing and hand sanitizing stations added at shuttle pick-up and drop-off points as well as throughout the island
  • Buff or similar facial protection required for indoor common spaces and anytime a sailor is within a six-foot radius of another person
  • Further advanced notice of class cancellation due to impending inclement weather
  • Advanced training for all LMSS staff on CDC and Minnesota Department of Health guidelines as well as LMSS COVID-safe coaching requirements

With all the above mitigations in place, each sailor, parent and instructor play a critical role. Please review our LMSS Updated Safety Policy, which will continuously be reinforced and shared with participants for adherence prior to the start of each session.

Registration is still open! Thanks to all who have committed to keeping your registration intact at this time. We have not yet canceled or modified any sessions at this time, and will alert you if and when that happens in the weeks prior to affected dates (see our updated refund policy). To review options and register, please visit our home page.

We hope to see you soon!