Middle and High School Sailing
LMSS is the home club for four local high school and middle school sailing teams, those being Minnetonka, Blake, Breck, and Eden Prairie. With practices and regattas tailored to various levels of experience and competition for sailors grades 7-12, this popular after-school activity is the perfect way to extend sailing beyond the summer, make new friends, and travel the country.
LMSS high school sailing teams strive to be the best in the country, which means that our coaching staff and sailors expect excellence and a strong work ethic from all participants. Unless an individual is highly motivated to improve, we highly encourage beginner sailors with a desire to sail in the spring/fall to join our Spring/Fall 420 Rec class.
Fees for high school sailing cover coaching, use of LMSS boats and sails, and supported participation in local and travel regattas. LMSS fees do not cover regatta or travel costs, or additional school athletic fees.
Conference and Varsity Regattas
During both spring and fall seasons, sailors can participate in many local and regional regattas at two different levels.
Conference Regattas take place on Saturdays (and some Sundays) in various Twin Cities locations and are open to grade levels 7-12.
Varsity Regattas are two-day regional and national events limited to high school sailors. Rosters are determined by LMSS coaching staff.
Regatta Classifications:
Scholastic sailing regattas fall into one of three categories:
Tier 3: Low-pressure events (open to grades 7-12 and mixed teams*) (i.e.“conference regattas”). Many tier 3 regattas in MN are in the Minnesota Scholastic Sailing League (MSS).
Tier 2: Qualifiers for regional championships and national invitationals (grades 9-12 only)
Tier 1: District championships and qualifiers for national championships (grades 9-12, no mixed teams)
*A “mixed team” is a team of sailors from 2 or more schools.
Middle & High School Sailing Calendar
Fall 2025 PRACTICES
On The Water Practice:
Tuesday/Wednesday/Thursday from 3:15 to 6:45pm (required practice)
August 2nd is the first official practice.
November 6th is the last official practice.
The last week of practice may include sailing, or might be putting boats away. It’s all dependent on weather.
Optional practices may be added on Mondays, Fridays, or weekends at the discretion of the coaching staff.
High school sailors are expected to arrive by 3:15pm (exceptions for reasonable transportation delays)
Middle school sailors should arrive as soon as possible after school. Middle schoolers typically arrive between 3:45pm and 4:30pm.
**Cancellation policy: we do not cancel practice unless absolutely necessary. In the event of bad weather, we will have chalk talks inside the Minnetonka Yacht Club building on Lighthouse Island, at the Minnetonka High School, or virtually via Zoom.
Fall 2025 REGATTAS
Tier 1 Regattas - Championships/District Qualifiers (most difficult, 9th-12th only)
September 13-14: MISSA Singlehanded Championship aka “Cressy Qualifier” @ Macatawa Bay Yacht Club, Holland, MI (ILCA/Laser)
September 20-21: MISSA Girls Championship aka “Girl’s Nationals Qualifier” @ Lake Minnetonka Sailing School
October 4-5: MISSA West Great Oaks Qualifier @ Sheridan Shore Sailing School, Wilmette, IL
October 18-19: *Girls National Invitational aka “Girls Nationals” @ Mission Bay Yacht Club, San Diego, CA
October 25-26:
*Great Lakes Championship @ Chicago Yacht Club, IL
*Shepherd Championship @ Columbia Yacht Club, IL
November 1-2:
*Cressy Singlehanded National Championship @ Old Dominion University, VA
MISSA Keelboat Championship aka “Keelboat Quals” @ Chicago Yacht Club - Belmont, IL
November 8-9: *Atlantic Coast Championship @ St. Mary’s College of Maryland
November 22-23:
*Great Oaks National Invitational @ Southern Yacht Club, NOLA
*ISSA Keelboat National Invitational @ St. Petersburg Yacht Club, FL
January 3-4: Rose Bowl @ Long Beach, CA
Tier 2 Regattas - League Qualifiers/State Championships (9th-12th only)
September 6: MN State Singlehanded Championship @ Wayzata Sailing (ILCA/Laser)
September 27-28: North West Great Lakes Qualifier @ Wayzata Sailing
Tier 3 Regattas - Open/Promotional/Other Regattas (7th-12th only)
September 13: MSS Conference Regatta #1 @ White Bear Sailing School
September 27: MSS #2 @ Minneapolis Sailing Center (Ensign Keelboats)
October 4: MSS Conference Regatta #3 @ Minneapolis Sailing Center
October 4-5: Dusty Waters @ Nagawicka, hosted by Pewaukee (ILCA/420)
October 18-19: Art Johnson @ White Bear Sailing School
*Indicates qualification required to attend regatta.
General Info
Practice & Regatta Expectations
100% effort 100% of the time.
Sailors: If you are signed up for high school sailing, you are expected to attend ALL PRACTICES and sign up for ALL REGATTAS for which you are eligible.
Sailors who need to miss or arrive late to a practice or regatta will need written approval from Coach Samuel. Text or email is preferred. Failing to do this may affect roster decisions, sailing time at practice, and a sailor’s ability to earn a varsity letter.
Daily Practice Schedule
Location: Lighthouse Island (LHI). Pontoon shuttles will ferry sailors to and from the Park Avenue Parking Lot. The address in Apple maps is “Deephaven Beach 19405 Park Ave Wayzata, MN 55391.”
3:15pm: Pontoon shuttles from Park Avenue dock to Lighthouse Island begin
ALL SAILORS ARE REQUIRED TO WEAR LIFEJACKETS ON SHUTTLES AND DOCKS
3:30pm: Rigged and ready to sail (fully dressed and stretched out)
3:35pm: Briefing
3:50pm: Go Sailing
Begin with a warmup drill and then 2-4 drills in small or large groups
6:05pm: Derig and change clothes
6:30pm: Debrief
6:45pm: Pontoon shuttle drop off at Park Avenue dock
**Note: If you ever need a pontoon shuttle outside of normal pick up/drop off times, please text/call one or more of the coaches and/or one of your teammates to ask for a shuttle.**
Team Communication
The Sailing Team Parent Organization (STPO) Communications Coordinator, Jillian McGary, and Coach Samuel will send out a weekly email update on Sunday night or Monday morning. Not receiving these emails? Please reach out to Samuel to be added to the email list.
Slack is the primary form of communication for all high school sailors and parents. It is where updates about practice, carpooling, team social events, etc. will be posted and updated frequently. An invite will be sent to all registered sailors and parents to join the Slack platform. To receive updates, you will need to download the Slack app on your smartphone and/or computer. Make sure that you turn on notifications for Slack. If you have any questions about your “invite”, navigating Slack, or if you are not receiving communications, contact the Communications Coordinator (jillian.putnam@gmail.com) and Coach Samuel (race@lmss.us).
Email is the secondary form of communication for all high school sailors and parents.
Coach Samuel is your primary contact for all things related to high school/middle school sailing. Email (race@lmss.us), text (952-250-8378), or call Samuel anytime with questions, comments, or concerns.
For iCal users, copy this address:
https://calendar.google.com/calendar/ical/c_84dfb812b4640d7c1c3b102e26c4485dd8c6f4b7bf960e5f2c3cecd7ade10009%40group.calendar.google.com/public/basic.ics
