Middle and High School Sailing
LMSS is the home club for four local high school and middle school sailing teams: 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.
2026 Middle & High School Sailing Calendar
For iCal users, copy this address:
https://calendar.google.com/calendar/ical/c_84dfb812b4640d7c1c3b102e26c4485dd8c6f4b7bf960e5f2c3cecd7ade10009%40group.calendar.google.com/public/basic.ics
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.
Spring 2026
Spring 2026 PRACTICES
On The Water Practice:
Tuesday/Wednesday/Thursday from 3:15 to 6:45pm (required practice)
March 3rd is the first official practice - dryland
On water practices will begin as soon as there is open water
Dryland practices will be conducted at Peak Performance and FAST Athletics in Minnetonka. More info coming soon!
May 28th is the last on water practice
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.
Drysuits will be required until the coaching staff determines conditions are safe to sail without them.
**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 2026 REGATTAS
Tier 1 Regattas - Championships/District Qualifiers (most difficult, 9th-12th only)
April 25-26: MISSA Baker Qualifier (Team Racing) @ Hoover Sailing Club, Ohio
May 2-3: MISSA Mallory Qualifier (Fleet Racing) @ LMSS
May 16-17:
*Baker Team Race National Championship @ Christchurch, Virginia
*National Invitation Tournament @ Quincy, Massachusetts
May 30-31:
*Mallory Nationals @ Southern Yacht Club, New Orleans, LA
*Phoebe King Invitational @ Annapolis Yacht Club, MD
Tier 2 Regattas - League Qualifiers (9th-12th only)
April 11-12: Northwest Baker / Mallory Combined Pre-Qualifier @ Sheboygan Youth Sailing Center
Tier 3 Regattas - Open/Promotional/Other Regattas (7th-12th only)
April 18: MSS Conference Regatta #1 @ Wayzata
April 25: MSS Conference Regatta #2 @ Minneapolis Sailing Center
April 25-26: May Madness @ Nagawicka, hosted by Pewaukee Lake Sailing School
May 2: MSS Conference Regatta #3 @ White Bear Sailing School
May 9: LMSS Team Race @ LMSS
May 16-17: Minnesota State Championship @ Minneapolis Sailing Center
*Indicates qualification required to attend regatta.
Fall 2026
Fall 2026 PRACTICES
On The Water Practice:
Tuesday/Wednesday/Thursday from 3:15 to 6:45pm (required practice)
September 1st is the first official practice.
November 5th 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 2026 REGATTAS
Tier 1 Regattas - Championships/District Qualifiers (most difficult, 9th-12th only)
September TBD: MISSA Singlehanded Championship aka “Cressy Qualifier” @ TBD
September TBD: MISSA Girls Championship aka “Girl’s Nationals Qualifier” @ TBD
October TBD: MISSA West Great Oaks Qualifier @ TBD
October TBD: *Girls National Invitational aka “Girls Nationals” @ Mission Bay Yacht Club, San Diego, CA
October TBD:
*Great Lakes Championship @ Chicago Yacht Club, IL
*Shepherd Championship @ Columbia Yacht Club, IL
November TBD:
*Cressy Singlehanded National Championship @ TBD
MISSA Keelboat Championship aka “Keelboat Quals” @ TBD
November TBD: *Atlantic Coast Championship @ TBD
November TBD:
*Great Oaks National Invitational @ TBD
*ISSA Keelboat National Invitational @ TBD
January TBD: Rose Bowl @ Long Beach, CA
Tier 2 Regattas - League Qualifiers/State Championships (9th-12th only)
September 12: MN State Singlehanded Championship @ Wayzata Sailing (ILCA/Laser)
September 26-27: North West Great Lakes Qualifier @ TBD
Tier 3 Regattas - Open/Promotional/Other Regattas (7th-12th only)
September 19: MSS Conference Regatta #1 @ LMSS
October 3: MSS #2 Ensign Keelboat Regatta @ Minneapolis Sailing Center
October 10-11: Art Johnson 3 @ White Bear Sailing School
October TBD: Dusty Waters @ TBD
October 24: MSS #3 Halloween Regatta @ Minneapolis Sailing Center
*Indicates qualification required to attend regatta.
