Good evening friends, there is a slight possibility that my wife will be relocated to Minneapolis. We are vey exited as this move could mean a significant career jump for her. With that said I wanted to learn from any on the group about sailing in MN, how does marinas and yatch clubs work, what are the best lakes for regattas, for family cruising, camping... What is customary, mooring the boat or trailering every time. What are the expected marina fees? Do residential areas allow to par a sailboat on e yard. So on and on and on. In other words i am looking for any and all information regarding sailing in Minneapolis, St Paul, Minnetonka area.
Thank you in advanced for your feedback.
Happy and restful Labor day weekend.
Ps. I posted this message in the Hunter->smaller boats by mistake so i ported it on the broader forum.
There are more than 11,000 lakes and 2 good rivers to sail in MN so you'll have no trouble finding a good spot. You'll also find a wide range of prices and club amenities to pick from.
Lake Minnetonka, which is located just west of Minneapolis, is a large and very popular recreational lake. It has at least a dozen marinas, but it's also the most expensive place to keep a boat in MN. The more affordable marinas will run approx. $200 / foot LOA, but some of the more upscale clubs will run $15K+ / year.
The St. Croix and Mississippi rivers offer excellent sailing waters. Lake St. Croix is just east of St. Paul and will price out around $4K - $5K / year for a slip, but you can lease a spot in a mast-up lot with unlimited launch access for around $1K (includes outdoor winter storage). The St. Croix is also a very popular, high demand parcel of water with many bars, restaurants and marinas.
Lake Pepin on the Mississippi is a bit further out of town (about 90 minutes south of Minneapolis), but offers 24,000+ acres of good sailing water. Slips in your size range rent for around $2K - $3K / year. Lake City Marina is nice, but they charge a full year's dues as an initiation fee - that's enough to keep me away. Pepin, WI has Dan's Pepin Marina. Pepin, WI is about 5 miles south of Lake City. Rates there will be around $2K for your boat, but initiation is only $700. The clubhouse is definitely more modest at Dan's, so if that's a big consideration, you may be happier paying the price at Lake City...
There's also Lake Waconia, which is on the western edge of the metro - maybe a 45 minute drive from Minneapolis. Nice big lake that has at least one marina that leases sailboat buoys. A buoy there will run you $1.7K / year, but they offer pontoon service to and from the buoy. Parking can be a bear, though.
Prior lake is another option, although it's more known for power boating. Slips will run in the $3K - $4K range with an easy 40 minute drive southwest from Minneapolis,
White Bear Lake is another lake with an active sailing club. Slip fees will be around $3K / year. They have nice club facilities and restaurants, etc., but the lake level has been a point of contention for the past 5 years. The city used to regulate the lake depth but stopped doing so. Since they stopped, the lake depth has dropped several feet and the littoral area has also shrunken accordingly. It's now more like an 800 acre lake vs. a 900+ acre lake, but it's still a great one to sail.
There's always Lake Superior, which is around 2 hours N of Minneapolis. Slips are available for lease all over the lake - Duluth, MN and Bayfield, WI are two favorites for sailors. Rates at either will be in the $2K range. You can always trailer your boat to Bayfield and sail the Apostle Islands - it's an awesome weekend trip.
Last, you might be able to lease a buoy on one of the Minneapolis City lakes - Calhoun or Harriett would be the best for a 23 footer. Rates are only $500 / season for city residents, but there really are no services to speak of - they provide tender boats on a first come, first served basis. No storage, no clubhouse, etc. and roughly 300-400 acre lakes. They also don't allow gas motors or overnighting, which kind of takes the fun out of mooring a cruiser.
You can also rent a buoy on Medicine Lake for around $800, but again, the services are pretty non-existent. That said, Medicine Lake is a nice 500 acre lake right near the city limits, and you can run a gas motor and overnight. Harty's boat works is the only marina on Medicine Lake, and there are no restaurants. etc., but it's a nice place to play.
As you can see, there are a ton of options. Unless you live well outside of town on rural acreage, you can forget parking your boat in your yard or in the drive - most cities here prohibit that kind of thing. Just FYI, the sailing season in Minneapolis runs from around May 1 to October 15, give or take. So, the aforementioned fees are for a roughly 6 month season, not 12 like you're probably used to...
Good luck.
