Lake Minnetonka serves as an outdoor classroom for those interested in sailing. On this day, adults take their turn learning the ropes, which can bring a lifetime of recreation and enjoyment. Photos: Chris Emeott
Wayzata Sailing proves it’s never too late to start a new adventure.
Ask anyone involved in Wayzata Sailing, the longtime community sailing center on the shores of Lake Minnetonka, and they’ll be quick to mention something really, really important to them: Sailing should be accessible and affordable for anyone who wants to try it. “We’re about access, adventure, lifelong education and a primary pathway to sailing,” says executive director Matthew Thompson. “That’s a little different from a typical sailing school or yacht club. We’re much more ‘lens out’ toward the community.”
Wayzata Sailing first grew, organically, as part of the Wayzata Yacht Club. (The two organizations still share their shoreline property.) To create a pipeline to help new sailors work up to racing with the yacht club, Wayzata Sailing started offering lessons and formal instruction. “A lot of people’s first experience with sailing is jumping on a boat and learning how to race,” Thompson says. “Our goal is to give people a base of understanding and empower them to sail themselves.”
“Our goal is to give people a base of understanding and empower them to sail themselves,” says executive director Matthew Thompson.
Sailor Ann Vidoloff says Wayzata Sailing’s adult lessons are a hidden gem. She’d tried sailing more than 20 years ago and loved it, but then “life happened,” she says. A few years ago—in her 50s—she took the plunge with lessons and hasn’t looked back. “It’s a great way to meet other people interested in sailing and a great way to sail without the pressure of learning in the middle of a race,” Vidoloff says.
Wayzata Sailing offers small-group adult lessons based on U.S. Sailing’s keelboat curriculum. Level 1 focuses on basics, like rigging and steering; level 2 adds points of sail, departure and docking; and level 3 builds on anchoring, navigation and more. Students run the gamut from casual sailors, who just want to spend time on the lake, to folks like Vidoloff, who completed keelboat certification and is working toward her keelboat instructor certification.
Around 150 adults signed up for programming last year, including lessons and special programs like the Girl Talk series. “On Tuesday nights throughout the summer, women get together and talk about sailing and go out on boats at your comfort level,” Vidoloff says. “I love that … in this all-female environment, they feel empowered.” Girl Talk, like many other open-sail times at the organization, is $25 for three sessions. “Sailing here isn’t just physically accessible—it’s economically affordable,” she says. “You can come and practice in a dinghy or work on your knots. It really builds the community.”
All knots are not created equal as evident with this wall of knots at the Wayzata Sailing Center. How many can you tie?
One passionate Wayzata Sailing instructor is Lucas Haarstad. He started sailing on a team in high school and quickly found Wayzata Sailing to be a great fit. He’s taught keelboat classes and kids’ camps. “I really like being able to share this sport that brings me so much joy,” Haarstad says. “To get people introduced to sailing in just a few lessons is much less intimidating than trying to learn with a friend who happens to have a boat.”
Haarstad especially enjoys teaching adult lessons. “They want to be there and are invested,” he says. “It’s a smaller group, so we can tailor the experience to what students are trying to get out of it.” Haarstad—whose degree is in physics and math—says he loves teaching newcomers how the boat actually works. “A lot of people have this intuitive understanding that the wind is what makes the boat move,” he says. “But what are the mechanisms of that? It’s fun to explain how that actually works.”
Whether you’re a sailing-physics expert like Haarstad or simply a lake lover, Thompson encourages adults of any age to try something new this summer. “If you’re worried about not being strong enough or not fitting in, there is a type of boat or sailing community that fits you,” he says. “Wayzata Sailing is about a different way to enjoy the lake together. It’s something that’s really captured me.”
Windward Words
Looking to jumpstart your sailing education with some cool vocabulary? Here are some useful terms:
Boom: The horizontal spar extending back from the mast
Bow and Stern: The front and back, respectively, of the boat
Downwind: The direction of sail with the wind coming over the back of the boat
Helm: Where sailors steer the boat; usually a wheel or a tiller used to control the rudder
Jib: The sail forward of the mast, without a boom
Keel: The weighted vertical fin at the bottom of the boat, which reduces tipping and keeps the boat from sliding sideways
Lines: Ropes
Mainsail: The biggest sail, attached to the mast and the boom
Mast: The vertical post (or “spar”) in the middle of the boat, from which the sails are set
Tacking: Turning the bow of the boat from one direction to another (from a zig to a zag)
Upwind: The direction of sail close to where the wind is coming from (A boat can’t sail directly into the wind.)
Registration for summer lessons is now open at wayzatasailing.org.
Wayzata Sailing
Mike Plant Community Boathouse, 456 Arlington Circle, Wayzata; 952.476.5875
Facebook: Wayzata Sailing
Instagram: @wayzatasailing
