Clinton Lake Sailing Association

Join us for CLSA's classic Venetian Night celebration!  Dock Walk, Dinner, and a night sail in boats decorated with lights.  More information about the event and registration here.

The Cabin Boat Raft-Up is this weekend. The forecast is showing high winds on Sunday and lighter winds on Saturday so the date is moving forward one day to Saturday June 15th. The website has been updated, but please adjust your calendars appropriately.

CLSA racer and Fleet 135 coach Eric Bussell will be leading a 90-minute Sailboat Racing for Beginners clinic on Tuesday April 18th at 6pm at the Commodore Decatur Yacht Club Pavilion. This clinic will include a hands-on demonstration of signal flags and horns. We'll also be reviewing starting basics, basic race course management and setup best practices, and more. If you are new to sailboat racing or have an interest in serving on the race committee at CLSA, this clinic is for you. Free hot dogs will be provided. Please bring your own beverages. This clinic is part of a free education series that will include on-the-water race committee training. Click here to register and visit saildecatur.org and check back regularly as we plan to add more clinics throughout the 2023 sailing season. If you have any questions, please contact Eric Bussell at education@fleet135.com.  

Watch Eric's 10 Basic Rules in 4 min. 

Fall Banquet and Business Meeting Registration

If you plan to use our dock and boat ramps from now until early spring, please be advised that the lake level is very low and it may be challenging to get your boat on/off your trailer. 

The Glow in the Dark Regatta is expecting 40+ Flying Scots. If you plan to sail this weekend, please keep clear of the dock and ramp area while racing boats are leaving and returning. Thank you in advance for your cooperation. 

If you are not racing and would like to help out at the event, please register as a volunteer. Volunteers will get free food all weekend, including the Saturday dinner. We could use a hand on the dock and at the ramp helping to get boats in/out faster.   

Our sailing season is coming to an end at CLSA, but we hope you'll consider continuing your training and develop during the offseason. Here are some options: 

1. US Sailing Basic Race Management Seminar. Race committee training is offered through US Sailing via Zoom. The seminar consists of three 2.5-hour Zoom sessions. Course fee $40. Seminars start Nov. 7 and Dec. 5 and are expected to be offered throughout the winter months. 

2. Mid Illini Classes. The Mid Illini Sail and Power Squadron offers in-person classes. Fall class offerings include Weather and Boat Handling. Course fee is $165 for non-members (includes a single membership fee).  Fall classes started Sept. 26 and more spring classes will be announced. Keep watching their webpage.  

3. America's Boating Club Online Learning. America's Boating Club offers a great selection of online boating courses. Learn at your own pace. 

4. Backyard Meteorology. A self-paced online learning weather course offered through Harvard University. This course is free to audit for 30 days and the fee is $99 if you would like to continue.  

5. US Sailing Certification Courses and ASA Certification Courses offer hands-on training and are offered through certified sailing schools. Several CLSA members have earned keelboat certifications and recommend them.  

6. Performance Race Week in Florida. If you like sailboat racing and are looking to indulge in a sailing getaway, consider Performance Race Week at the Offshore Sailing School. Performance Race Week® 2022 will be held Jan. 30 -- Feb. 4, with an exciting new team of Sail-Race Experts. You and your crewmates spend each day learning tactics, tweaking your sails and crew for efficient racing on all points of sail, practicing many starts, and pushing hard to get to the first mark, and the finish line in a regatta on the last day!

CLSA members:

Please visit our website at clsasailing.org and check out the information under our new tab "GET INVOLVED" on our homepage. You will find opportunities to volunteer and share your talents or skills with CLSA for ongoing projects that make our club better.

Contact clintonlakesailing@gmail.com if you'd like to help with a project or committee described below.

Current Projects

Rigging area drainage: to address ongoing pooling of water.

Shoreline committee: to help oversee and provide input as to how to best manage our shoreline by preserving and preventing erosion while maintaining its beauty.

Signage for our docks and shoreline: contribute toward designing our signage at each end of dock and along shoreline to communicate and represent our club to visitors.

Master plan committee: to determine what our club goals are and how we will achieve them over the next five years.

Insurance committee: help our membership determine how to manage our insurance responsibilities.

Dredging committee: Our cove was last dredged in 2011 and is long overdue for another as our cove gets more shallow.

Volunteers are still needed for our Glow regatta this weekend, Oct. 1-2. Also, our fall banquet is Nov. 13, and our board of directors is seeking people interested in leadership roles as vice commodore, social chair, membership chair, race committee chair and publicity chair. If you are interested or would like to nominate someone, please contact us today!

Fair winds,

Commodore Paul

Join us as we remember Craig and celebrate all the love he brought into our lives!

Save the date:

When: Sat., Nov. 5, 4:30-8:30 p.m.

Where: Siebel Center for Design, 1208 S. Fourth St., Champaign

Hosted by the Rost family, 217-493-1332

Event schedule:

4 p.m.: Fourth Street doors (west side) open

4:30-5:30 p.m.: Informal meet-and-greet with the family at the Fourth Street doors; tour the Siebel Center

5:30-6:30 p.m.: Reflections about Craig

6:30-8:30 p.m.: Dance and laugh together to Le Travaillant, a Cajun zydeco band

Casual dress

Wine, beer and soft drinks served with fun and COVID-friendly food from 6:30-8:30 p.m.

Heads up! This is an Illinois game day and the game time has not yet been announced. Please plan ahead to carpool, ride your bike, walk or be dropped off.

Feel free to come for all or part of this celebration of Craig's life. Please RSVP so the family can plan for food, seating, etc.

If you are at the lake and take a picture worth sharing on our Facebook page, please email the picture to clintonlakesailing@gmail.com. We are a very active sailing club and showing different aspects of the club from more vantage points is what we want to do. Thank you to members and guests who have submitted pictures for our social media posts!