Clinton Lake Sailing Association

Our spring Small Boat Intro to Sailing course is off to a great start. The on-the-water portion of the class begins June 7, and we need volunteers on June 7, 8, 14 and 15 to act as safety boat captain, safety boat deck hand and shore support to assist students with launching and putting away boats. This is a good opportunity to review how to set up the CLSA small boat fleets and share your knowledge with new sailors.

You can register to volunteer online at https://www.clsasailing.org/event-4032560. Please indicate which job you are volunteering to do.

The Parent Child class will now be offered on July 17. Our calendar has been updated. To sign up, please click here. 

Do you want to learn how to operate CLSA's new support boat? Visit https://www.clsasailing.org/supportboat for a link to the training video. (Must be logged in to the CLSA website.)

Clinton Lake Sailing Association is proud to host CLSA Open House/Mid Illini Sail and Power Squadron Ready, Set, Wear It event to help promote National Safe Boating Week, May 22-28, which is the official launch of the 2021 Safe Boating Campaign. This yearlong campaign promotes the value of voluntary, consistent life jacket use by recreational boaters.

Did you know?  

79% of boating deaths are due to drowning.

86% of victims not wearing a life jacket.

2/3 of drowning victims are good swimmers. 

National Boating Safety Week is a program of the National Boating Safety Council.  

Life Jacket Facts

Most boaters know they’re required to have a U.S. Coast Guard-approved wearable life jacket on board for every person on their boat. Boating safety advocates recommend that all boaters and passengers not only have a life jacket but wear it at all times while boating. Accidents on the water can happen much too fast to reach for and put on a stowed life jacket. Drowning is the reported cause of death in 79% of all boating fatalities – and 86% of drowning victims in recreational boating accidents in 2019 were not wearing a life jacket. The good news is that today’s life jackets are much more comfortable, lightweight and stylish than the bulky orange style most boaters know. Life jackets that use inflatable technologies are cool and comfortable. They may resemble a pair of suspenders or a belt pack. Many inflate automatically when immersed in water.

CLSA Open House/Mid Illini Sail and Power Squadron Ready, Set, Wear It event on Saturday, May 22

Noon: Potluck; Mid Illini will provide brats, buns, condiments and table service

1 p.m.: Ready, Set, Wear It photo celebrating Boating Safety Week

1:30-3:00 p.m.: Boat rides for interested sailors (dependent on weather and boat availability)

Here is our new CLSA sign welcoming members and guests.

This was a true team effort. Special thanks to our sign committee led by Paul Bliss and Nooreen Meghani on the design. Perry Biddle located the posts and dug the holes. Nooreen, Max Christie and Craig Rost helped install the posts. Craig and Dick Hanson put the sign up. K&K Graphics, a DeWitt County business in Clinton, made the sign. 

The CLSA Open House is May 22 from noon to 3 p.m. Friends and family welcome!

Come out to the club on Saturday for free brats and free sailboat rides! We hope you'll join us for a fun afternoon of food, friends and sailing. This is a great opportunity for our new members to meet other members of the club. It's also a great opportunity to ask questions about different types of boats, as we'll have enthusiasts available who can answer questions about small boats, Flying Scots, Thistles, cabin boats, kiteboards, windsurfers and more. Please bring family members, friends and co-workers and help introduce more prospective sailors to our amazing community. 

Noon: Potluck; Mid Illini Sail & Power Squadron will provide brats, buns, condiments and table service

1 p.m.: Ready, Set, Wear It photo celebrating Boating Safety Week

1:30-3 p.m.: Boat rides for interested sailors (dependent on weather and boat availability)

Our Small Boat Introduction to Sailing Class starting May 24 is FULL, but anyone can attend the first two classroom sessions on May 24 & 25 for FREE (no limit).  Gerry covers rigging and safe sailing basics in the first two sessions and is looking for volunteers to help with the on-the-water sessions.  

Click here to sign up for the classroom only sessions and/or to volunteer. 

If the weather is questionable, please check the new cancellations page.  It is very difficult for event organizers to update the website and send emails on the fly, so we're going with this system to keep members informed of cancellations.  Twitter users can follow @clsaupdates but everyone can view cancellation notices by going to our website: 

https://www.clsasailing.org/cancellations

The new issue of Windword is out!

Go to https://www.clsasailing.org/Windword/ to see the current issue and past issues.  (Must be logged in to view).

Special thanks to Alan Shaklee for sponsoring the purchase of this new weather and Ken Moyer for the installation!  

Our new weather station is accessible via the Weather Underground Network and can be found here: 

https://www.wunderground.com/dashboard/pws/KILWELDO6

This link can also be found in our website footer.