Lake of the Woods

[Jammer]

I understand that there is a small community of people who cruise Lake of the Woods. There's an annual multi-day race, and a sail-oriented marina in Kenora (Ontario). Boats have to be trailered in and out as Lake of the Woods has no connections to major bodies of water.

I find this intriguing since it is nearby for me, and because of the expansive and rugged shoreline. It is said that the perimeter shoreline is 25,000 miles and that there are 14,522 islands.

I hear that there are mosquitoes and uncharted rocks. I myself have been to the lake for day trips only in 16' fishing boats.

Anyone been? Was it worth it?

[GordMay]

LOWISA ➥ LOWISA | Lake of the Woods International Sailing Association

[PatMc57]

My browser just blocked that as a dangerous website. Very surprising.
????

[gts1544]

GordMay, My anti-everything software (Bitdefender - free) blocked the site as being potentially harmful to my computer. If you know these guys, you might give them a heads up. Frequently it is something as inane as an out of date security certificate. Thanks for all you do for the forum! I have gone to your links on many occasions. George in Cheyenne, ex-Duluth, You can run, but I know where to find you!!!

[GordMay]

McAfee rates them “Safe” - Minimal Risk.
➥ https://www.mcafee.com/threat-intell...ref=safesearch

Contacts:
Kimberly Ovitz, Jamie Paterson - Commodores
Tel: (312) 497-1602
E: saillowisa@gmail.com

[Maple Leaf]

It's a great place! I have also sailed the Kenora , Ontario to Warroad, Minnesota annual race. We are always well received by our neighbors to the south. I crewed on a 30 foot C & C for a few years. Get yourself some electronic charts and you will enjoy many weekends of nature and wildlife. The fishing is great!

[robert sailor]

I started sailing on Lake of the Woods over 35 years ago and I have nothing but fond memories. Wonderful anchorages and fun sailing. Owned 3 different boats there. The yacht club was very active and 90% of the sailors lived in Winnipeg. Buddy Melges and Sons would often race in the large regatta there. I only hit one rock but that was enough to last me a lifetime, lol. I have no idea how active it is now or what the facilities are like, back in the day, very active and nothing but good times, most of us drove that long way for 19-20 weekends a year. R

[RolfP]

The LOWISA was my first major foray into "cruising". A continuent of power boats followed us for safety all week, with each evening in a different anchorage. I "lived" on my Newport 16 (the smallest boat in the fleet) for the week with another fellow and my preparations for the trip put me in the mode of crossing an ocean. It was memorable, and while I have moved on to bigger boats and longer voyages, I would go again. There are both true racers and cruisers racing. I would not worry about rocks and mosquitoes, they pale in comparison to the Lake and (for me) the long days of sailing. You might be able to charter something if you don't have a boat to haul.

[jallston]

Originally Posted by Jammer

I understand that there is a small community of people who cruise Lake of the Woods. There's an annual multi-day race, and a sail-oriented marina in Kenora (Ontario). Boats have to be trailered in and out as Lake of the Woods has no connections to major bodies of water.

Anyone been? Was it worth it?

Northern Yacht Club (Northern Yacht Club) operate out of Northern Harbour. They are a very friendly bunch and can answer all your questions.

I used to moor my boat there until I moved it to Victoria.

[Midnight Son]

I learned to sail there, first time crew, 22 years ago. Very friendly bunch.

[CS217]

We keep our boat at Northern Harbour on Lake of the Woods. The marina is full service, can lift up to 60 ton boats. There are 250 slips at the marina and quite a lengthy waiting list for slips. Over the last two summers, we have travelled close to a 1000 miles on the lake, it will take years to see the whole lake. The lake is fully charted, we haven't hit any rocks, but one boat did last summer and had to be hauled out for repairs. Both electronic and paper charts have all the main and secondary routes on them, these routes so far, seem to be safe but a depth sounder is pretty nice to have.

https://vimeo.com/182265103

[klovitz]

Apologies for being so late to the game here but YES Lake of the Woods does have a phenomenal sailing community for both cruisers and racers. As the former commodore of LOWISA 51 and current LOWISA (short for Lake of the Woods International Sailing Association) board member I highly recommend joining our annual week-long regatta. We hold this each year at the start of August where our fleet races and cruises through beautiful Lake of the Woods, home to over 14,000 islands and 65,000 miles of lake front. More information can be found on our website: https://www.lowisa.org our site is hosted through squaresspace and should not cause any content blockers to go awry. Please contact us if you have any questions.

[Hope123]

Lake of Woods has spectacular scenery. I had great memories there and enjoyed the Parade of Sail that took place last year in October.