LAKE MINNETONKA
LAKE MINNETONKA
COMMUNITY GUIDE 2025
Cast off with help from Wayzata Sailing
As one of the largest sailing programs in the Midwest, Wayzata Sailing knows how to bring fun on the water to people of all ages. With the wind in their favor, the Wayzata-based nonprofit organization has been serving the community for over 43 years and continues to be one of just 35 U. S. Sailing accredited community sailing centers in the country.
Devoted not only to the sport but education as well, the organization trains staff for all major Minnesota youth sailing programs while continuing to create new opportunities in STEM and sailing progression.
The school serves hundreds of young sailors ages 5-16 each summer, with college and high school students training in the spring and fall.
Wayzata Sailing’ s mission is to create access to both the lake and the sport of sailing through a wide range of class offerings. The school’ s youth day camps, racing programs, outreach camps and adaptive and adult lessons have helped the organization introduce many to the sport on Lake Minnetonka and bolster its belief that sailing is for everyone. Not only does the center offer sailing opportunities but also winter activities and community fun including snowkiting, quinzee building, movie nights and pumpkin derbies.
The organization, formerly known as the Wayzata Community Sailing Center, was founded by members of the Wayzata Yacht Club to teach the sport of sailing. The center has grown to serve 1,200 youth and adult sailors each year through regattas, events and outreach programs. With a mission to give as many people as possible the opportunity to learn about sailing and enjoy every activity the center has to offer, Wayzata sailing provides financial assistance for those who can’ t afford it.
In 2019, Wayzata Sailing celebrated the opening of the Mike Plant Community Boathouse. The new facility provides yearround programming and a classroom-learning environment for young sailors and will help the school ramp up its educational opportunities with an expanded STEM summer program.
The new 5,300-square-foot facility at 456 Arlington Circle replaced the 127-year-old house that had long been used by the center. The main floor consists of a classroom / multi-purpose room with seating space for up to 100 people, offices, a kitchen and a service garage.
Traditional boat building inspired the building’ s design – with a partially exposed structure meant to resemble the ribs of a boat.
The new building is named for Mike Plant, the late Lake Minnetonka sailor who died in 1992 when his boat capsized on the ocean while preparing for his fourth circumnavigation around the globe.
In 2024, the Wayzata Sailing Team consisting of Wayzata youth Ella Bowers, Harper Lundeen-Hetland, Stonewall Anderson, and Dominik Moncur took home the Chubb U. S. Youth Triplehanded Championship also known as the Sears Cup, bringing the Championship medals back to Lake Minnetonka for the first time since 1974.
Info: wayzatasailing. org
LAKE MINNETONKA | COMMUNITY GUIDE | 2025 | 43