By Gerry Christman, Treasurer of the Clinton Lake Sailing Association
Sailing in Central Illinois? Does that exist? It definitely does! People don’t often imagine sailing off into the sunset in Central Illinois; however, Lake Evergreen and Clinton Lake, which are mostly undeveloped without private homes or businesses on the waterfront, provide a scenic and relaxing environment for Midwesterners to enjoy sailing.
Many local sailors learned to sail on Evergreen Lake when it was formed in the 70s. The lake is about 900 acres and is part of Comlara Park, about 15 miles north of Bloomington-Normal. Two things contributed to the growth of sailing at that time. Certainly a new nearby recreational facility with limited motor boat traffic made for a very relaxing and attractive afternoon at the lake. At the same time, the country was going through a gasoline shortage thereby making power boating difficult. Sailboats allowed for an afternoon on the water without the need for gas-powered engines. Evergreen Lake continues to be a place where boaters can go for a quiet afternoon of sailing.
In 1979, a much larger lake was created about 10 miles east of Clinton to cool the power plant. The lake is almost 5,000 acres and is home to sailboats in a wide range of sizes, from small one-design classes to 26-foot cabin boats. Clinton Lake is also mostly undeveloped except for an area that contains a campground, marina, launch ramps, and a waterfront restaurant. The marina at Clinton Lake provides for both dry-land, mast-up storage and on-the-water moorings and slips. At the time the lake was created, Clinton Lake Sailing Club was formed to promote sailing in Central Illinois. The sailing club has a picnic facility near the Clinton Lake Marina. Currently, over 50 families are members of this nonprofit club. The group has an active program that includes potlucks, Wednesday night sailing, full moonlight sailing events, a strong racing program, and sailing education opportunities.
Though sailing can be serene and relaxing, in rare cases serious injuries can occur, so it’s good to learn safe boating practices. The U.S. Power Squadron offers classes to educate boaters on safe boating operation. These classes are offered locally through Mid Illini Sail and Power Squadron. They conduct a certified boating safety course, America’s Boating Course, each year at Heartland Community College. This class meets the Illinois state requirements for boater certification. In addition, the U.S. Power Squadron offers additional training that includes seamanship, piloting, navigation, and sailing.
The Clinton Lake Sailing Club supports sailing education through an Introduction to Sailing class offered by Heartland Community College. This class is conducted at Clinton Lake and combines classroom instruction and on-the-water sailing using small boats (Sunfish, Banshee, and Laser class sailboats). The class is generally offered in the spring and fall each year.
In addition to Introduction to Sailing, the Flying Scot Fleet 135 offers Introduction to Racing. This class is in a semi-competitive environment with experienced boaters helping newer sailors improve their sailing skills while sailing short race courses. Many people are quite happy just to casually cruise around the lake, but for those who want to further develop their sailing skills, sailboat racing accelerates the learning process.
Regardless of what type of sailing you enjoy, Central Illinois is fortunate to have several opportunities that allow you to take part in this enjoyable pastime.
For information on sailing classes offered through Heartland Community College, visit www.heartland.edu/communityEd, or call 309-268-8160. For information on the Mid Illini Sail and Power Squadron, visit www.midilliniusps.weebly.com. For information on the Clinton Lake Sailing Association, visit www.clsasailing.org.
Photo courtesy of Heartland Community College