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Sailing Colorado's Lakes: By Ruthanne Johnson Len Dolhert lives on the high prairie. From his home in Erie, the dry, grassy terrain subtly descends eastward as far as the eye can see. To the west, the rolling grasslands lift and lock horns with the great Rocky Mountains, every backpacker’s dream. But scattered throughout the landscape are an abundance of windswept lakes—pure heaven (and a little bit of hell) for those who crave the thrill of slicing through the water on a sailboat. Originally from the East Coast, Dolhert is no novice when it comes to sailing. His uncle taught him to sail off the coast of Cape Cod, and he is accustomed to waters where the trade winds blow steady and strong, sailing runs go on forever and currents change with the tide. At MIT, his skill behind the tiller earned him the rank of captain on the college sailing team. But since moving to Colorado last year, he’s made the change from salty old seadog to freshwater sailor. Now he sails on high prairie and mountain lakes, happy as a clam to plunk his sailboat into their shallow waters, raise the mainsail and race off into the sunset—well, almost. Colorado lakes are relatively small, so you can’t really sail off into the sunset; boats will run aground if they’re not turned from time to time. Besides short runs, Colorado sailors also have to contend with unpredictable winds, a short season, and sailboat size limitations due to the shallow waters typical of inland lakes.
FEELING THE VIBE Despite the glaring differences between lake and ocean sailing, Dolhert says sailing is about being on the water and feeling the vibe. “There’s something incredibly satisfying about feeling the wind and water flow past my boat, of being on the water in a craft with nature as my engine.” For Dolhert, what some might perceive as difficulties count as learning opportunities. “The weather here is beautiful, and the winds are extremely variable,” he says, explaining that the unpredictable nature of mountain weather can make sailing in Colorado a real challenge. But those same challenges help sailors develop strong sailing skills. “You may have zero wind, and then it picks up out of nowhere and you have to be ready to go.” Others agree. “Sailing here is not super fast. It can even be boring at times, but punctuated by moments of terror,” says John McGinley, membership chairman of the Carter Lake Sailing Club. Like Dolhert, McGinley has sailed in bigger, deeper waters—the Pacific Ocean and Caribbean Sea, among others—but says Colorado sailing “is really quite fun.” Coloradans interested in sailing may be surprised to know there are a dozen or so sailing lakes and several well-organized sailing clubs in the state, including one that claims to be the nation’s highest yacht club, at Grand Lake. The closest ones, for Boulder County residents, are Boulder Reservoir, Union Reservoir in Longmont, Standley Lake in Westminster, Carter Lake west of Berthoud, and Boyd Lake in Loveland. Among the attractive features of sailing in Colorado is the camaraderie within the sailing community—a hodgepodge of sailors who grew up sailing in the Atlantic, Pacific, Great Lakes, Chesapeake Bay and Gulf of Mexico, mixed with locals who have never sailed outside Colorado. IN TUNE WITH WIND, WEATHER & WILDLIFE For some of these folks, sailing is about the adrenaline rush from competing in races and being part of a tight-knit community. Others love chilling in the natural environment or honing their skills so they can charter a boat in some dreamy island destination. But those looking to charter a boat on the briny blue must prove their knowledge of sailing. Many do this by getting certification through an officially recognized organization such as the American Sailing Association, whose program entails classroom time to learn the basics and lots of hands-on sailing experience. Avana Andrade, 20, a CU-Boulder student who works as youth sailing coordinator at Union Reservoir, has sailed in Colorado since she was about 10. For her, sailing is about connecting with nature, being part of the community, and passing on her sailing skills to anyone willing to learn. “There is a real technical side to sailing in this type of environment,” she says. “You have to be in tune with the wind and weather and have to be good at reading the water. You also have amazing views.” Like Andrade, most Colorado sailors have a glass-half-full attitude. For them, there’s no substitute for being on a boat with the sun on their faces and the wind, albeit gusty at times, in their sails. Besides being able to spend their days on the water, sailors get generous opportunities to watch wildlife. Most of the state’s reservoirs and lakes are surrounded by natural landscape that provides habitat for an array of animals—from deer, coyotes, foxes and prairie dogs to ducks, eagles, hawks and many other bird species. STARS ARE ALIGNED FOR SAILING Boulder resident Tara Parks has sailed on Colorado lakes since she was a young girl and says the surrounding landscape and wildlife have always been a draw for her. She took a hiatus from the sailing scene to raise a family, but got back into the sport to teach her three sons how to sail. Last summer her boys attended Boulder Reservoir’s sailing camp, which Parks describes as an entry-level program with good instructors. “The kids spent about two hours learning water safety, direction and movement of the wind, parts and mechanics of the sailboat, and how to raise the sails,” she says. “It was all so new and exciting to them, and they spent the rest of the day on the boat.” Once back in the sailing community, Parks was surprised to see fewer sailingboats. “I don’t know if it’s because of water resources or lack of interest,” she says, adding that another reason may be the public’s misconception of sailing as a rich man’s sport. Whatever its cause, the low number of sailboats on Colorado’s mountain and prairie lakes gives the advantage to those wanting to get into the sport. There are plenty of boats available for rental and purchase; wet and dry moorings are open for the taking; and park and sailing-lesson fees are well within budgets. “People are always so amazed when I tell them I sail in Colorado,” says Dolhert, who before heading West ferreted out the state’s wealth of sun, wind and sails by Googling “sailing in Colorado” on the web. For him and other local sailors, life doesn’t get much better than the vigorous exercise of racing, and the joy of dancing with Colorado’s wild winds.
Aurora Reservoir: A 2,500-acre prairie lake about an hour from Boulder in southeast Aurora. The lake allows dinghies and small keelboats and has wet and dry moorings. 303-690-1286. Boulder Reservoir: A 600-acre lake that offers sailing lessons, dinghy and keelboat rentals for a reasonable fee, and wet and dry moorings. Sailing season runs from April 1 to September 30. Call 303-441-3461 or visit te website. Boyd Lake: A 1,700-acre lake five miles west of I-25 in Loveland. The lake has a marina and allows dinghies and small keelboats and has seasonal slips and moorings. Call 970-669-739 or visit the website. Carter Lake: A 1,144-acre lake set in the foothills west of Berthoud. Facilities include Carter Lake Marina and Carter Lake Sailing Club, which offers racing, youth sailing, and social events throughout the season. Wet and dry moorings for dinghies and small keelboats are available through both the club and marina. Call 970-667-1062 for the Carter Lake Marina. Call Nina Simmers Rogers at 970-669-6689 or e-mail John McGinley at mcginley @ nedernet.net for Carter Lake Sailing Club.
Chatfield Reservoir: A 1,450-acre reservoir on the South Platte River south of Littleton. Facilities include a marina with slip, boat and storage rentals, and Colorado Sail and Yacht Club, which offers a racing club series from April through October. Contact Bob Malouff at bob @ csyc.org or visit the website. For the marina, call 303-791-5555. Cherry Creek Reservoir: An 880-acre lake in Aurora with a marina and yacht club. Offers sailing lessons, boat rentals, moorings and slips, boating services and some supplies. Denver Sailing Association collaboratively hosts a weekly evening dinghy series from May through October, plus the Colorado Governor’s Cup and Frostbite Regatta in September. It also sponsors keelboat and dinghy racing from May to September. Contact Michael Dannecker at 303-596-2122 or visit www.denversailing.org or www.cherrycreekmarina.com. Grand Lake: This 5,000-acre lake boasts the nation’s highest-altitude registered yacht club, which first held races in 1904. The lake allows dinghies and small keelboats, and the Grand Lake Yacht Club hosts private club regattas from June through August. Horsetooth Reservoir: A 1,900-acre lake located in the foothills west of Fort Collins. Dinghies and keelboats are welcome. Call 970-679-4554, e-mail murjim71 @ hotmail.com, or visit the website. Lake Dillon: A 3,233-acre mountain lake with two marinas and a yacht club in Dillon. The lake has boat slips and wet and dry moorings. Dillon Yacht Club offers sailing lessons, races, regattas and boat rentals. Victoria Sailing School, Dillon Marina, and WindRider of the Rockies operate out of Lake Dillon and offer classes in basic keelboat, basic coastal cruising, coastal and celestial navigation, spinnaker and weather. Contact Jeff O’Neill at joneill @ telecorockies.com or contact the yacht club at 970-262-5824 or visit the website. Lake Granby: A 7,250-acre lake that boasts one of the highest-elevation yacht clubs in the world. The lake allows dinghies and small keelboats and has seasonal slips, moorings, and dry storage. The Lake Granby Yacht Club annually hosts 12 Saturday series races together with four informal races intended for those new to racing. Standley Lake: A 1,045-acre lake in Westminster that allows dinghies and small keelboats and dry storage for a reasonable fee. Community Sailing of Colorado operates a comprehensive summer sailing program and camp for youth sailors. Contact Steve Frank at 303-575-7718 or visit the website for information about CSC. Call Mark Reddinger at 303-435-1097 for information about Standley Lake fees. Union Reservoir: A 736-acre wakeless lake east of Longmont that allows dinghies and small keelboats. Sailing lessons, boat rentals and races are offered through Union Sailing Club. Annual club membership, seasonal boat storage fees and lesson fees are very reasonable. For information: Contact 303-912-2920 or godausgo @ yahoo.com, or visit the website. Victoria Sailing Club: Colorado’s oldest and largest sailing school offering certifications in basic keelboat, basic coastal cruising, coastal and celestial navigation, spinnaker, and weather. Since its founding in 1986, they have trained more than 5,500 students from the Denver area. They operate out of Chatfield Reservoir, Carter Lake, Cherry Creek Reservoir, and Dillon Reservoir. Contact 303-697-7433 or visit the website. — R.J.
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