I'm a member of a sailing co-op here in Minneapolis, great people and everyone is your teacher. We just pulled the boats off the water a few weeks back (and were already sweeping snow off the boats, dontchaknow). Just tested for skipper status before the season closed out.
Don't know if it's everyone's cup of tea, but definitely worth trying. If there are any HN'ers in Minneapolis/St Paul, happy to take people out for a try next Spring ;)
We sail on little Lake Harriet. The community is really active there, and from what I'm told it's a little more interesting than Calhoun as the winds are much more variable. That's due to all the obstructions and variation around the lake. The band shell in particular creates a deadspot or sweetspot on some days.
I joined the Twin Cities Sailing Club in August, I'm a newb ;), know just enough to be dangerous:
The people in this club are seriously cool people, a great group. Everyone is very generous in terms of teaching less experienced sailors, I've seen nothing but generosity when it comes to tiller time.
I think we have about a dozen boats or so, a mix of scows and daysailers. There are club days twice a week where you can crew up with a skipper and hit the lake. Once you pass your skipper tests, you can take the boats out anytime you please. Annual dues are $200 or so I think.
Oh and we are having our annual banquet November 7th:
If you are not quite ready for putting down $200 and just want to try things out, definitely hit me up in May and I'd be more than happy to take you out!
Might have to take you up on that! I sailed 420s a bit back in California, but I haven't made it happen yet here in Minneapolis. Seeing the numerous sailboats on Calhoun and Minnetonka always brings a smile to my face.
I live about 30-40 miles south of the Cities and go canoeing on the lakes nearby. I used to sail when I lived back in CT and I was planning on putting a sail on my canoe this summer, but never got around to it.
There's a pretty strong overlap between (computer) hacking and sailing.
Don't know if it's everyone's cup of tea, but definitely worth trying. If there are any HN'ers in Minneapolis/St Paul, happy to take people out for a try next Spring ;)