Cold Lake, offers an irresistible sailing venue including over 373 square kilometers of open surface water to explore.
Cold Lake is home to the Cold Lake Sailing Association, made up primarily of keelboats in the 20 to 30 foot range. The association sponsors both recreational and race events.
Race events are handicapped to allow all types of boats and levels of crew experience to be competitive. Their goal is to sponsor events that promote friendly competition among sailors of all interest. The regular Wednesday night race series runs from early June until mid September plus three open regattas. Crews gather at the marina at 5:30 pm with the races starting between 6:00 pm and 6:30pm.
The lce Breaker Regatta is the first of the season, held in early June. lt challenges all Cold Lake Sailors to rejuvenate their skills and shed all traces of winter dry dock.
The second regatta, the Charlie Callaghan Pursuit Race, held in mid July, is a race that has the sailboats start at different times and finish around the same time. This race is in dedication to the late Charlie Callaghan, a man of infinite patience and great sense of humor. Charlie was a fixture of the sailing community, providing accurate timings and race starts throughout the season.
The season highlight, held in mid August, is the famous Prairie Endurance Challenge which is without question, the premier sailing regatta of the year. The race encompasses a distance of 40-45 kilometers and is an excellent way to experience the open waters and varying weather conditions of Cold Lake.
The family side of the sailing association starts with several family cruise weekends, with a chance to sail to distant shores and enjoy Alberta’s best sailing lake!
Visiting sailors are welcome to participate in both the racing and family events. Come challenge your racing tactics against the competition and varying wind and wave conditions. Sailing instruction is available.
For information on the association, please e-mail the Commadore at coldlakesailing@gmai