Ask 100 people what comes to mind when you mention Kentucky and you will get lots of responses involving fine whiskey, a certain horse race at Churchill Downs, and the place they make Louisville Sluggers. Real trivia buffs might even know that Kentucky was the birthplace of, among others, Abraham Lincoln, Hunter S. Thompson and Johnny Depp. What you would likely not hear mentioned much, if at all, is that Kentucky is a terrific place to go sailing. The season is long, and the venues plentiful in many lakes and rivers. It may surprise you to know that there are many sailing clubs, schools and marinas around the Bluegrass state.
Lake life in Kentucky is good - especially with a sailboat.
One of the most active is the Cave Run Sailing Association. Based in Morehead, about an hour’s drive east of Lexington, CRSA’s 50 boats and 150 members sail out of Scotts Creek Marina on the northern tip of the lake. Like sailors everywhere, these folks know how to have a good time. Last year, CRSA celebrated the Sailstice with a weekend of sailing centered around an event called the “Unrace” on Saturday. Commodore Jim “Doc” Dinger explains:
“In the unrace, the last boat across the finish line before a given particular time is the winner. It makes for some very interesting maneuvers around the finish time as each skipper tries to squeeze his competitors over the line in front of him while being sure he crosses the line just before the allotted time.”
The Unrace was followed by an overnight raft up and barbeque on the party barge. Oh, sorry, we mean the “committee boat” – a 30-ft double-decker pontoon boat that serves as the race committee boat, the ‘anchor’ boat in a raft up, and, well, let's just say Celebration Central. It’s fully equipped with cooking facilities and even a wet-water slide. “We pulled out the guitars and sang into the night with the kids using the wet-slide,” says Doc. “After midnight, a few adults joined in the sliding.”
Everyone had such a blast that “Summer Sailstice Race and Raft Up” is back on the club’s roster for June 20-21.
It’s just one feather in the cap for this active club. They also offer ASA-certified sailing courses, a Hunter 22 charter boat, a yearly group charter (this year to the British Virgins), and an jam-packed racing season that starts in March with the aptly-named Brass Monkey Series. For more on CRSA, visit their site at www.caverunsailing.org.
Cave Run Lake itself is technically a manmade reservoir, built for flood control and completed in 1973. It boasts more than 8,000 acres and some 166 miles of shoreline. During the summer, water temps are in the 70s and the prevailing wind is westerly. However, as Doc explains, “Like most inland lakes the wind swirls, and there have been races where every leg of a three-leg course was upwind.”
Besides sailing, the lake and surrounding Daniel Boone National Forest offer all manner of outdoor activities, and the lake is a fisherman’s paradise. To date, the largest muskie ever caught was a 47-pounder pulled from the lake in 2006. Unfortunately, the nearby caves that gave the place its name are currently closed to visitors while biologists study a mysterious die-off of the nation’s bat populations.
Of the two types of bats in KY this one is doing better than the other - Louisville Slugger.
These aren't doing as well. However the sailing is all doing fine!
Cave Run Sailing Association members celebrated on two continents in 2011.
