Using the Sunfish

There are several sailboats available to Sailing Club members. There are some Sunfish owned by the Sailing Club (these say "Sailing Club" on the side), and some Sunfish owned by the Community Association (these say "LSLCA" near the back of the boats. All of these boats are moored in the cove next to the CA swimming pool. There are often other boats moored in that cove as well. These other boats are all privately owned and should be left alone. The process to use the CA/Club Sunfish is as follows:

• Use of the boats is limited to Sailing Club members and their guests, and is free.
• The daggerboards for each boat are kept in the CA's golf shack, as the boats can not be sailed without them. Just go to the golf shack and let them know you would like to sail one of the boats. They will ask for your name (and possibly your CA ID), which they will check against the Sailing Club membership list (this is an up to date list of paid members for the current season). It is the policy of the CA to limit the use of these boats to Sailing Club members only, so if you are not on the list, you will not be able to use one of the boats. Once you have been confirmed as a club member, you will be asked to sign a liability release form and you will be given a daggerboard. The boats are not to be checked out without an adult, so junior sailors may not be able to check out a daggerboard without their parents.
• Take the daggerboard to the beach, and swim out and get the boat you would like to sail. Remember, only Sailing Club and CA boats may be used. Please be careful not to disturb the privately owned boats. The Sailing Club boats are clearly marked and either say "Lake Saint Louis Sailing Club" or "Sailing Club" on the sides. Likewise, the CA owned boats say "LSLCA" near the back of the boats on the side. Do not use a boat if it is not marked as a CA or Sailing Club owned boat!
• Once back at the beach (please stay as close to the cove as possible, so the lifeguards do not have to worry that you will sail in the swim area in front of the beach), rig the sailboat and head out. Please start your sailing from outside of the swim area.
• A lifejacket is required for each person on the boat and should be worn at all times. Additionally, sailors under 18 must be accompanied by an adult. The adult need not be on the boat (as a parent or guardian, it is up to you to determine if your child can sail without you onboard), however you must be "supervising" the sailing.
• Please take care of these boats. Our ability to use them is wholly dependent upon our ability to keep them in good condition.
• Once you have completed your sail, return to shore (the area in the cove just outside the swim area). Lower, roll and secure the sail, and raise the rudder out of the water.
• It is imperative that the sail be tightly secured to protect from winds catching the sail while moored. It is also critical that the rudder be out of the water when the boat is moored, as it will rot very quickly if left in the water for any extended period of time. It is the responsibility of each sailor to ensure the boat is stored as well as or better than it was found. Be sure to tightly roll the sail up to the boom, and then secure it with mainsheet. Do not just bunch up the sail before securing it. This will not only leave lots of wrinkles and folds in the sail, it will decrease the life of the sail.
• Swim the boat back into the cove and secure it to the same mooring from which it was taken.
• Return the daggerboard to the golf shack.
• NOTE - If you find the boats in need of repairs, please let Pearson Buell know as soon as possible, so we can determine if the repairs must be completed right away, or if they can wait.
• Please be aware that we hold sailing lessons on some Saturday mornings, as well as races on Friday evenings and regattas on some weekend afternoons. We ask that you not borrow any of the boats during these periods.
• Need help rigging the boats? Check out "How to Rig a Sunfish"
• Want to make your boat go as fast as possible? learn "how to tune a Sunfish for racing".

If you have any questions about the use of the Sunfish, please contact Pearson Buell. Of course, if you have an old Sunfish or similar boat that you would like to donate to be added to our fleet, Pearson would love to hear from you. Lastly, please take advantage of this great opportunity for club members.