I am new to the forum and cat sailing. I'm landlocked in the Midwest and I have found that so many launch sites around here are not well suited for beach cats with nothing but concrete and rocks nearby. The ideal launch site would have a beach or grassy shore near the ramp that you can pull the cat to after plunking it in the water. It should be right on the lake so that you can get from/to the ramp in most wind conditions and don't have to tack, paddle, or yell for help to get through a crowded harbor or channel filled with lily pads. Ideally you could have the car/trailer parked nearby and good looking women would be handing out free beer and buffalo wings.

Maybe this has been done before, but I didn't see it anywhere on the forum. I thought it would be interesting to get everybody?s recommendations on their favorite launching and sailing sites. I am in Northern Illinois so obviously my interests are in Northern Illinois/ Southern Wisconsin, but it would be fun to know where the good sites are across the country (anyone up for a roadtrip?). What are a few of your favorite launching sites? What are the fees, ideal wind conditions for the site, etc?

Way out here in the East, Berkeley Island Park on Barnegat Bay (in Bayville, New Jersey), while no longer the catamaran lined beach it was 15-20 years ago, and plagued as it is with Jet-skis these days, is a reliable launch site. Although the beach is a bit gravelly, you can slied the boat off the trailer and drag it a few yards from the launch area (all sand: possible at times to get stuck!) and pull it up on the beach. Wind is pretty reliable. Although this year has been strange, usually in the summer there's a steady thermal from the south to SSW (blowing onto the launching beach) that can get pretty frisky (20+) but without gusts.

There are a few places you can get onto Lake Michigan in the Chicago area. I have mine at Gilson sailing beach in Wilmette year around. They have a daily launch option at Lloyd Park in Winnetka. There is also mast up storage in both Glencoe and downtown Chicago on Montrose beach. Also Evanston and Northwestern have mast up storage. Also hear people talking about Racine Wisconsin, but never been there. I have not found other good places to sail in Northern Illinois besides lake Michigan, most lakes are covered in power boats.

Where in Northern Illinois are you located and what are you sailing? I live in Aurora and store mine in Wilmette. Year-round beach storage plus parking pass for non-residents is around $800 I believe, which was about the same as the boat and trailer storage I was paying in the suburbs.

This topic has been visited before so you might be able to find more info in old forum threads.

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Scott,
‘92 H18 w/SX wings
‘95 Hobie Funseeker 12 (Holder 12)
‘96/‘01/‘14 Hobie Waves
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There is indeed an old thread in the original forum that members contributed to for places to sail.

Help Damon . . .

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Philip
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Besides the areas Scott mentioned Illinos Beach St park near Waukegan is alledged to be good for beach cats. I also hear that the beach got hammered this season so all bets are off.

I might add that we have folks from as far away as Iowa who keep their boats at Glencoe Beach. A sizable number of our sailors live well west of the lake. We do not have a day launch option but seasonal fees are very reasonable, facilities are excellent, parking is no problem and we have a great club, social and racing program. Rescue also. Willmette and Evanston also do not require that you be a resident to use the facilities.

I sold my trailer and my cat stays there year round. Don't miss dragging it. Peter, we used to sail out of Seaside Park when we lived in central jersey. That was a nice launch facility.

We keep ours set up at Trixie's Landing, across the street from the launch site (the owner of the marina is Bob Bergstedt, who is a catamaran racer and source of esoteric knowledge), but we do go by the beach in Seaside Park pretty often and there are a couple of cats that we see regularly coming out of that beach.

Used to be a lot of cats there. We found it by spotting the masts! Cost for a permit to store there was $25 bucks as I recall but I was always worried about vandalism and salt so we trailered. Plus we used to go to Round valley and up to New England. Barnegat was an excellent place to sail, unless the wind died and you got stuck in the channel with the cigarette boats. The wide open, generally low traffic expanses of L Michigan are still kind of surreal to us especially when we sail way out and land vanishes or becomes a very thin line on the horizon. We stripped a few fishing lines in our days on Barnegat. (Apologized of course)

Well I am forbidden to reveal my all time favorite launching site but there are some good ones along the lake MI shore in Michigan. Muskegon about 2.5 hours north of the Indiana line has mast up storage on either Lake MI or Muskegon Lake. Last I heard it cost $6 for the season (that is not a typo).

Does anyone know how to find the old thread of good launching sites? I've searched the archives but I can't find it.

I Google Earthed the Gilson sailing beach in Wilmette and I couldn't believe it. It looks like nearly two hundred cats sitting on that beach. I didn't know there were that many cats in all of Illinois! It must be great to have that many cat sailors all on the same beach. I live out in Woodstock so it's a bit of a drive to get to Wilmette (about 1 1/2 hours) and I don't know if my wife would be very happy if I ponied up $800 a year for the mast up storage since it is almost twice what I paid for my cat. I figure I'll try trailer sailing on the cheap next summer. Maybe I can get out there on a weekday when the daily fee is lower (It's $50 on weekends and Holidays!)

Where do people launch at Illinois Beach State Park? The only place I know of is at Skipper Bud's and it is all concrete with a long channel to get to the open water. Definitely not beach cat friendly.

I've sailed a mono-maran on Lake Geneva WI for many years and I think that the launch ramp at Williams bay will work well for a beach cat. I just got a Solcat 18 and am fixing it up so that it'll be ready as soon as the ice melts in the spring.

Glencoe is closer.. all the way down to the end of Dundee Rd...and a bit cheaper. Plus we have lockers, sail and personal, and a sailing club. Social events and races. You also get beach wheels and rescue.

G earth Glencoe and you will be amazed again. You need to get your wife addicted to sailing. Then plan on spending your weekends at the beach. THe quality/expense of sailing out of a permanent base more the offsets the headaches of trailering and launching in non cat friendly confines. Plus the people are most excellent. An eclectic and eccentric mix to be sure.

southern WI if you want a little road trip I recc Madison and lakes Mendota and Monona.
On Mendota north side of lake very nice state park (Gov. somebody) with excellent launch and docks. With north wind very easy to rig and launch, get into nice air and back easily. West wind another park on west side in Middleton. Plus, if you dump it by the University, there's a rescue crew that comes out to assist within minutes (not personal experience but witnessed 3 times)
On Monona, it's real cool to sail around north end by the University, we had two on the wire and a nice audience up above on the terrace. Best launch is on west/NW side.
afterwards go to Great Dane brewery or in Middleton Capitol brewery

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eddiecat

Nacra 5.0 (destroyed in storm)
Hobie 16 (restored)
Nacra 5.5- amalgam "Franken Cat"
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The best beach site to launch from is Dunedin Causeway, in Dunedin FL. I know that its a bit of a drive, but you wont be disappointed.

http://www.tampabaycatsailors.com/maps.htm

You can sail a wide protected intercostal, and have easy access to the Gulf.

This time of year that looks like a great place to sail. Suppose to be 33 degrees Saturday morning here in the Chicago area, highs in the 50's. I do like our fresh water ocean we have here in Illinois, never been a fan of saltwater.

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Scott,
‘92 H18 w/SX wings
‘95 Hobie Funseeker 12 (Holder 12)
‘96/‘01/‘14 Hobie Waves
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This weekend will be hot - 92 and 93 this weekend. But the water temp is getting a bit chilly at about 80.

Plus we will have a open water regatta this weekend. http://www.tampabaycatsai…/NOR_2009/Barton2009.pdf

Its only a two day drive from Chicago to Dunedin. ;)

Your cruel MC, but I do envy you.