COLD LAKE - There’s no better feeling than sailing on the open water, according to one local recreational boating enthusiast.
Jim Belliveau, who has been sailing around the waters of Cold Lake for decades, is also the communications director of the Cold Lake Sailing Association. He stated that the club, which currently has a membership of over 25 boaters, has been busy hosting races and even a few regattas out of the marina on the large freshwater lake.
“Regular races take place on Wednesday nights, which is a tradition with clubs worldwide,” he explained. “Regattas, generally day-long events featuring one or two races, are hosted once a month.”
The active sailing community in Cold Lake, which has been called ‘The City of Sails,’ is currently working on initiatives to expand its ranks and get more people interested in sailing. According to Belliveau, the club recently acquired a small fleet of 420s – an intermediate level small sailboat – used for conducting group lessons and familiarization sessions.
“The Cold Lake Sailing Association runs the ‘Learn to Sail’ program, and we are hoping in the near future to include another fleet of entry level boats called ‘Opti’, for children who are learning the basics of open water sailing,” he said.
The Cold Lake Sailing Association sells individual memberships for $55.
“The club also has 'pick up crew' opportunities and encourages curious would-be sailors to drop by before 6 p.m. at the marina on Wednesday nights for a chance to sail,” Belliveau continued. With only a handful of boats, it’s not always a guarantee to hop on, but the club does its best to accommodate those who are interested.
Being north of the 54th parallel, the season of open water sailing is very short, starting around the end of May and ending just before Thanksgiving weekend. As for the massive lake itself, which features one island on its north side and a few sheltered bays in the east, Cold Lake more than lives up to its name, with frigid waters and summer storm conditions occasionally creating challenges for boaters.
“Summer storms, while not as severe as they are further south, can still churn up the lake fast, and with a ‘fetch’ of up to 16 kms in most directions, waves have a tendency to get quite high,” the veteran freshwater sailor explained. “Regarding the cold, in the early part of the season, the water temperatures can be as low as 20 degrees below air temperature.”
On Aug. 12, the Cold Lake Sailing Association hosted one of the most anticipated regattas of the season, the 25th annual Prairie Endurance Challenge, a longer, more expansive race that spans much of the lake.
“The race was an overwhelming success this year,” said Belliveau. “While all boats were based out of Cold Lake, there were 18 participants, some who came from Edmonton and other places in the province. On Sept. 9, the club will be hosting the annual “Red’s Regatta.”
Whether he’s taking part in a competition or merely out of an easy relaxing sail, Belliveau says being in the open water has always been a solace for him.
“During the COVID-19 pandemic, when much of normal life was shut down, I was still able to keep sailing,” he said. “It feels great to be linked with a close community of local sailors as well as to have a spiritual connection with all who have gone to water under sail, the world over.”
