About – St. Croix Sailing Club

About Us

The St. Croix Sailing Club was formed to encourage and promote sailing activities for all family members. Events include racing, cruising, education and special social events. We are located on the St. Croix River, just east of the Twin Cities, with member boats at marinas and on moorings from Bayport to south of Afton.

St. Croix Sailing Club is a proud member of US Sailing!

Racing
Racing events are organized to appeal to sailors of all abilities. They include several weekend and mid-week racing series, fun races, and special regattas such as the Spring Invitational; the Breaking Waves Regatta and Commodore’s Cup (overnight race/cruise from Hudson to Prescott); the Carlson Classic; the Labor Day Regatta; and the Autumnal Equinox.

The Labor Day Regatta has brought in sailors from Iowa, Lake of the Woods, Lake Pepin, Lake Waconia, Lake Minnetonka, White Bear Lake, Medicine Lake, Lake Mille Lacs, Chicago, La Crosse, and Bayfield. The festivities begin on Friday night and, after two days of racing, conclude Sunday with the awards ceremony and cocktail party. Saturday’s racing is often followed by dinner and live music.

Cruising
Overnight cruises take us to places like Afton State Park, Prescott, Stillwater, Bayport and Lake Pepin. Often, star-rafts are formed for strong anchorages and better socializing. The star-raft provides a swimming area in the middle and people move from boat to boat, sharing horsd’oeuveres, beverages and tall tales. Meals and social functions in conjunction with cruises have included barbecues, shrimp boils, pig roasts, luaus, breakfasts of pancakes, eggs benedict, and omelet buffets, volleyball, softball, dinghy races, RC boat races and treasure hunts. Fun for the whole family!

Other social events include dock parties, picnics, chili feeds, an annual rum party, winter get-togethers, spring and fall banquets. The St. Croix Sailing Club also sponsors special events such as sailing and racing seminars, both on and off the water.

2025 Board Members

Bob Barbian
Commodore, learn more here.

Ken Tennant
Rear Commodore, learn more here.

Vice Commodore Needed- Contact Us to apply.
Learn more here.

Treasurer Needed- Contact Us to apply.
Learn more here.

Chad Walstrom
Secretary, learn more here.

Regatta Chair Needed- Contact Us to apply.
Learn more here.

Program Chair Needed- Contact Us to apply.
Learn more here.

Dan Prochaska
Cruise Chair, learn more here.

Luke MacMenamin
Ratings Chair, learn more here.

Heather Hultgren
Marketing Chair, learn more here.

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Patrick O’Donnell
Principal Race Officer, learn more here.

Policies

St. Croix Sailing Club (SCSC) honors and enforces the following policies.

SCSC reserves the right to change these policies at any time. The Bylaws, Notices of Race, Sailing Instructions, Official Notice Board, and US Sailing’s Racing Rules of Sailing (RRS) add to and may change these policies at any time.

Nondiscrimination Policy

St. Croix Sailing Club does not discriminate on the basis of race, ethnicity, color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, socio-economic status, religion, or physical ability in the administration of its admission policies, educational policies, racing policies, and other club-administered programs.

Education Policies (ASA-101 and Crew Class)

In addition to other policies in this document, the following policies specifically apply to learning sessions:

Registration Confirmation

Students are not considered registered until both a registration form and full payment for the class has been made. Space in classes is on a first-come basis.

Session Cancellations and Refunds

All refunds will be subject to a $20 service charge – deducted from the refund amount.

If you need to withdraw from a class, a full refund (minus the service charge) will be made until two weeks before the start of the class; a 50% refund until one week before the class; no refund after that time. If you are able to find a replacement to enroll in the class, the club will make a full refund (minus the service charge).
Refunds cannot be issued for missed sessions or partially attended sessions.

Session Changes

If you need to change your registration from one session to another, we would be happy to work with you to accommodate your request. There is no charge to change or cancel a registration at least two weeks prior to the start of class. Session changes within two weeks are subject to availability.

Club Cancellations

In the event a sailing session does not have a minimum number of students registered, that session may be canceled. The club will work with registrants to reschedule for another session or will offer full refunds.

Weather Conditions

Due to high winds or inclement weather, instructors may cancel on-the-water events due to safety. The club will work with registrants to reschedule these sessions.

Boat or Equipment Damage

In the unlikely event of negligence or careless damage to boats, sails, spars or other equipment, the responsible student/parent/guardian is expected to pay for reasonable repairs.

Membership Policies

Membership dues are required by May 1st. Members not having paid dues by that date shall forfeit all privileges of membership until dues are paid.
Returning Race Registrations are required by the membership deadline. Penalties may apply for late registration.
No refunds of membership dues will be made after May 1st. All refunds are subject to a $20 service charge.
Anyone participating in more than 5 events is required to become a member.
One boat membership is permitted per Regular Membership.
Boats participating in races must be at least 18′ or larger. We are primarily a keelboat racing organization.
Burgees are required to be flown on all boats attending events.
At least one Regular Member is required to be onboard during events.
One burgee is offered complimentary with all new boat registrations.
Registrations are not transferrable to other persons or boats.
All boats shall carry a minimum of $300,000 liability insurance and provide proof of insurance upon request by the Race Committee.
No discounts will be granted for registrations made mid-season.
All SCSC Board Members are required to be Regular Members (per Bylaws).
“New Race Membership” boats are qualified as any of the following:
- A new boat to our club
- Boats registered last year having changed ownership for the new year
- Previously registered boats under the same ownership and having not registered for a Race or Casual Race membership in the past three years.

Safety/Weather Policies

RRS 3 states: “The responsibility for a boat’s decision to participate in a race or to continue to race is hers alone.”
Competitors participate in the event entirely at their own risk. The Organizing Authority will not accept any liability for material damage or personal injury or death sustained in conjunction with or prior to, during, or after the regatta.

RRS 4.1 states: “By participating or intending to participate in an event conducted under the rules, each competitor and boat owner agrees to accept the rules.“

RRS 4.4 states: “The person in charge of each boat shall ensure that all competitors in the crew and the boat’s owner are aware of their responsibilities under this rule.”

Early Season Launch Delays

Floods and bad weather can occasionally delay the Spring launch schedule at St. Croix Marina, where most of our boats are located or serviced. If fewer than 50% of boats registered for Yacht of the Year are in the water for early season races, the Organizing Committee has the option to postpone affected Yacht of the Year races and to cancel affected Casual Races.

Calendar Policies

The calendar is always subject to change, but the Board of Directors do their best to avoid date changes. If Yacht of the Year races are cancelled, there is one make up date for each event. If Casual Races are cancelled, they are not made up.

Any additional race dates or schedule changes during the sailing season will be advertised with as much notice as possible on the website, mailing lists, and social media. Failure to see or to be able to accommodate such changes shall not be grounds for refunds or redress.

Tip: Boats competing in Yacht of the Year should generally expect that make-up dates will be sailed.

Award Policies

Traveling trophies will be awarded to those who finish in 1st place at events to which such trophies apply.
Plaques (or similar) are typically awarded to boats competing in Yacht of the Year who have placed 1st, 2nd, or 3rd in any qualified events.
Plaques (or similar) are typically awarded to boats competing in Casual Races who have placed 1st in any qualified events.
Traveling trophies at “Open” events, when won by boats or crews who are not members of the St. Croix Sailing Club, shall remain on display in the St. Croix Sailing Club Trophy Case at St. Croix Marina.

Beercan Event Policies

Hosts will be reimbursed up to the amount specified on the registration form. Additional expenses will not be reimbursed.
Hosts may suggest changes to the race format. All changes (especially those which affect Sailing Instructions or Notices of Race) must be approved by the Organizing Committee and Race Committee. It is recommended to submit format change proposals at least one week prior to the event.

Participation by Minors

SCSC is a family-friendly organization and youths under age 18 are welcome. Members bringing children or guests who are under 18 to club events are solely responsible for their safety and must provide effective supervision at all times.

Privacy Policies

St. Croix Sailing Club (SCSC) recognizes the importance of protecting the privacy and security of your personal information. We provide this Privacy Statement to help you understand what we may do with any personal information that we obtain from you. By providing your personal information to us, you signify your acceptance of this Privacy Statement, and agree that we may collect, use, and disclose your personal information as described herein. If you do not agree to this statement, please do not provide your personal information to us via this web site.

Information You Provide to Us

To communicate effectively with visitors to our web site, we may ask you for personally-identifiable information that can include, by way of illustration, your name, mailing address, email address, or telephone number. It is your choice to provide us with this personal information; we will only collect personal information that you provide. SCSC will never sell or trade personally-identifiable information you provide to us through this web site to others unless we have your consent to share the information or we are sharing such information in response to a subpoena, court order, or other legal process.

Personal information related to registration

If you use our web site to register for classes and programming we require that you provide us with certain personally-identifiable information including your name, address, telephone number, and email address. This information is necessary to process your application and to contact you. Credit card information is never stored on premises or electronically on SCSC computers.

When you visit our site, some information such as your Internet network address, Internet service provider, operating system, web browser version, site from which you arrived, and the time and date of your visit may be collected automatically as part of normal site operation. This information is used solely to track web browsing patterns to better understand how our site is being used, and when necessary, to troubleshoot problems with the site.

Google/Meta Analytics

Some sections of our web site use Google Analytics or Meta Pixel. They are web analytics services provided by Google, Inc and Meta, Inc. These services use cookies, web beacons, and other technologies to help us analyze how people use our sites. The information generated by these services about your use of the web site includes your Internet network address. This information will be transmitted to and stored by Google and Meta on their servers. Google and Meta will use this information for the purpose of evaluating your use of the web site, compiling reports on web site activity for our web site administrators, and providing other services relating to web site activity, Internet usage, and advertising. Google and Meta may also transfer this information to third parties where required to do so by law, or where such third parties process the information on Google’s or Meta’s behalf.
To disable Google Analytics’ tracking of your usage of our site, you may disable cookies in your browser; however please note that by doing so you may not be able to use the full functionality of this web site. By using this web site, you consent to the processing of data about you by Google in the manner and for the purposes set out above. To learn more, visit the Google Analytics Privacy Overview and Google’s privacy policy.
To disable the Meta’s tracking on our website, visit:
http://www.aboutads.info/choices

Links to Other Sites

This web site contains links to other sites that are not owned or controlled by SCSC. Please be aware that SCSC is not responsible for the privacy practices of such other sites. We encourage you to be aware when you leave our site and to read the privacy statements of each and every web site to which you provide personally-identifiable information.
This Privacy Statement applies only to information collected by this web site.

Use of This Site by Children

This site is not designed for or intended for use by children under the age of thirteen, and we request that such individuals do not submit personally-identifiable information to this site.

Security

We follow generally accepted industry practices to protect the personal information submitted to us, both during transmission and once we receive it. No method of transmission over the Internet, or method of electronic storage, is 100% secure, however. Therefore, while we strive to use commercially reasonable means to protect your personal information, we cannot guarantee its absolute security.

Changes to this Privacy Statement

We reserve the right to modify this privacy statement at any time

Contact Us

Mailing Address:

St. Croix Sailing Club
16 First Street
Hudson WI 54016

Our History

A Brief History of The St. Croix Sailing Club as compiled and written by Bill Hooper

Early boating on the St. Croix was a lot different in the 1950’s and 1960’s and really sailing in our area didn’t boom until the early 1970’s. Prior to that most of the boats were powerboats – many made of wood – the likes of cabin cruisers. It was in this era where wooden boats gave way to fiberglass boats. The sailing class in our area was most popular with the popularity of the C, D, A, E and M-16 Scows of White Bear Lake, Minnetonka and other Midwest states who formed the inland lakes sailing association, and their early crafts also were made of wood. Sailing was more popular in other parts of the world and other parts of the U.S.

The sport of sailing had become popular on the east and west coasts before the turn of the century. It was in 1959 when Everett Pearson built the first affordable offshore fiberglass boat – The Pearson Triton 28. He introduced it at the New York Boat Show and they sold so many they didn’t know how to keep up with production. Sailing up until that point was pretty much a rich man’s sport, but the Triton helped change the course where the average man of lesser means, could afford to jump in and enjoy family sailing too.

So, there were a few sailors day sailing on the St. Croix and Candlemas Sailing was the one sailboat dealership in the area who thought about creating a sailing club on Lake St. Croix. It all started on July 9^th, 1974 when a leaflet was placed in the mailboxes in the Afton area by Kirk Mahle owner of Candlemas Sailing. The leaflet announced the formation of the “Afton Sailing Club” and the first event was to be held at the Afton House on that Tuesday of July 9^th at 6:30 pm where the dinner choices cost $3.95 and $4.95 plus $1.00 for dues. Apparently there was a .75 initial cost as indicated on existing index cards with participant’s names and each is marked with “Pd .75”. The event actually kicked off at 3 pm for those who wanted sail a 12′ Butterly. The evening comprised of discussion and someone provided some films to watch. There were 29 members the first year.

The turnout was quite good and the group elected their first Commodore, Allen Jensen and a secretary, Sandy Weiss. During an early membership drive they announced that Member ship dues were to be $1.00 and the “ambitious” racing schedule was to be held on Wednesdays at 6:30 pm and Sundays at 2:00 pm. It was an opportunity to meet fellow sailors on the St. Croix and afterwards there were picnics and get-togethers for films and socializing.

The first official race was August 7^th and it got off to a fairly good start despite confusion from just about everyone in regards to the starting procedure. The first buoys were white Clorox bottles bobbing in the middle of the choppy river at distances of about 2 miles apart and pretty much no one could find them.

Sandy Weiss then donated truck inner tubes, Charley Sinks donated the pipes and Kirk Mahle donated plastic flags (which were laundry articles before) and Allen Jensen donated the wood and assembled them. It was a success as they were more easily found.

The first major function of the club was the Autumnal Equinox Regatta sponsored by the Afton Sailing Club on September 14-15^th and it consisted of one Saturday race and two Sunday races. The Carlson’s (Grace and Claire of which the Carlson Cup is aptly named after) hosted the Saturday night socializing. Commodore Al Jensen described the first regatta as “a smashing success” with “great people”. The results of the first regatta were: 1^st, Bill and Sally Friedlander (Shields 30), 2^nd Claire and Grace Carlson (Y-Boat), 3^rd Stan and Karen Hubbard (Pearson Commander), 4^th Jack Schmidtke (Lightning), 5^th Mark Stephan (Venture 17), 6^th Al and Beverly Jensen (Hobie 16). Trophies were 3 deep and since no season standings were compiled the first year, this list served as the final season standings as well. The handicap system used then was the NAYRU (North American Yacht Racing Union) Portsmouth Yardstick.

In 1975 the 2^nd Commodore was Mark Stephan and the racing increased to 5 Sunday races (two in July and 3 in August) and 4 Wednesday afternoon Junior races in the same two months. On the weekend of August 9^th and 10^th the first cruise took place down to the Kinnickinnic for an over-nighter. In September they had the 2^nd Annual Autumnal Equinox Regatta and on October 1^st, a Wednesday evening dinner with awards. It was in 1975 that a Race Circular was developed with details on starts, rules, courses, signals, recalls, protests, handicaps, scoring and awards. And, it was this 2^nd year when the first Commodore Allen Jensen and his wife Bev bid farewell, moved to Anoka, bought a San Juan 24 and started racing on Minnetonka.

There was no official newsletter, but Mark Stephan put out month “Commodore’s Notes” which were very informative with reports on race conditions, and events of the year, including anecdotes on various members activities. Then, in December of 1975 “River Readings” was created by Mark. There were anywhere between about eight and a dozen boats on the start line for race events and at year’s end there were 29 members of which 25 had boats that participated in events. The largest boat appeared to be the Shields 30 owned by the Friedlander’s and the smallest was a Snark owned by Ken and Julie Spears. I believe at this point the only ones who were members then and now are Stan and Karen Hubbard. There are others still sailing on the St. Croix, and still around, but no longer members.

In 1976 Family Memberships were $13, Mr. & Mrs. Memberships were $10 and single, crew or sponsoring members were $5. Crew members were considered boatless. It was then that the first informal survey came out asking for feedback from the membership more formerly. It was evident that the level of sophistication in the club was rising. The by-laws were established this year and the River Readings expanded. There was a spring dinner, sailing classes were established along with racing tactics and an increase of 6 new members over the winter. A “Sailaway” event was introduced where boats gathered in a parade fashion to show off to onlookers and also to encourage members to sail together in a flotilla style. They were contemplating what sort of buoy tender or committee boat should be engaged and so they were requesting someone to come forward with a pontoon boat or possible the idea of purchasing one was tossed around. And, the decision to call the Afton Sailing Club the St. Croix Sailing Club was announced in February of 1976. Mark Stephan continued a second year as Commodore and River Readings editor and the rest of the board of Directors consisted of 3 directors of which one also served as the secretary and treasurer.

The membership increased to 46 with 42 of them owning boats – as did the boat sizes. Stan and Karen Hubbard sold their Pearson Commander 26 to another and purchased a Chance 30/30. The amount of races grew slightly and twists were introduced such as a staggered start for one race and a distance course for another. A few Cruises were tossed in and the 3^rd Annual Autumnal Equinox became more of a distance race (racing south of Afton) with a picnic on Saturday night. The Fall Dinner consisted of awards and election of new officers.

Many changes have taken place over the years and the club has been faced with adversities. We’ve had the privilege of enjoying for many seasons the availability of Hank and Mary Ellen Paulson’s 41′ Chris Craft Roamer and also have had to endure no committee boat where member’s names were drawn out of a hat so that they could donate their time and sailboat to set the course and manage the race, sitting out of the competition to do so. And we’ve been blessed with the Dave O’Donnell family who rose to the occasion and became our steadfast race committee, judge and buoy tenders which now are in their 2^nd generation with Race Judge Patrick O’Donnell and continuing family members. SCSC started out as a racing club, but quickly included the cruising element to accommodate those who enjoy sailing, but not necessarily racing. Our group has extended their horizons to other bodies of water and our members have enjoyed racing on various levels elsewhere and cruising to exotic waters elsewhere as well. We all have one common denominator – sailing, sailboats and all that it entails. It’s a way of life.

And so the St. Croix Sailing Club continues to grow to what it is today. Through the years there have been many changes, advances, new members, members lost and many different approaches to racing, cruising, socializing and the growth of the sailboats in size and sophistication. But, the basic tenants exist to this day with the same goals of enjoying the beautiful Lake St. Croix and where it takes us and the perpetuation of sailing and education and fun for the membership – made possible by the efforts of the members.