The regatta of a lifetime
Welcome to LOWISA, short for Lake of the Woods International Sailing Association. As our name would suggest, we’re an international non-profit sailing association based on Lake of the Woods, an expansive freshwater lake encompassing over 65,000 miles of lakefront and over 14,000 islands. During the first week of August each year, we host the famous LOWISA Regatta, a one-week point-to-point sailing race that we consider the greatest freshwater sailing race on earth. An event unlike any other, the LOWISA Regatta features seven straight days of sailboat racing or cruising along a winding course through the majestic Lake of the Woods. Each night our fleet anchors in a new bay where we host a variety of social events under endless starry skies and the occasional northern lights. Our participants typically hail from Canada and the United States, although we welcome participants of all varieties and ages, as well as boat of all designs. If you’re fond of adventure, being immersed in nature, and creating lifelong friendships, we hope you’ll join us next year on LOWISA 59 scheduled for August 2-9, 2025. More information on the annual LOWISA regatta can be found on our event info page and in our FAQ section.
How it all started
It all began in 1965 when Clyde Ryberg of Minneapolis, Minnesota alongside his wife and two children boarded an E-scow with a canoe and camping gear in tow and set out to explore remote Lake of the Woods. At the time, Ryberg’s trip was financially supported by Minnesota State Senator Henry T. McKnight, an avid canoer and nature conservator. Both Ryberg and McKnight considered Lake of the Woods and the Boundary Waters as places of endless natural beauty unique among all the world’s landmarks. Ryberg would later write of McKnight: “Henry had an obsession that areas like this should be both used and preserved as a habitat for people in which they could recharge their enthusiasm for life—while accepting the responsibilities that go with such use.” From Ryberg’s travels emerged the notion of a grand international sailing regatta spanning northern Minnesota and southern Canada. Subsequently, McKnight and Ryberg, together with the many commodore’s and regatta participants that followed, have made this vision a reality. Today, in our 58th year, we continue to honor these traditions laid out before us, and with renewed vigor, pledge ourselves to the passion for adventure, camaraderie, and sustainability-mindedness that fueled the first LOWISA regatta.
Our sustainability commitment
Respecting and stewarding the natural environment is central to the LOWISA experience and is an ethic that runs deep within our community and organization. Over 70 miles long, Lake of the Woods is home to over 14,000 islands, 65,000 miles of shoreline, and supports a diverse array of wildlife including a wide range of freshwater fishes, white-tailed deer, black bears, and wolves. We know that to continue our event well into the future we must conserve and protect the lands and waters that make our regatta possible. To achieve this, we provide our participants with detailed sustainability guidelines and work with our partners (caterers and resorts) to ensure the sustainability of our social events. This includes minimizing the use of single-use plastics on participating boats and during meals, sourcing local foods whenever possible, recycling and composting, and adhering to Leave No Trace principles. We are pleased to announce that in 2021, Sailor’s for the Sea awarded LOWISA a Gold Level Clean Regatta Certification and we look forward to meeting and exceeding our sustainability goals in the future. For more information on our sustainability program and resources please visit our sustainability page.
Latest Updates
LOWISA 58 & Race results
Congratulations to all LOWISA 58 participants and award-winners! Thank you to our LOWISA 58 Sponsors, Sustainability Partners, Race Committee, Safety & Repax Teams, and countless volunteers working tirelessly behind the scenes. Your support is what keeps the Spirit of LOWISA alive.
Online Registration
Early online event registration for LOWISA 59 will open Spring 2025. For more information on next year’s event, subscribe to our mailing list and stay tuned to our website and social media.
LOWISA 59 Courses in progress
LOWISA is a week-long event with more than six full days of racing on the beautiful Lake of the Woods featuring a mid-week layover day during which participants can relax or participate in an optional round-the-buoys layover day race. We modify our race courses each year to provide our fleet a new and exciting sailing experience. Check back Spring 2025 for updates on LOWISA 59.
Event Highlights
Sailing Team Tally Ho!’s Footage from the Archives
LOWISA participant and former Commodore of LOWISA 41 Thomas Brown of Sailing Team Tally Ho! has been working on restoring and digitizing archival footage from the early days of LOWISA. Check out some of this incredible footage on our past events page and on the Sailing Team Tally Ho! YouTube channel.
Our Sponsors
