L56 Porthole Article
The Lake of the Wood International Sailing Association regatta, most commonly known as LOWISA, will take place from July 30, 2022 to August 6, 2022 this year. The event is based out of Northern Harbour located just east of Kenora, Ontario.
LOWISA is an international sailing regatta open to racers and cruisers who share a love of the lake. This year will be LOWISA’s 56nd regatta, bringing together people of all ages and boats of all sizes for the most incredible week of the year. It is a unique sailing event that is truly like no other, providing the opportunity to explore and discover beautiful Lake of the Woods with a fantastic group of people. LOWISA is an adventure that you will remember forever.
LOWISA is a 7-day event including 6 days of racing and mid-week layover day and other activities. The racing format for LOWISA does not follow the traditional round-the-buoys format and rather utilizes a series of islands as marks for the course. The course weaves its way through the lake challenging racers to navigate strategically around the islands. An example of a typical racecourse is shown in the image. Racing is scored using the PHRF system with boats organized into divisions of similar ratings.
Our adventure this year begins with an on-the-water Skipper’s Meeting at the Strawberry Anchorage on Saturday, July 30th. Racing begins the next morning, with a course that starts south of Scotty Island and heads further south towards popular anchorages scattered throughout Lake of the Woods. Each evening, social events have been planned bringing people together to share stories of the day’s adventures. Layover day will be hosted by Ash Rapids lodge located in Ptarmigan Bay, close to Clearwater Bay. The lodge has a full restaurant and will be serving breakfast, lunch and dinner during our stay and cabins can also be rented from the lodge. Layover day activities include a layover day race, a paddleboard competition, a football game, and yoga followed by a fish fry and a live band. In the second part of the week, the regatta continues taking the racing fleet into different parts of the lake with courses that circle out and back from the anchorages. Throughout the week, the cruising fleet and support boats navigate between anchorages at their own pace and take part in all the social activities. Kids event will be planned, giving the younger participants a range of evening activities to look forward to. The event concludes with a Commodores Banquet and awards ceremony at Northern Harbour.
If you would like to learn more about LOWISA please visit our website or our Lowisa Regatta Facebook page. You can also email us.
Come join in the adventure holiday and sail with us on Lake of the Woods, on The Greatest Fresh Water Regatta in the World!
Stewart Anderson and Quinn Anderson
Commodores, LOWISA 56
