A Night at the Port: The Start of Summer on Lake Minnetonka?

Monday evening was the nicest of the year, and residents flocked to Excelsior to enjoy the weather.

After a prolonged winter and frustratingly delayed spring, Monday evening gave area residents one of their first real chances of the season to get outdoors and enjoy Lake Minnetonka. In Excelsior, a the ping of softball bats echoed while sailboats cruised the bay and kids waded into Lake Minnetonka until the cold water forced them back to the beach. Monday's pleasant evening won't be the first this week. Tuesday will give residents another great chance to get outside, with temperatures expected to approach 90 degrees for the first time this year, and highs through the weekend are forecast to be in the 70s. Have a photo you'd like to share? Upload it using the buttons above and share it with the community!

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A Dozen Great Feature Stories About Lake Minnetonka History

From the archives: Steamboats, Big Island, Cottagewood, sailing and more.

Follow Lake Minnetonka Patch on Twitter | Like us on Facebook | Sign up for our daily newsletter All stories linked in this post were authored by Stephanie Larsen and appeared as part of her "Time Capsule" series. Just a few samples: The Evolution of Big Island on Lake Minnetonka: In the early 1880s, the Dakota inhabited Big Island on Lake Minnetonka. The 273-acre island was discovered by settlers in 1852. Judge Bradley B. Meeker, the namesake of Meeker County, squatted on Big Island in 1852. In 1856, brothers W.B. and John Morse purchased Big Island. The Cottagewood General Store: A Tradition Since 1895: In 1876, Cottagewood in Deephaven was platted by Susan and Samuel Gale. Gale was a Minneapolis real estate agent and civic leader. Today…

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Photos: Star of the North Regatta on Lake Minnetonka

Three-day regatta on Lake Minnetonka saw good weather and fair winds.

by Mark Puariea Bert Foster and the crew of the boat Sesame Street took the gun, placing first in the Sonar fleet during this year’s “Star Of The North Regatta”—an amateur racing event sailed over the weekend on Lake Minnetonka. For three days—Friday Saturday and Sunday—these intrepid racers took to the lake competing for coveted trophies. Their mission: to race eight events with the total number of recorded times for each boat, in each race, then calculated to determine the winners overall. Scoring for the races is done by following US Sailing Rules. “Everything was great, sailing with my son Terry and winning, it just doesn’t get any better than that," Foster said after his boat Sesame Street placed first in the Sonar fleet in this year'…

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2012 U.S. Junior Women’s Doublehanded Championship to be raced on Lake Minnetonka

Lake Minnetonka Sailing School will host races.

Sail Away on Wayzata Bay this Summer with Wayzata Sailing Center

Opportunities abound to hit the lake for people of all abilities.

The Wayzata Community Adaptive Sailing Program welcomes potential sailors of all levels of physical ability to sail on Lake Minnetonka this summer through its SailAway program.    Members of the Wayzata Community Sailing Center are able to adapt sailboats to each sailor’s specific needs. Safety and comfort are the highest priority.  The school also offers classes and adventures for those who find sailing relaxing, challenging and rewarding so they make take pleasure in a lifetime of sailing. Here are some opportunities for the public to learn more about the life sport of sailing:  SailAway on Wayzata Bay Open House The Wayzata Community Sailing Center is hosting an open house on Tuesday, June 12, from 5 to 8 p.m. Attendees will be able to …

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How a Lifelong Passion for Sailing was Rekindled Thursday Afternoon

Bob Slocum has sailed Lake Minnetonka for more than 70 years. Now 80, he was back on the lake Thursday afternoon.

Bob Slocum first sailed Lake Minnetonka as a young boy back in the 1940s. On what he says was a “whim,” Slocum’s mother enrolled him and his brother in sailing lessons one summer—sparking a passion that would last a lifetime and eventually span multiple generations. “I didn’t know one end of a sailboat from the other,” Slocum said. “My mother hired someone named Doug West, from Excelsior. He came out with this big 60-foot boat, and my brother got on with a smile. I was scared to death.” Another instructor during Slocum’s early sailing days was Ward Burton, a Lake Minnetonka sailing legend and one of the sport’s elite competitors during the middle part of the 20th century. Now 80, Slocum doesn’t get out on the water much anymore, but on …

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