Blackshirt Boat Club

Welcome aboard and thanks for taking the time to visit. Lake Manawa Sailing Association is located on Lake Manawa in the southern part of Council Bluffs, Iowa. You can find us by taking the Lake Manawa exit off of I-80 and drive south one mile and west one-quarter mile. Our address is 812 Comanche St. Our club consists of a Snipe Class Racing Fleet (INSA), a Laser and Catamaran Fleet (ENSA), a match racing league (MMRL), a Sea Scout Ship 542, a Sailing School (LMSS) and a Cruiser fleet on the grounds of the old State Park Ranger facilities. As you peruse the following pages, you will notice that this site is all about sailing - the boats, the people, the pastime and the sport. The history of our Sailing Association is rich with tradition dating back to the 1940's. Our Snipe Class regattas have drawn competitors from around the nation, including national champions, and two of our members have "sat at the helm" of SCIRA (Snipe Class International Racing Association) - which is the governing board of the Snipe Class. Since we've moved to our present site in 1986, we have grown to include many classes of boats under 26 feet in length. Currently our membership exceeds 120 and our on-site boat storage exceeds 100. Sailing means many different things to our many members. Some view it as an excellent opportunity to spend "family time", while others may view it from a social perspective or even from a competitive angle. With the sailing season being six months long - May to October - having fun on the water becomes the primary focus. Inevitably... every season... like clockwork.. the fun catches up with some of us that make for incredible stories, or incredibly funny stories, that are told and retold at our many social gatherings throughout the year. If you would like to learn more about sailing, or our association, please contact us through the website or give any of us a call. Better yet, check the schedule and stop by on a racing day... any one of us would be happy to show you around.