[Rhodes22-list] Lake Winnebago, WI Cruise In The Summer of 2024

[jwiberg at wi.rr.com]

Hi Roger,

Sounds like a fun trip with the kiddos.

I have been sailing my ’82 Rhodes 22 in Milwaukee Bay since 1990,
but I grew up in Menasha on the north end of Lake Winnebago, boating
on Lake Winnebago and the Fox River. I spent my high school and
college years from the mid sixties through the mid seventies sailing
and racing scows at both Neenah and Oshkosh. Tugs and coal barges were
still using the lock and canal system in the fifties. When I was using
the lock system in the seventies, it was still run by the Army Corps
of Engineers. I haven’t used them since they were abandoned and
reopened by a local group

Lake Winnebago does not lend itself very well to spending a night on
the hook. Nothing on the east shore at all. Anything other than a west
wind will leaves no protected anchorages on the west shore. Asylum Bay
or maybe tucking in behind Island Park (known locally as Garlic
Island) are possibilities, but they’re both just north of Oshkosh,
so probably too far from Menasha.

The charted special anchorages, one in Oshkosh and two in Neenah, are
actually mooring buoy fields managed by the two local yacht clubs,
Oshkosh YC and Neenah-Nodaway YC. I don’t believe either club has
transient moorings. The anchorage you're considering near the hospital
is adjacent to a dam and spillway. When the dam gates are open, the
current is quite strong. Much too dangerous to attempt anchoring.

There is a small marina along the Government Canal in Menasha. It’s
not far from the Menasha lock, they have transient slips, and there
are several restaurants within walking distance.

There is a reef across the entrance to the Fox River at Menasha. The
best approach is from the south. My dad and I used to anchor our
fishing boat at the north end of the reef to catch walleyes and it was
always great fun to watch boats come flying in from the east and tear
up their bottoms and lower units.

One final thing. Beware the infamous Lake Winnebago cross chop. The
lake is so shallow that winds in the 12 to15 knot range can whip up
some pretty good waves that ricochet off the shores and come at you
from all directions. In the 70’s, Oshkosh hosted an ILYA E Scow
championship. One of the race days had 15 knot winds. The out of town
PRO (small lake guy) said “We always race in 15 knots”. The local
crews said “We’ll sit this one out”. It’s kind of awesome
seeing what happens to a 30 foot mast when an E boat turtles in 20
feet of water.

Let me know If you have any more questions.

John Wiberg

	-----------------------------------------From: "ROGER PIHLAJA" 
To: "The Rhodes 22 Email List"
Cc: 
Sent: Wednesday October 4 2023 4:21:50PM
Subject: [Rhodes22-list] Lake Winnebago, WI Cruise In The Summer of
2024

 Hi All,

 Has anybody done any cruising on Lake Winnebago, WI?

 Next summer, I'm planning to take my son, Gary, and two
grandchildren, Kaley and Fred, on a cruise on Lake Winnebago, WI.
Kaley will be 9 years and Fred will be 7 years old. This will be their
first overnight boating experience. Lake Winnebago is in NE Wisconsin
and at nearly 118,000 acres, is the largest inland lake in the state.
We plan to launch and retrieve from High Cliff State Park in the NE
corner of the lake. High Cliff State Park has several miles of easy
hiking and biking trails along the Niagara Escarpment, the same rock
cliff that forms Niagara Falls in NY state. Besides the cliffs with
their stunning views of Lake Winnebago, there are ruins from lime
quarrying and calcining operations to explore. High Cliff State Park
has its own full service marina with reservable transient dockage and
we plan to stay on the boat. Besides staying at the dock at High
Cliff, I'm thinking I'd like to spend a night on the hook. There are
special anchorages identified on the charts at Miller Bay in Oshkosh,
WI and in the Lower Fox River on the S side of Doty Island, near the
hospital in Neenah, WI. Does anyone have any local knowledge re either
of these 2 anchorages? All else being equal, I would prefer anchoring
off Doty Island because I want to take S/V Dynamic Equilibrium thru at
least the Menasha Lock on the Lower Fox River and would really prefer
to sail the length of Little Lake Butte Des Morts (Literally: Little
Lake Cliff Of Death!) and lock thru Locks 1-4 in Appleton, WI. If I
were to anchor in Miller Bay, I would have to sail several miles to
get to the entrance to the Lower Fox River. In this scenario, there
would probably only be time to do the Menasha Lock before turning
around and sailing back to High Cliffs. Does anyone know of any other
anchorages, especially near the N end of Lake Winnebago? Does anyone
have any suggestions for kid friendly activities in Oshkosh, Neenah,
&/or Appleton, WI? If we get to Appleton, I would especially
appreciate a suggestion for a boat-up restaurant for lunch or dinner.

 If Kaley and Fred like this cruise, in future years, we may attempt
to cruise all 39 miles of the Lower Fox River from Lake Winnebago to
Green Bay thru all 19 locks (a drop of ~170 ft!) and then do some
cruising on Lower Green Bay. Just transiting the Lower Fox River with
all the locks will require a whole day. Many of these locks are
unusual in that they are hand operated, just like they were when
originally installed in the 1850's. These locks are old school, no
floating bollards like on the big US Army Corps Of Engineers locks on
the western rivers. You have to have someone handling a line at each
bollard as well as someone to fend off the walls and good fenders. The
Lower Fox River lock system was actually the first public works
project for the, then new, state of Wisconsin (admitted to the union
in 1848). For a while, the Lower Fox River lock system greatly
expanded economic activity in cities like Green Bay, Appleton, Neenah,
and Oshkosh, WI. But, with the coming of trains and trucks to move
cargo, the system fell into disuse and then disrepair. It has only
recently been restored and reopened for recreational boating.

 Roger Pihlaja
 S/V Dynamic Equilibrium