As the Rio Grande winds South it makes a stop in Elephant Butte Lake. This marvelous lake is the largest body of water in New Mexico where many different species of fish live including: Striped bass, White bass, Largemouth bass, Smallmouth Bass and Walleye. Grab your rod, set your sail or go for a cruise and enjoy what the Rio Grande has in store for you.
LAKE LEVEL REPORT
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We started our season in January with lake levels at an elevation below 4,295 ft of elevation which is 4% of capacity. Runoff brought our elevation level to 4,333 at the end of May which is considered 40% of capacity. Water goes over our spillway at 4,365. At present our elevation is 4,325 but we expect it to start dropping more rapidly because the slope of the lake causes loss of elevation faster the lower it gets. I use a website, Elephant Butte Lake Water Levels on Google to follow the managers projections. Right now they have told our State Park Officials that they will not stop the water released through the dam until the end of October. What this means to me is that the elevation will be back below 4,300 ft, however even at 4% of capacity we can still use the full lake for sailing from Dam Site Marina to the South to Kettle top North, which is about 8 nautical miles. The channel is narrow but we can still sail all year around. Hope this helps, I appreciate your reaching out.
Ken Tighe Mast Up Storage Manager,
tighekenneth@gmail.com, or text 505 328 4826.
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Click here to see the current Lake Levels of Elephant Butte form the Water Data for Texas.
Message from Past Commodore
Rio Grande Yacht Club
PO Box 220
Elephant Butte NM 87935
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Rio Grande Yacht Club 2023 Calendar of Events
Hello all interested Sailors,
The RGYC celebrates 63 years of sailing on Elephant Butte Lake this year. Over that time we have enjoyed social events, sailing seminars, sailboat racing and youth sailing programs just to name a few things we are involved in. Covid hit us hard but we are again out enjoying our lake and hope for better things this year. Please review the calendar below and make commitments to getting back in the groove with you friends, family and fellow Club members. We will continue to call our Skippers meeting at our Mast Up Storage facility around 10:00am with plans to be on the water by 12 noon until around 4:00pm. These events are open to all interested persons including children with little or no sailing experience necessary and we will provide life jackets if you need one. The Club purchases a Special Use Permit from the State Parks which is a requirement for the RGYC liability insurance.
Please come out and give us a try this year.
At Present all Events are on the Third Saturday Each Month Unless Otherwise Posted.
January 21, 2023, Frost Bite Regatta, Skippers Meet at Mast Up 10:00am
February 18 th , 2023, Valentine’s Day Chute Out, Skippers Meet at Mast Up 10:00am
March 18, 2023, Spring Fun Cup, Skippers Meet at Mast Up 10:00am
April 15 th , 2023, Rich Strasia Memorial Cup, Skippers Meet at Mast Up, 10:00am
May 20 th , 2023, Anniversary Cup, Skippers Meet at Mast Up 10:00am
June 17, 2023, Fun Race/Raft Up, Skippers Meet at Mast Up 10:00am
July 15 th , 2023, Beach Party/Dinghy Races, Skippers Meet at Beach Site (Look For Club Flags)
August 19, 2023, Beach Party/Dinghy Races, Skippers Meet at Beach Site (Look For Club Flags)
September 16, 2023, Fall Cup/Raft Up, Skippers Meet at Mast Up 10:00am
October 21, 2023 Race to the Elephant, Skippers Meet at Mast Up 10:00am
November 18 th , 2023 Commodore Cup/Board Meeting, Skippers Meet at Mast Up 10:00am
December 16 th , 2023 Holiday Cup, Skippers Meet at Mast Up 10:00am
If there are any questions or if additional information is needed, please check out our website at
“rgyc.net” or you can contact us by telephone at 505 328 4826, texting (not while driving) is ok
or e-mail tighekenneth@gmail.com . Also, our mailing address is RGYC PO box 220, Elephant
Butte NM 87935
Very Truly Yours
Ken Tighe
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