Candlewood Lake is a man-made lake created in 1929 by the Connecticut Light & Power Company. It is Connecticuts largest lake, with over 60 miles of shoreline and covering over 30 square miles in area. It's average depth is 30 feet and it reaches over 85 feet at it's deepest point in New Milford.

Candlewood Lake borders five towns: Danbury, Brookfield, New Milford, Sherman, and New Fairfield.

Any Connecticut resident that wishes to operate a boat or personal watercraft/jetski (PWC) must take the CT Safe Boating Course. Non-Residents may operate a boat for up to 60 days but must take the course for operating PWCs.

Courses are approximately 10 hours in length. The state courses are usually 4 evenings, 2.5 hours each and vary in cost from $0-15 (total) depending on the location. Whatever course you take, you should make sure it also covers PWCs.

Private "one day" courses are also available and run around $90 each.

Persons holding a valid Boating and/or Personal Watercraft certification issued by New York, Massachusetts or Rhode Island may use those certifications to operate in Connecticut.

• Connecticut Boating Certificate Information
• Connecticut Safe Boating Course Schedule
• Longshore Sailing School One-Day Course
• Connecticut Boater's Guide 2006 (PDF)
• Purchase a Candlewood Lake Depth Chart - 2006 Edition from the CT State DEP