by Al Struck
The day dawned clear and with winds already picking up. Larry Griffin, John Wait, Greg Peterson, and Al Struck were out on the lake at 9:00 am placing the buoys for the afternoon race. Since it is an open registration, we had no clear idea of how many boats would be in the fleet. We did know that the three camps vying for the Camp Cup were fielding 13 boats. We hoped that Fernwood Cove will rejoin us next year in the quest for the Cup.
The registration desk was manned by Tom and Joann Aiello who have a place at Keoka Beach Campground. We are so grateful to Chris Searles for allowing the Regatta to launch from the Keoka Beach Campground Beach. Logistically, this has really helped make the Regatta doable. The winds were blowing between 10 and 15mph. The sailors had their boats tuned and ready to go. Brenda Hambleton captained the Committee boat with able assistance from Doss and Riley Hasson.
Twenty boats composed the fleet leaping forward at the opening horn as they surged toward the first mark just shy of Rock Island. Unfortunately, the flags on each of the markers could not withstand the winds and disintegrated before the race began. The safety boat manned by Dodi and John Wait and Steve Dosh pressed folks into service to help the sailors see where the turns were located. Sailing was spirited with competitive contact at buoys. The wind upset several boats and the lead was exchanged a few times in the various classes. Riley Hasson dove into the water to get an accurate account of the finish. Right to the end the outcome was a toss-up. The winners were exhilarated when they found themselves crossing the finish line first.
Once the results were confirmed the awards were presented to the winners on the beach at the Keoka Beach Campground. The Camp Cup was won by Birch Rock this year, wresting it from Camp Wigwam. A young man named Teddy was the first camper to cross the finish line, winning the cup and coming in first in the Camp Laser Class. Nate, also from Birch Rock, took first place in the Sunfish Class. The Catamaran Class was won by a young lady named Sterla, from Camp Waziyatah, who had just learned to sail that previous Tuesday! The Bud Lazott Memorial Regatta was won by Glen Haberbush in the Laser Class and Daniel Frey in the Open Class.
Many thanks to all those who helped make this first post-COVID Regatta a success. We hope to see you and many more boats return next year.