greater detroit 2013 Sunfish race schedule

the Greater Detroit Sunfish Club (GDSC) has released their 2013 Sunfish race schedule (you can find it with additional information posted at their Yahoo Group).  you can also check them out on their Facebook page.

this year is also the 50th anniversary of the GDSC!

• April 28th – Maceday Lake (only a month away!)
• May 19th – Watkins Lake
• May 26th – Watkins Lake [10:30am start!]
• June 9th – Sailing & Rigging Workshop @ Big Lake
• June 29th & 30th – Lakeport State Park – a camping & sailing weekend with an Open Regatta.  sailing this year will be based at Armstrong’s Resort in Lakeport.
• August 17th – Portage Lake
  • this one is part of the Scowfish Invitational (Sunfish & MC Scows)
• August 31st & September 1st – Tawas Bay – a camping & sailing weekend at Tawas Bay on Lake Huron (launching from Timber Lane Resort‘s beach)
• September 22nd – Watkins Lake
• October 6th – Big Lake

all Sunday races start at 12:30pm [uno]

the Sailing & Rigging Workshop day is planned to be:

a day of teaching-learning for sunfish sailors.  Topics suggested include rigging strategies, maintenance, repair, practice starting.  Bring your boat and whatever lines, parts, and tools you think you might need

I said this last year, and didn’t get a chance, but I’m again going to do my best to meet up with this group for some races this year.  it’s shaping up to be a pretty busy summer already, though!

october 2012 sunfish midwest schedule

there is just one upcoming (and final) Sunfish race in the Midwest Region during the month of October.

Saturday, October 20th – Great Pumpkin Regatta (Open)

this is the last Midwest event of the year, and from what I’ve heard – it’s a pretty great time.  the event is held at the Johnson Slough Yacht Club, in Hinsdale, Illinois.

This is the one you’ve heard about! Loaner boats available. Sail it shore to shore. It’s just deep enough for Sunfish draft. If you capsize, stand up! Lakeside home serves as “host yacht club.” Six races, one day, coffee/donuts, hot lunch, post race snacks, libations, great fun! No matter the weather …

• 9:00 Registration
• 9:30 Skipper’s Meeting
• 10:00 First Race
• 12:30 Lunch
• 4:00 Awards
• 5 Trophies, 6 Races, 1 Discard
• $25 entry fee

september 2012 sunfish midwest schedule

there are (5) upcoming Sunfish races in the Midwest Region during the month of September.  the full Midwest region schedule can be found as part of the entire Sunfish 2012 regatta schedule here (.pdf file).

Saturday, Sept 1st – Highland Park Labor Day  or “Summer’s End” Regatta (formerly Mayor’s Cup Regatta)

this one-day event will be held by the North Shore Yacht Club in Highland Park, Illinois.  it is a multi-class regatta, with Sunfish, Buccaneer’s, Lasers, and more. the notice of race can be found on the club’s website (here), and a map to the site (here).

Saturday, Sept 1st and Sunday, Sept 2nd – GDSC Open Regatta – Labor Day

the Greater Detroit Sunfish Club (GDSC) (also check out their Yahoo Group, it’s sometimes a bit more up-to-date) hosts an annual camping trip with Sunfish racing to be held over Labor Day weekend.  they are repeating things from last year, with the event being held at Tawas Bay, Michigan, with racing to be held on Tawas Bay which is part of  Lake Huron.  many from the group will be camping at the Tawas Point State Park, but the group will be launching their sailboats from the public ramp next to Timberlane Resorts, where some of the group is also staying.

my family camped at that state park two summers ago – it is a pretty nice park, and a absolutely beautiful area, but sailing is not really feasible from the state park and campground area, as the water is very shallow for several hundred and up to a few thousand feet off the shoreline.  I also sailed on Tawas Bay that weekend, launching from the same ramp the GDSC will be using.

Saturday, Sept 15th and Sunday, Sept 16th – Midwest Sunfish Regional Championship #2

this event will be held at Devils Lake Yacht Club in Manitou Beach, Michigan.  it is the “Bruce Goldsmith Memorial Regatta”, and typically includes 2 fleets – Sunfish and Lightnings.  this is the event I was able to attend as a spectator (and photographer) in 2009.

Saturday, Sept 22nd and Sunday, Sept 23rd – Clark Lake Fall Regatta

this 2-day event will be held by Clark Lake Yacht Club in Clark Lake, Michigan.  a couple things from the notice of race:

Note:  5 boats minimum required for individual start –3 boats minimum for a fleet! Rebels, Interlakes, Sunfish, Wayfarers, Buccaneers, and Snipes!

sounds like a great time!  the official notice of race can be found here (.pdf file).

Sunday, Sept 3oth  – OktoberFast Sunfish Series #4 Regatta

this is the final event for the year hosted by the Hueston Sailing Association at Hueston Woods State Park (map to lake here).  they have hosted several of the “Just for Fun” Sunfish racing series over the summer.

august 2012 sunfish midwest schedule

there are a bunch of upcoming Sunfish races in the Midwest Region during the month of August.  the entire month of August is going to be busy for Sunfish racers, as several weekends have multiple events at different locations.

Tuesday, July 31st to Saturday, August 5th – 50th Sunfish North Americans

this is the 50th Sunfish North Americans, being held on Lake Michigan by Lake Bluff Yacht Club. additional information can be found at the Facebook event page.

youth racing starts tomorrow, with the adult/open racing on Thursday through Saturday.

Sunday, August 5th – Just For Fun #4 (Open)

the Hueston Sailing Association (map to lake here) already hosted Just for Fun #1 (May), Just for Fun #2 (June), and Just for Fun #3 (July).  this is their 4th race in the Just for Fun series.  once again:

Racing 1:30pm to 4:00pm – no fees, no trophies, just fun!

Saturday, Aug 11th to Sunday, Aug 12th – Midwest Regional Championship #1

the 1st regional championship for the Midwest Region will be held at Gull Lake, near Richland, Michigan, and is being hosted by the Gull Lake Sunfish Fleet (GLSF) and the Gull Lake Yacht Club (GLYC).  Friday night begins with registration, with racing to begin on Saturday morning and continue on Sunday.

Sunday, August 12th – Fun Sunfish Regatta (Open)

this is the same day as the Midwest Regional #1 above, but will be down in Ohio.  this race will be held at Kiser Lake State Park in Ohio (map of state park here, .pdf file) and is hosted by the Kiser Lake Sailing Club.  the lake is popular for sailing as motorboats are not allowed on the lake.

Saturday, August 18th – Scowfish Regatta (Open)

this is a regatta for both Sunfish and MC Scow sailboats.  it will be the 7th annual regatta for the MC Scows, and the 11th annual regatta for the Sunfish.  the event is being held at Portage Lake Yacht Club in Pinkney, Michigan. more information can be found here.

Saturday, August 18th – Douglas Lake Regatta (Open)

on the same day as the Scowfish Regatta in southeast Michigan, this regatta is put together by the Douglas Lake Sunfish Fleet 700, and the event will be held on Douglas Lake in the northern part of Michigan’s lower peninsula (Google map).

Beautiful, large inland lake.  Good sized racing fleet.  Lots of room for launching and recovery.

Sunday, August 19th – Lake Charlevoix Open Regatta (Open)

this is fairly close to the race the previous day on Douglas Lake, so it’d be a great way to get 2 races in in the same general area.  Lake Charlevoix (“3rd largest inland lake in Michigan!”) is beautiful – I spent several vacations up there with my best friend back in the ol’ high school days, although back then we were cruising around on jet-skis.  the event is hosted by the Charlevoix Yacht Club, and racing will be held at the northwest end of the lake.

Sunday, August 26th – Lake Bluff Regatta (J Sheppard Memorial Regatta)

this event will be held at Lake Bluff Yacht Club. additional information can be found at their Facebook page.  this is the same venue as the 50th Sunfish North Americans as noted above.

located in Lake Bluff, Illinois along the shore of Lake Michigan north of Chicago.  This provides an excellent place to enjoy sailing and learn in many varied sailing conditions.

Sunday, August 26th – Fun Sunfish Regatta (Open)

this is the same day as the Lake Bluff Regattas above, and is the same racing venue as the Fun Sunfish Regatta on August 12th (see above for information).

july 2012 sunfish midwest schedule

there are (6) upcoming Sunfish races in the Midwest Region during the month of July.

Saturday, June 30th & July 1st – GDSC Regatta (Open)

first up is a repeat from June’s schedule, as it falls right on the end of June and start of July.  this is a weekend camping event with the Greater Detroit Sunfish Club (GDSC), who have a full summer schedule of racing in the greater metro Detroit area (see full schedule here).  they will be camping at Lakeport State Park on Lake Huron, only a few miles north of Port Huron, and will hold several races on Saturday and Sunday.

this is usually one of the GDSC’s most heavily attended events, with most families camping at the state park for the weekend.  due to the late notice, if you would like to attend – your best bet is to probably join the GDSC Yahoo Group, and let them know, so they can get you visitor pass information for the state park.

Saturday, July 7th and Sunday, July 8th – Sam Meyers Memorial Regatta (Open)

this is another 2-day regatta, hosted by the Pymatuning Sailing Club at the Pymatuning State Park in Linesville, Pennsylvania, to honor the late Sam Meyers.  this is technically a race in the Mid-Atlantic Region event, but is close enough to the Midwest if you’re willing to travel that far.  it is a multi-class event, with Sunfish, Laser, Force 5, Hobie 16 and Hobie 18 sailboats racing (if enough pre-register). rustic camping is available.

Sam Meyers Regatta

Sunday, July 8th – Just for Fun #3 (Open)

this is the same day as the Sam Meyers Regatta above — the Hueston Sailing Association (map to lake here) already hosted Just for Fun #1 back in May and the Just for Fun #2 back in June.  this is their 3rd race in the Just for Fun series (one more in August).  once again:

Racing 1:30pm to 4:00pm – no fees, no trophies, just fun!

Saturday, July 21st – Lake Wawasee Sunfish Open

this race will be held at Wawasee Yacht Club on Lake Wawasee in Syracuse, Indiana (Google map), home to previous Midwest Regional Championship races.

Wawasee Yacht Club (photo by Stuart Webster)

Saturday, July 28th and Sunday, July 29th – PBC Invitational Regatta (Open)

this race will be held on the Maumee River, and will be hosted by the Perrysburg Boat Club.

image from: Perrysburg Boat Club

Sunday, July 29th – Fun Sunfish Regatta (Open)

similar to the Fun Sunfish Regatta held in June, this race will be held at Kiser Lake State Park in Ohio (map of state park here, .pdf file) and is hosted by the Kiser Lake Sailing Club.  the lake is popular for sailing as motorboats are not allowed on the lake.  per the Midwest schedule notes:

2:00pm Start. Open to all, no fees.  There are trophies, relaxed atmosphere, short courses, numerous starts, FUN!

june 2012 sunfish midwest schedule

there are (6) upcoming Sunfish races in the Midwest Region during the month of June.

Saturday, June 2nd – the 7th Annual Chippewa Challenge: Sunfish – Laser Regatta (Open)

I’m several days late with this post, so this race is already over!  this race is held at the Chippewa Yacht Club in Medina, Ohio (35 minutes from downtown Cleveland).  registration will be at 8:30am, and the race is open to both Sunfish and Laser sailboats, and juniors are welcome!  cost is $35/boat with the plan for 5 to 7 races.

Sunday, June 10th – Just for Fun #2 (Open)

this is the same as the Just for Fun #1 from May.  it will be held at the Hueston Sailing Association (map to lake here).

(picture from Hueston Sailing Association)

Saturday, June 16th & Sunday, June 17th – Berlin YC Regatta (Open)

this race will be held at Berlin Yacht Club, in North Benton, Ohio – over on the east side of Ohio between Akron and Youngstown.  it is a weekend event, with a barbecue on Friday night to start things off.  the racing will include Sunfish, Laser, Thistle, and Flying Scot sailboats.

photo by Berlin YC

Saturday, June 23rd – Lake Lansing Regatta (Open)

this race will be held at Lake Lansing by the Lansing Sailing Club, the same group that put together the sweet Google map showing all the lake features, including shallow areas and general wind directions.  this regatta also happens to fall on the Summer Sailstice.

Sunday, June 24th – Fun Sunfish Regatta (Open)

this race will be held at Kiser Lake State Park in Ohio (map of state park here, .pdf file) and is hosted by the Kiser Lake Sailing Club.  the lake is popular for sailing as motorboats are not allowed on the lake.  per the Midwest schedule notes:

2:00pm Start. Open to all, no fees.  There are trophies, very informal, short courses, numerous starts, FUN!

Saturday, June 30th & July 1st – GDSC Regatta (Open)

this is a weekend camping event with the Greater Detroit Sunfish Club (GDSC), who have a full summer schedule of racing in the greater metro Detroit area (see full schedule here).  they will be camping at Lakeport State Park on Lake Huron, and will hold several races on Saturday and Sunday.