sunfish worlds 2012

the 2012 Sunfish Youth Worlds & Open Worlds events start in just a few days, this year in St Petersburg, Florida.  the event is being hosted by the St Petersburg Yacht Club.

the Youth Worlds will take place October 11th to 14th (racing will start the 12th). the Open Worlds will take place October 13th to 20th (racing the 15th to the 19th).

for an absolutely phenomenal collection of things related to the Sunfish Worlds (both the upcoming 2012 event as well as past events), you should really check out and bookmark http://www.sunfishworlds.org/

they have done a great job of compiling past records of sailors who will be participating in this year’s event, as well as cataloging pictures from older events.  this year, they’ve also rolled out a mobile version of their website!

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).

Gull Lake, Michigan Sunfish fleet

I’m sharing a message I received as part of the Sunfish Midwest Yahoo Group:

Do you live near Gull Lake? We have a group of Sunfish racing! We’re looking for more to join us.

• Wednesdays, 6:30ish PM Start (2 races) and/or
• Sundays, 2:00ish PM Start (2 races).
• Holidays different, ask for details.

Come from Hastings, Delton, Battle Creek, Scotts, Climax, Portage, Kalamazoo, Otsego, Plainwell, etc.! We’re here to help.

Gull Lake will also be hosting the Sunfish Midwest Regional #1 on the weekend of August 11-12, 2012.  you can see more and keep up to date at the event’s Facebook page.

 

may 2012 sunfish midwest schedule

there are (2) upcoming Sunfish races in the Midwest Region during the month of May.  the full Midwest region schedule can be found as part of the entire Sunfish 2012 regatta schedule here (.pdf file).

Saturday, May 19th, Northern Warmups (Open)

the 1st Sunfish race of the year for the Midwest region will be held at Wolf Lake Yacht Club (map to lake here). I don’t see a NOR posted on their website yet, you can also follow the yacht club on Facebook for more updates.

Photo by Jeff Fenton

Sunday, May 20th, Just for Fun #1 (Open)

this is the 1st in the series of “Just for Fun” races held at Hueston Sailing Association (map to lake here).

(picture from Hueston Sailing Association)

october 2011 sunfish midwest schedule

there are (2) upcoming Sunfish races in the Midwest Region during the month of October.  the full Midwest region schedule can be found as part of the entire Sunfish 2011 regatta schedule here (.pdf file).

Sunday, October 2rd – OktoberFast Regatta

the Hueston Sailing Association (map to lake here) was the site for the (4) “Just for Fun” regattas this summer, and they will hold their final Sunfish race – OktoberFast Regatta, on Acton Lake in Hueston Woods State Park, Ohio.

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

Saturday, October 15th – 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 am registration, 10:00 am start, 5:00 pm packed up/on the road!