greater Detroit 2022 Sunfish race schedule

the Greater Detroit Sunfish Club (GDSC) has released their 2022 Sunfish race schedule. you can check them out on their Facebook page.

• May 15th – Baseline Lake (with the Michigan Sailing Club)
• June 12th (new date!) – Watkins Lake
• July 2nd & 3rd -Independence Day camping weekend at Muskegon Lake State Park
• July 24th – U.P. Island Race (Les Cheneaux YC… details t.b.d.)
• August 21st – Watkins Lake
• September 3rd & 4th – Labor Day camping weekend at Higgins Lake
• September 17th & 18th -Clark Lake Regatta (Clark Lake Yacht Club)
• October 9th – Baseline Lake (with the Michigan Sailing Club)

all Sunday races typically start at 12:30pm [uno], with the camping/racing weekends starting earlier in the day to get extra races in over the weekend.

I said this last year (and the year before… and the year before… and the year before), and didn’t get a chance to sail with this group, but I’m again going to do my best to meet up with them for some sailing races this year.

greater Detroit 2021 Sunfish race schedule

the Greater Detroit Sunfish Club (GDSC) has released their 2021 Sunfish race schedule. you can also check them out on their Facebook page.

• May 16th – Baseline Lake (with the Michigan Sailing Club)
• June 6th – Watkins Lake
• June 26th & 27th -Independence Day camping weekend at Muskegon Lake State Park
• July 25th – U.P. Island Race (Les Cheneaux YC… details t.b.d.)
• September 4th & 5th – Labor Day camping weekend at Higgins Lake
• September 19th – Baseline Lake (with the Michigan Sailing Club)
• September 26th – Watkins Lake

all Sunday races start at 12:30pm [uno], with the camping/racing weekends starting earlier in the day to get extra races in over the weekend.

I said this last year (and the year before… and the year before… and the year before), and didn’t get a chance to sail with this group, but I’m again going to do my best to meet up with them for some sailing races this year.  with all the “stay at home” and corona virus issues still lingering around though… maybe not.

greater Detroit 2020 Sunfish race schedule

the Greater Detroit Sunfish Club (GDSC) has released their 2020 Sunfish race schedule (you can maybe find additional information posted at their Yahoo Group but Yahoo Groups no longer function very well…. so who knows, really).  you can also check them out on their Facebook page.

• May 17th – Watkins Lake
• June 7th – Watkins Lake
• June 27th & 28th – camping weekend at Higgins Lake (South State Park)
• July 26th – U.P. Island Race (Les Cheneaux YC… details t.b.d.)
• early August(?) – Gull Lake Sunfish Open Regatta (details & NOR TBD)
• September 5th & 6th – camping weekend at Higgins Lake (South State Park)
• September 19th & 20th – Devils Lake Regatta (Bruce Goldsmith Memorial – details & NOR TBD)
• September 27th – Watkins Lake

all Sunday races start at 12:30pm [uno], with the camping/racing weekends starting earlier in the day to get extra races in over the weekend.

I said this last year (and the year before… and the year before… and the year before), and didn’t get a chance to sail with this group, but I’m again going to do my best to meet up with them for some sailing races this year.  with all the “stay at home” and corona virus issues going around though… maybe not.  it’s going to be a weird next couple of months.

greater Detroit 2019 Sunfish race schedule

the Greater Detroit Sunfish Club (GDSC) has released their 2019 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.

• May 19th – Watkins Lake
• June 9th – Watkins Lake
• June 22nd & 23rd – camping weekend at Muskegon Lake (Muskegon State Park)
• July 28th – U.P. Island Race (Les Cheneaux YC… details t.b.d.)
• August 10th & 11th – Gull Lake Sunfish Open Regatta (details & NOR TBD)
• August 31st & September 1st – camping weekend at Higgins Lake (South State Park)
• September 14th & 15th – Devils Lake Regatta (Bruce Goldsmith Memorial – details & NOR TBD)
• September 29th – Watkins Lake

all Sunday races start at 12:30pm [uno], with the camping/racing weekends starting earlier in the day to get extra races in over the weekend.

I said this last year (and the year before… and the year before… and the year before), and didn’t get a chance to sail with this group, but I’m again going to do my best to meet up with them for some sailing races this year.

greater Detroit 2018 Sunfish race schedule

the Greater Detroit Sunfish Club (GDSC) has released their 2018 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.

• May 20th – Watkins Lake
• June 3rd – Watkins Lake
• June 9th & 10th – Gull Lake Sunfish Open Regatta (details & NOR TBD)
• June 23rd & 24th – camping weekend at Muskegon Lake (Muskegon State Park)
• July 29th – U.P. Island Race (Les Cheneaux YC… details t.b.d.)
• early August – Sunfish Youth North American Championships & Sunfish North American Championships (Lake Bluff, IL)
• September 1st & 2nd – camping weekend at Higgins Lake (South State Park)
• September 15th & 16th – Devils Lake Regatta (Bruce Goldsmith Memorial – details & NOR TBD)
• September 30th – Watkins Lake

all Sunday races start at 12:30pm [uno], with the camping/racing weekends starting earlier in the day to get extra races in over the weekend.

I said this last year (and the year before… and the year before… and the year before), and didn’t get a chance to sail with this group, but I’m again going to do my best to meet up with them for some sailing races this year.

Sunfish Youth Foundation

the Sunfish Class issued an announcement today for the newly created Sunfish Youth Foundation (official press release .pdf here).

This foundation is being formed to help introduce young sailors to the Sunfish and encourage more Youth to sail Sunfish competitively.

The mission of SYF is to provide financial support for youth sailors who wish to attend local, national and world championship regattas.

Donations made to the SYF will allow us to sponsor more activities that promote Sunfish sailing such as on- and off-the-water sailing clinics, rigging and go-fast seminars, youth travel subsidies to major competitions and publish/mail promotional materials to Clubs with a Junior Sailing Program to name just a few possibilities.

it’ll be interesting to see where this goes – since it is initiated by the Class, it has a better chance of going places than the Laser Performance United… not sure whatever happened with that campaign.

can the simple appeal of the Sunfish compete with the up and coming new boats that offer a bit more of a challenge – like the RS Aero, the Melges 14, or even the new UFO Foiler?

the Sunfish has a distinct advantage in that there are thousands and thousands of them available, and refurbishing and refitting an older Sunfish hull is always a good option for starting out with a young sailor.

but realistically, for this to happen – the local Sunfish sailing clubs need to focus on sailing for the youth.  teaching their kids to sail by letting them ride along with them in the Sunfish – even during racing, and then alongside them during club races on the youth’s own Sunfish when they can handle a Sunfish on their own.

I love sailing with, or alongside my boys, on our Sunfish and Minifish.  now I just need to get them involved more in racing – they did some of it during sailing lessons, but I need to just get us out to join up with some of the racing at our local club, the Greater Detroit Sunfish Club.