(Harbor Springs, MI)- The Little Traverse Yacht Club is hosting its 59th Annual “Ugotta Regatta” beginning Friday, July 26th and running through Sunday, July 28th. Start times have been pushed back to 12:00 pm daily allowing for the thermal or sea breeze to fill in. This should alleviate postponements either on land or on the water. It will also allow for more consistent wind pressure and direction, which will result in better racing. The One-Design Fleets will enjoy three days of windward-leeward racing, while the rest of the Divisions join in on the fun with the traditional “Tour of the Bay” races Saturday and Sunday.
The One-Design Fleets include fleets of J/70s and J/105s. The largest Fleet with 22 boats registered is the J/70 Fleet. Ten of the 22 J/70’s registered are local boats hailing from Little Traverse YC. A lot of these J/70’s will be using the Regatta as a tune-up race as they will be back competing in the J/70 Corinthian National Championships hosted by LTYC August 8th through the 11th. Currently there are 43 J/70’s signed up for this major amateur championship event.
Leading boats in the J/70 class include John Heaton’s EMPEIRIA, Polk Wagner’s ESCAPE, the Little Traverse Sailors Team, Don Glover’s MISS KILLER, Bob Willis’ RIP RULLAH, Glenn Gault’s SIMPLY IRRESISTIBLE, and Scott Seller’s TRES BURRITOS.
The J/105 class includes Bill Petzold’s GREEN FLASH, Sam Powers’ GRYPHON, Jay Vander Wall’s MANITOU, and Mark Symonds’ PTERODACTYL.
The rest of the divisions will be racing the traditional and ever popular “Tour of the Bay” race format on Saturday and Sunday. This is a combination of windward-leeward legs, and reaching legs using the fixed racing buoys located around Little Traverse Bay. “In all there will be 90 plus boats competing, making it exciting to watch from on the water or around the shoreline of Little Traverse Bay. This event will feature boats from 23 to 70 feet in length, all competing for line honors and bragging rights,” said Tom Trautman, Vice Commodore and Chairman of the 59th Annual LTYC Regatta. Again, racing begins at 12:00 pm each day and boats will be out competing on the water for 3 to 4 hours during the afternoons.
“Some of the boats will be coming down from Mackinac Island on Wednesday after completing the Port Huron to Mackinac Race which starts on Saturday, July 20th and usually finishes on Monday or Tuesday morning. Some of the boats will already be here from the Chicago to Mac Race which took place the weekend prior, and a handful of boats are local boats that live and dock here in Harbor Springs,” said Regatta Chair Tom Trautman. “Starting Wednesday evening spectators can stroll the docks and check out the boats up close and personal at the Harbor Springs Municipal Marina and Irish Boat Shop.”
Sailing in the PHRF A Class will be two J/111s, Brad Faber’s UTAH and Carl Hanssen’s VARIANCE. Then, in PHRF B Class are two J/crews, including Gary & Susan Stewart’s J/32 ZONE and Larry Taunt’s J/35 BAD DOG.
The Regatta brings to Harbor Springs hundreds of crewmembers and their families from across the Midwest and beyond. With a noon starting time each day, it gives everyone plenty of time in the morning to explore the town of Harbor Springs and allows the sailors time to get their boats prepped for the afternoon. It also gives everyone time to enjoy the Little Traverse Sailors Famous Pancake Breakfast. On both Saturday and Sunday mornings from 8:00 to 11:00 am, the Yacht Club hosts the LTS Pancake Breakfast. This is an important fundraiser for the LTS program and is open to the racers and the public alike. The Pancake Breakfast is a delicious way for the sailors to fuel up before getting on the water. One highlight of the breakfast: the young sailors flip less-than-perfect pancakes over their shoulders to land on the roof of the sail shed behind them.
There are many shore-side activities scheduled around the Regatta. Friday night kicks off with a private Ugotta Regatta Party for the competitors, volunteers and sponsors at Irish Boat Shop. After racing on Saturday, the Club hosts a party for the competitors featuring the Petoskey Steel Drum Band. The race weekend ends on Sunday evening as the Club hosts a final Regatta Party and awards presentation for competitors, volunteers and sponsors.
“It takes incredible teamwork and a village to run a Regatta of this size and we couldn’t do it without our 100+ volunteers,” said Trautman. “We express our deepest appreciation to all who have helped support this event. The Ugotta Regatta rules state no coats, no ties, no socks - no problem! Just great racing on the pristine waters of Little Traverse Bay, a chance for some relaxation in beautiful Harbor Springs, and a guaranteed good time”. For regatta scoring go here. For more Little Traverse YC Ugotta Regatta sailing information Add to Flipboard Magazine.
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