Your help is needed. No sailing skills on your part required.
The Okoboji Yacht Club will be hosting the annual Inland Lakes Yachting Association Annual Class X Championship Regatta on Thursday, Friday, Saturday morning – July 28th, 29th, and 30th. Last year Pewaukee Yacht Club attracted 108 X boats to their central Wisconsin location. Okoboji is on the West end of the lakes that compete in this association. We expect over 100 X boats and are hoping to top last year’s attendance. As of today 66 X boats are registered. One hundred X boats means 100 skippers and 100 crew members sailing in two fleets on West Lake Okoboji.
The junior fleet is skippers up to age 14 years and the Senior Fleet is for skippers 15 to 16 years of age. We expect the senior fleet will sail in the central part of West Lake and the juniors will sail in the South or North part of West Lake. Without spectator boats the parents, siblings, and grandparents have to watch the racing from shore. It is a Midwest and Okoboji tradition to offer boats to take visitors out to watch the races.
This is where we can use your help. Do you know how to drive a boat? Do you have a boat – that’s even better. Are you available Thursday morning-afternoon (27), Friday morning-afternoon (28), or Saturday morning (29). It would be great if you can participate all three days, but we are happy to have your help for just one day. The only skill you need is to drive a boat and be able to find the yacht club.
Our regatta visitors are being asked to register if they want to watch the junior or senior fleet, so we can match them up with your interests. There are a handful of visitors that want to watch the junior and senior fleet, so those spectator boats will move between the two fleets. Mau Marine and Okoboji Boats have each offered to loan us a pontoon boat, so we need drivers for those boats. If you have a boat available, but are unable to drive it yourself, let us know and we will match up your boat with a capable OYC member boat driver.
This is a unique opportunity to meet people from other lakes that have a love of boating and sailing. If you are concerned today’s youth going astray, you will be encouraged by the skill and politeness of these sailors. This can be one of life’s rewarding experiences. If you can help contact Brigid Wilkening – X Inland Regatta Chair at 402/ 681—0783 or email brigidwilkening@aol.com