The Lake Osoyoos Sailing Club Regatta this weekend will be two events in one – the Canadian Seaspray Championships on Friday, Saturday and Sunday and the Open Invitational Regatta, pictured here, on Saturday and Sunday. (Richard McGuire file photo)
The north basin of Osoyoos Lake will be dotted with sailboats this weekend with sailors from near and far during the annual Lake Osoyoos Sailing Club Regatta.
This year’s regatta is two events in one. The Canadian Seaspray Championships run Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Simultaneously on the Saturday and Sunday is the Open Invitational Regatta.
This year between the events there could be about 35 to 40 sailboats competing with sailors aged eight to 80.
Last year’s participants ranged in age from six to 88.
By far the largest contingent will be close to 30 young sailors from Kelowna, said Donna Storwick, who has organized previous regattas, but this year is taking a back seat to John Cowan, who has taken the lead for this year’s regatta.
Storwick said the participation of the young sailors from Kelowna is “fantastic.”
“We try to support the youth,” she said.
Cowan said he expects about six or seven Seasprays to race. These boats are catamarans and the racers tend to be adults, he said.
“There will be a combination of locals and some people who typically come from the Brooks, Alberta area,” he said.
The three Seaspray capitals tend to be Osoyoos, Brooks and Huntington Lake, California, where this year’s North American Championships were held. Osoyoos also regularly hosts the North American Championships on a rotating year basis.
The small catamaran Seaspray has been the primary fleet historically of the Lake Osoyoos Sailing Club, said Cowan.
The Open Invitational Regatta is open to other types of sailboats and the participants are mostly juniors and intermediates, said Cowan. These boats include Lasers, which come in three versions, Optis, and perhaps a couple of Hobie Cats.
“It’s basically open to any type of boat that wants to come,” said Cowan. “It’s usually a younger demographic, learning to race. But anyone can join.”
Storwick said boats normally race against others in their class, but there’s also an Xclass or open class where different classes can race against each other. There’s a handicapping system to take into account the capabilities of different boats.
Although timing of events can be weather dependent, there is normally a skippers meeting at 9:30 a.m. and races take place shortly after that.
Lack of wind or dangerously strong winds can interfere with events, but organizers try to make the best of it.
Last year, a lack of wind interfered with some morning races on the Saturday.
“We were frankly skunked for wind on the Saturday morning, and that gets everyone a little anxious about what to do,” Cowan recalls. “Sitting idle is the worst thing for kids. They get weird.”
Cowan saw some young children with a hammer and a piece of wood trying to make a little model boat, and he spotted an opportunity. Soon he pointed to other children and suggested they should challenge their friends in a boat making contest.
When sailing resumed in the afternoon, the children were scrambling at the end to get back to shore and finish their boats. Parents picked up scrap wood for them at a building supplies store.
The winning boat was even sold for $50 at a silent auction.
“It turned into an amazing thing,” said Cowan. “This year we will have the second annual LOSC model boat building contest in conjunction with the sailing, but not to get in the way of it.”
Storwick said club volunteers put in an enormous amount of work to run the event and keep participants well fed.
The Lake Osoyoos Sailing Club was formed in 1963 by local sailors. Storwick and her husband Stan have been active most of that time, but she’s not sure exactly how many regattas have been held, because some years there were two and some years were skipped.
The club’s mission is to promote sailing and other naturally powered water sports, as well as related social activities. It aims to keep entrance fees and annual dues affordable.
Events start by the clubhouse, which is in the former CP Rail Osoyoos station beside Desert Sunrise Marina. Social events take place Saturday evening.
RICHARD McGUIRE
Osoyoos Times
