CLYC Members,

We have now finished our Sunfish Racing series for 2023 and we have crowned new champions!

Our season consisted of racing every Wednesday and Saturday afternoons through the middle of the summer.  We had very strong participation this year, with over 40 different people sailing in at least one race.  Our youth racers (16 and under) we active, too, with 14 different sailors.  

This season was typical Northern Michigan—we had all kinds of weather conditions from not enough wind to too much wind (and many capsizes!).  Through it all, the participants built their sailing skills while having a great time on (and off) the lake.  

This season we benefitted from a new program that allowed racers to borrow boats from Crooked Lake Sailors if they weren’t being used for instruction.  This brought out several people who may not have their own their own boats, but were interested in racing.  In addition, we are allowing members to store personal Sunfish in storage racks through the racing season, which is ideal for people who may not live on the lake but would like to join the fun.  If you are interested in either of these options for next year, please let me know.       

Without further ado, the season results area as follows:   

In the Open (Adult) division, Keith Erke claims the title as season champion, followed by Todd McKinney in second and Jeannie Canada in third.   Keith sailed a very consistent series to earn the title and his victory should inspire all of us to continue racing Sunfish well into our 70s!  Jeannie gets a special shout out—she’s steadily improved over the last several years and her performance really came together this year for a podium finish.  

In the Youth division, Teddy Hartzell came out on top followed by Juaquin Steckley and Cabel Clark.  Teddy showed mastery each race day by competing very well with the adults and winning the youth division comfortably.  In the battle for second, Juaquin edged out Cabel by just a single point!  I was so pleased to see our youth sailors improve through the summer.

Thanks to our race committee (Elizabeth Fletcher and Ellie Graham) for running great races and to all CLYC members for your support.  Our sailing program, is focused on fun and is easy to get involved in.  If you or anyone you know has any questions or would like to get involved with sailing next summer, please reach out to me.

 

Thanks,

Michael Graham

CLYC Rear Commodore