What a kick for a father/son combo to win an Inland Regatta! Son Steven at 120lbs & I at 185lbs with a little skill and luck brought back the silver to the home lake.

The Oshkosh Yacht Club, the ILYA Judges, 14 seasoned competitors, and Lake Winnebago {southerly 8-25mph} combined to make a great regatta. We were trailing into the last leeward leg of the last race when one of those Winnebago gusts came our way, to help us pass the regatta leader Grant Frautschi. Grant & us were dueling it out the whole regatta. The first race was won by Andy Jackson; the second by Grant Frautschi; the third by Stefan Schmidt; the fourth by the Catlins; the fifth by Jeff Kirchhoff; and the sixth by Jeff Kirchhoff again.

What ILYA spinnaker class can boast that a father/son combo can be competitive or even win an Inland? We need to first, thank our family for being so supportive; Second, to John Hayashi at Windward Boatworks for starting a fleet on our lake this year. This gave us the time in the boat that we needed. Third, thanks to Quantum Sails for the new main and floatation panels combined with the carbon spar, from Windward, that gave the boat both performance and security to sail on the big lake.

A lot of things have changed in the 35yrs since I won my last regatta. Masts have changed from rotating wood to keel stepped aluminum to deck stepped carbon fiber. The sails are lighter, faster, and more forgiving. The boats are lighter, faster, and longer lived (mine is a 1979 hull). Windward makes a great boat, just ask Grant Frautschi (the guy I was chasing all regatta) has a new one. The boats are outfitted to facilitate either person doing the work and the asymmetrical chute makes sailing the boat easier. Most boats are sailed by couples and the competitive weight range for crew is very broad because of the design of the boats rig.