There is no way to describe the 2010 Indian Lake regatta, other than to say it was a remarkable success. 12 boats made their way to one of the Midwest's nicest bodies of water. With a bellies full of sausage and waffles, the I-20 fleet ventured out into 10-15MPH winds for the first of three races. Willie Crear proved to fast from the start, rounding the weather mark in 3rd and eventually walking away from the rest of the fleet for a comfortable victory.
After a great pulled pork BBQ lunch, we headed back out for two back to back races in the afternoon. At first it looked as though the wind was building, but it settled back down about half way through the race. Keeping the boat rolling through the different conditions was key, as Willie sneaked out a second victory with Steven Catlin in hot pursuit.
The final race of the day, and what turned out to be the regatta, home lake advantage turned out to be the key. Bill Monsma jumped out to an early lead at the weather mark and never looked back, taking the bullet to round out the sailing.
Not enough can be said for the hospitality of the Indian Lake Yacht Club. Sailors were treated to cold beer, fresh hors d'oeuvres, and great food all weekend.
A big thank you to all the sailors who made this weekend a success. It was truly a great weekend for sailing.
A quick scoring note, Willie Crear was testing an experimental rudder during the racing this weekend, so he was not scored on his own request.