With boats heading any number of directions, the Three Bridge Fiasco is competitive, challenging, but mostly fun. Photo courtesy Singlehanded Sailing Society.
explained Harder, “and our hope is that members will be drawn to something new. Personally, I like sailing at night and I think others will, too, if they try it. So I’m simply hoping to drum up participation for a novel cruising event. Ultimately, we just want to introduce people to the fun of sailing at night. And yes, we purposely timed it to coincide closely with the full moon.” Harder, who owns and sails a number of boats, can often be found sailing his family’s Tanzer 26. He said he got the idea from an event he participated in 30 years earlier on North Carolina’s Lake Norman. “What we did up there was an all-night race. The event we’re trying to stage here is just a fun cruise.”
And less than an hour’s drive north on Lake Keowee, members of the Keowee Sailing Club have their own way of emphasizing fun. Each spring, for the past five years, they’ve been staging the Grits and Haggis Regatta. It’s essentially a regular regatta for Flying Scots, but it’s billed as a cross-cultural celebration that—in the club’s own description— “unites two of the world’s least spectacular culinary traditions.” To top it off, the winner walks away with the event’s signature trophy—Gritty the Rocking Sheep. What these events share is recognition that not all sailors are focused solely on competition. The organizers of these affairs understand that racing is fun, but it’s only one part of the sport. While no one would suggest that events like these are all that’s required to resolve the issue of shrinking participation, certainly this kind of out-of-the-box approach can help. Just ask Commodore Harder. When queried about what would constitute success for the first edition of his club’s All Night Sail, his answer was succinct: “That’s simple; just some participation is all we’re looking for.” US SAILING might want to take note.
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SOUTHWINDS July 2013
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