2022 Midwest Regional Recap

The 2022 Midwest Regional was held at Lewis and Clark Lake, in Yankton South Dakota, in partnership with the Gavins Point Yacht Club.

On Friday, sailors were greeted with the forecast of hot temperatures and a light breeze, building to something more moderate later in the day. Five races were completed in typical midwest lake sailing conditions - a shifty breeze with plenty of holes and wind lines to be found. It was a good day for all sailors, and the scores were very tight with plenty of room for position changes from top to bottom. No planned social activities took place, but many sailors found a local place that offered pizza and axe throwing.

Saturday, as predicted, sailors woke up to a heavy breeze with big gusts (22 mph gusting to 30). Race committee made the decision to postpone until noon, to see if the wind backed off at all. The direction of the wind, paired with the force of it, made the lake very rough, and there was concern about the ability to keep the flag boat and marks anchored, as well as safety concerns for the sailors and the number of chase boats available. As noon rolled around, the wind hadn't backed off at all, and the decision was made shortly after 1:00 to call off racing for the day. The yacht club held a dinner for the sailors that evening, and it was a relaxing night.

Sunday brought much more favorable sailing conditions, and racing got underway at 9:30 AM. The first race saw many challenges - the wind was on the light side of things, and all over the place. Race committee made the decision to move the racecourse to a different part of the lake after the first race completed, and that move brought better, and more stable wind to the racers. The remainder of the races were held in a wind that built to be more moderate, and pushing into the heavier range. The final race gave the sailors a really fun reach down to 'C' mark, and it's safe to say that everyone who sailed it left with a smile on their face.