The 41st annual Easter Regatta in Columbia, SC was a great event. The first day of racing on Friday was prefaced with southern style burgers before going out on the water. There wasn’t much wind and we were forced into postponement until some breeze patches filled in. The race committee decided to start a race in light air, and we all had to connect the breeze lines in order to keep the boat moving. Despite our tardiness to the starting line, we ended up digging our way through the fleet to finish in the middle. We were happy to see that the second day of racing had much more wind to start. It ended up being a long day of racing, with the first race starting at 9am and the last race ending after 5pm. The lake winds were shifty and we didn’t always find ourselves in phase on the course. Lake sailing requires another mindset compared with our ocean sailing, as the tides are left behind.

The race committee managed to get five races completed on Saturday and two more on Sunday before the cut-off time. This was the first year for the new club building and as we arrived on Thursday afternoon, the construction crew was still on site, finishing up last minute details. Even though our results weren’t at the top, the overall event definitely warrants a top notch score. The club members come down in full force to be a part of the weekend, keeping the sailors fed with the delicious southern style BBQ, offering lakeside campsites for those from away and a dedicated race committee that provides great racing. If you are looking for an event to travel to, I recommend leaving the Easter Bunny at home, packing up the boat and heading to this event next year.

Check out the website at http://www.columbiasailingclub.org/easter/