Submitted article | For The Arkadelphian

The Iron Mountain Yacht Club on Degray Lake will sponsor the national championship regatta for the Catalina 22 racing fleet on Monday through Thursday, May 22-25.

The racing will take place on the main channel of the lake adjacent to Highway 7. There will be a practice race on Sunday, May 21, scheduled to start at 2 p.m. Monday through Wednesday there will be a preliminary spinnaker race, with the boats using a large billowing sail to run downwind, that will start at 10 a.m. The championship racing will start at 1 p.m. On the final day, Thursday, the racing will start at noon.

There will be as many as 30 boats competing in two different fleets, with the fleets starting five minutes apart. Racing will depend on the weather. Sailboat racing begins with a timed running start into the wind with the boats working their way toward a windward buoy. This involves “tacking” back and forth since sailboats have to zig-zag into the wind. Once around the windward mark the boats sail back to the start area, usually fly “wing on wing” with the sails on different sides of the boat. Depending on the wind strength, the fleet often repeats this course two or three times until the finish.

The best viewing area for the racing would be at the tip of the Highway 7 peninsula, or at the end of the overlook area east of the peninsula. Using binoculars to watch the racing will give spectators a chance to see the crew work needed to get the boats around the course and keep up with the action.

The boats will be arriving on Saturday, May 20, and those interested are invited to view the colorful boats close up and meet the racers and club members by visiting the club dock at the Iron Mountain Marina. Just look for the masts on the left after you enter. You may see the full schedule by visiting the Iron Mountain Yacht Club blog.