Spinnaker Class sprints for the finish. SUBMITTED PHOTOS
Sailing Association of Marco Island
Light afternoon winds on Saturday and Sunday made for challenging racing in the annual Sailing Association of Marco Island (SAMI) Bud Light Regatta, April 12-13. Boats of various categories and experience raced under mostly sunny skies enjoying a great weekend on the water. A total of three races were completed each day before mid-day swirling winds of less then 5 knots caused a suspension of the day’s races. As always, the starts were exciting to watch as the boats jockey for position at the start line.
The top three places in each category were:
Spinnaker Class
1st place: Southern Crescent, Daniel
The heavier morning winds made for tighter racing.
2nd place: Vagabond, Dan Spence
3rd place: T-Bone, Jason Richards
Cruising Class
1st place: Dragon Fly Plus, Ulrich Rohde
2nd place: Blue Heron, Brian Lawton
3rd place: Sundance, Patrick Evans
Each year, the SAMI club hosts this race to raise money to benefit the island’s Civil Air Patrol (CAP), the Marco Island Community Sailing Center (MICSC) and the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary. The weekend’s race always concludes with an awards banquet. A special thanks to Stonewalls Restaurant (551 S Collier Blvd, Marco Island) and staff for hosting the weekend’s festivities and providing an outstanding awards dinner Sunday night.
A big thank you to our sponsor, Coastal Beverage Inc., for its donation
Cruising Class starts.
SAMI organizes several cruises per year and participates in several races. If you enjoy the water, you should consider joining our fast growing group. More Bud Light race photos will be available soon on our web site www.samisailor.org.
For more information about SAMI, contact Fleet Captain Dave Dumas at 239-389-2677. For upcoming SAMI events, call Commodore Gail Carstersen at 239-642-1825, and for SAMI membership information, call Sandy Dumas at 239-389-2677.
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