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Thursday, June 19, 2008:

The Jim Young clinic began at 10:00 am. 12 Sailors took lessons from the best as Olympic sailor and Olympic Sailing Coach, Jim Young taught boat setup, rigging, and some sailing handling techniques on shore before taking to the water.

Regatta sponsor, Noodles and Company, provided a fantastic lunch for the participants and volunteers.
After lunch, a short course was set up and sailors practiced boat handling techniques. Jim Young took to the water and coached from his Butterfly and helped sailors out with boat handling techniques and strategic suggestions. The tight course provided constant opportunity to sail in plenty of traffic. Newcomers quickly became much more confident and the more experienced sailors were given suggestions for further practice and improvement.

By 3:30 p.m., sailors traveling from longer distances began showing up to begin tuning up. Several boats from Michigan splashed and sailed around the lake getting familiar with the layout. As some of the local sailors left, about 18 boats were already lining the shore.

A big thank you to Mark Robinson for volunteering the tent and table for the sailing session. Mark owned the Sail DuBay sailing store and sold hundreds of Butterfly sailboats years ago in the Wausau area. Mark will be one of the local sailors sailing in the championship regatta.

Friday, June 20, 2008:

The Jim Young clinic concluded after sailors practiced starts and mark roundings. Wind conditions proved light and challenged the sailors. Most sailors appeared to be much more comfortable and capable after the practice sessions.

The practice race started Friday afternoon. Results available soon...

Saturday, June 21, 2008

Medium to heavy winds saw the sailors to the course. Two races were held before breaking for lunch. Wind conditions increased to about 15 to 20 mph and the racing was incredibly exciting. The public enjoyed the spectator boats and kayaks provided by M&J Marine and the demonstrations of river pirates. The media was also on site in full force. Both Channel 7 and Channel 9 from Wausau did on-site video and interviews. Gannett newspapers performed interviews and took photos on and off the water.

Sunday, June 22, 2008

Another fantastic day brought the Butterfly Single Handed Nationals to a close with three races completed today and all seven races completed for the regatta. A special thanks to Race Committee, Grant Frautschi, Calolyn Curry, and Mike Koss for setting great courses and getting all the races in!

The early morning winds were light and filled in for another day of exciting sailing. Congratulations to all of the sailors competing!

Champions listed from left to right:

Front row: Ed Hatt - Grand Haven, MI, Calen Terry - Port Edwards, WI, Sandi Fredricks - Grand Haven, MI, Lauren Hatt - Grand Haven MI, Indigo Leslie, Kenosha, WI

Back Row: Jim Young - Grandby, CO, Joe Terry - Port Edwards, WI, Dennis Gamble - Marshfield, WI, Grant James - Spring Lake, MI, Ed Montano - Kenosha, WI

See some photos from the Wausau Daily Hearld Website

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