Boats in the water, sticks up, sails on, and we are all good to go. Right? Okay, I know we are just four days out from launch and some of you may be still recovering from the party, but time's awastin' as they say. Let's make some haste and get those boats prepped because our club's annual premier race regatta at the end of the month (May 28/29) is calling you to register, race, and party.

With the 2016 ABYC OPEN CHALLENGE! REGATTA upon us that soon (yes that soon!), I want to focus this week on two main items about the regatta and hope you will agree with both. The first is the sponsors that have stepped forward and have provided our club and all of our members with both financial and product/service support for this event.

Alongside our two Presenting Sponsors GREAT LAKES OFFSHORE SERVICES, and HENDERSON BREWING CO., our 2016 Regatta team wishes to thank each of our Supporting Sponsors equally. Our latest Supporting Sponsor addition is a little known company called MOUNT GAY. Apparently they make hats and will be providing some for the event so that's fantastic.

The other important item to discuss over the next few weeks is the number of club racers that participate in our weeknight racing. Here's a thought: If you race weeknights and support our very successful weeknight program, think about extending your support for our May Regatta. If you need reasons to race that weekend, read on.

The 2016 ABYC OPEN CHALLENGE! REGATTA has been reformulated FOR YOU, with more PHRF involvement, including NFS white sail categories, and being able to race for a single day only if that's your preference. BUT, there is another big reason for ABYC weeknight club racers to participate this year and it involves a little bit of competition and possibly a lot of club pride.

The PHRF Racers Association has created the new 'Inter-Club' PHRF Team Competition between all LORC clubs this summer and it starts at our club's May OPEN. Those team details are on our website. However, our own ABYC Commodore has thrown down the gauntlet to our neighbours at Queen City Yacht Club, with a rival challenge within that PHRF Team Competition. And Queen City has responded! Apparently, they are sending a formidable team of boats to our Regatta to challenge ABYC on our own course! As PopEye would say, "Of All Da Noive!"

As Chair of this year's OPEN Regatta, I and our entire team are asking you as an ABYC weeknight club racer to strongly consider participating in May. Do it for yourself and have some fun. And do it for our club so that we might display our 'finely honed professional sailing and racing skills' to other clubs on the lake, specifically to our neighbouring QCYC sailors who might best be described as 'having potential'. I hear there may be a trophy involved so it's not too early to stock up on spinach.