Another busy week came to a close at the Boothbay Harbor Yacht Club, which was host to the exciting Maine State Opti Championship on August 8 and 9.

Sailors from as far as Vermont and New Hampshire competed alongside sailors from Harraseeket, Orr’s Island, Southport, and of course, Boothbay. The junior program was well represented, with twenty students participating in the various fleets, several of them for the first time! Congrats to everyone competed with the event, and thank you to the numerous volunteers who made the event run so smoothly.

Despite all the hustle and bustle of the regatta, it was business as usual at the club, and sailing classes ran all week. Morning class attendance reached an all-time high for the season and every Optimist dinghy in the program was in the water! The week culminated in an ever-popular BHYC tradition: Pirate Day! The day included an egg toss and run, a three-legged race, greased watermelon polo, sprit racing (where participants paddle the hulls of their Optis with aluminum spars), a blindfolded plank walk, and last but not least, a treasure hunt. 

Many of BHYC’s afternoon sailors were busy with the Opti regatta, but those who weren’t honed their boat handling skills with instructors Thomas Clark and Ellen Wallace. The advanced Optis and 420s raced on Friday afternoon, but unfortunately the results for the Opti races blew away! In the 420s, sailors Meredith McCuskey and Catherine Wise won first place, junior instructor Caroline Hunt and Christian Walter took second, and Milhous Dungan and Corey Wise came in third.