toledoblade.com --

In 1988, when John Greiner put together the first Lake Erie Race Week, the idea was to allow a cruising auxiliary skipper to sail in a five-race series without traveling great distances or missing any work.

Over time the format has changed, but Greiner is still the chairman and its purpose
remains the same.

"It's a blue-collar event," he says. "and the idea still is to keep it fun, keep it short and don't involve a lot of driving."

Last year, Race Week consisted of four races. This year, Greiner has lopped off an event and reshaped the event into three challenging contests, all scheduled this weekend.

"We decided to shorten it up, even though there's a conflict with Father's Day," he said. "The racing calendar is crowded and this allows skippers to participate in Cleveland Race Week the following weekend. It also doesn't interfere with North Cape Yacht Club's popular Wednesday-night races."

A 7.5-nautical-mile Modified Olympic Triangle Race held off North Cape will launch the 2004 Race Week series at 7 p.m. tomorrow

The second event will be Jolly Roger Sailing Club's Buccaneer Race, slated at 10 a.m. Saturday. The 25-mile course takes the fleet around the Toledo Water Intake Crib and out to the Mid Channel buoy in the Toledo Shipping Channel.

The 10-mile TI-MI Race, sponsored by Ottawa River Yacht Club, will wrap up the series on Sunday. Starting time is 10 a.m.

All races will be run out of North Cape Yacht Club. Awards will be presented after the conclusion of the final race, probably about 3 p.m., Greiner said.

Registration for the series will be held at Jolly Roger today, from 7-8:30 p.m. Greiner plans to announce division and class splits at 9 p.m.

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Talk about making things simple: Racing doesn't get much easier than Toledo Sailing Club's annual regatta on the Maumee River. The first of three races is scheduleld at noon on Saturday.

"Anyone can be in it," co-chair Anne Gilsdorf said. "There's no fee and you don't have to belong to a yacht club."

The sailboat races are part of TSC's annual regatta, Friday-Sunday. They will include both One-Design and Universal classes.

Breakfast will be available from 8-11 a.m. Saturday, followed by a skippers' meeting at 11.

For more information, call sail fleet captain Roger Van Gunten, 419-385-2152, or Anne Gilsdorf, 419-381-1141

LOGBOOK:

Competing in the US Sailing Rolex International Women's Keelboat Championship is a really big deal, but North Cape Yacht Club sailor Anna Tunnicliffe and her crewmates aboard Peter Pirate didn't let a potential victory get in the way of plucking a fellow competitor out of cold and choppy waters.

Tunnicliffe, Ali Sharpe, Nataleigh Vann and skipper Corrie Clement recently were awarded US Sailing's Hanson Rescue Medal for their successful efforts.

The incident occurred in 30-knot winds on a 55-degree day last fall in Annapolis. On the fourth day of the regatta - the largest women's keelboat championship in the world - the J/22 Gorilla Girls was in fourth place, sailing downwind to the finish line, when a surprisingly strong gust broached the boat, dumping the three crew members overboard and pinning the skipper, Terry Schertz of Colorado, on the low side.

The Peter Pirate crew spotted one of the Gorilla girls in the water, wearing an inflatable life vest. Strong winds made it difficult to stop their light boat long enough to pull the victim aboard. But after several attempts, they succeeded. The remaining crew members were ultimately rescued by other boats.

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It's not too early to begin planning for the 80th Bacardi Bayview Mackinac Race, Saturday, July 17.

This year, Bayview Yacht Club will inaugurate a new yacht club challenge trophy . Each club can enter an unlimited number of three-boat teams, each consisting of one boat racing on the long course, one on the shore course and one in the cruising class. Points will be awarded on the basis of each boat's overall finish in its fleet.

Skippers who plan to head up to the North Channel following the Detroit Mac will be able to get there via a new event sponsored by Little Current Yacht Club. The 120-mile course will start at Mackinac on Thursday, July 22, and lay over in Gore Bay on Manitoulin Island that night.

The final leg will depart Gore Bay on Friday for a 30-mile sprint to the finish line in Little Current. The decision to include an overnight stop in Gore Bay was to avoid the possible hazards of sailing through the North Channel at night, according to principal race officer Jim Rodgers of Bayview Yacht Club.

For more informaion, contact Bruce O'Hare at bohare@etown.net.

JUNE BOATING EVENTS:

18-Roberts Trophy//Hurlbut Race, Cleveland Yachting Club

18-Mumm 30 Great Lakes Championship, Edgewater Yacht Club

18/20-Annual Regatta, Toledo Sailing Club

18/20-Poker Run, Associated Yacht Clubs/Cooley Canal Yacht Club

19-Junior Travelers Series Regatta, Sandusky Sail Club and Sandusky Yacht Club

19-Catamaran Race, North Cape Yacht Club

19/27-Cleveland Race Week, Edgewater Yacht Club

22 and 24-City of Toledo Boating Education classes, Tuesday and hursday, 11:30a.m.-3:30 p.m. Foro location and other information, call 419-936-3848.

25-Ladies Distance Race, West Shore Sail Club

25/27-Poker Run, Associated Yacht Clubs/Wyandotte Yacht Club

26-Port to Port Race, Monroe Boat Club to Ford Yacht Club

26-Junior Travelers Series Regatta, Inter-Lake Yachting Association/North Cape Yacht Club

27-Sunday Regatta, Grosse Ile Yacht Club

27-Carson Cup Regatta//Junior Travelers Series Regatta, North Cape Yacht Club

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