Summer sailboat racing series continues on Lake Pend Oreille

Al Berk and his sailboat “Occam’s Razor” are one race closer to a coveted bottle of wine after the second Lake Pend Oreille Yacht Club race of the summer series Sunday, June 25.

This summer’s “No-Wine-ing” sailboat race series saw 11 boats in three fleets on the starting line for the race held in Bayview, under excellent sailing conditions. Northeasterly winds of 7 to 10 mph led to a hotly contested upwind start with second-place finisher “Spirit” leading the charge.

The nonprofit Lake Pend Oreille Yacht Club was established in 1977 to promote sailing on the lake and its active racing and cruising attracts sailors from around the Inland Northwest.

“We have all types of sailors, from beginners to experienced old salts in our club,” said Race Commodore Steve Dahlstrom. “Everyone is welcome regardless of experience.”

In Sunday’s Red spinnaker class fleet, Berk’s Ultimate 20 sailboat edged out the Hobie 33 “Spirit,” skippered by Mike Duncan for first place, while the J80 “Raven,” skippered by Mike Gridley, finished third.

In the Blue spinnaker class fleet, Kevin Haley’s Moore 24 “More Fun,” edged out Paul Franz’s Capri 25, “Lady of the Lake,” for the win. In the White non-spinnaker fleet, rising star Max Farrington in the Hunter 23 “Potato Farm” sped past Steve Adams in the Compac 27 “Nomad” and dad Kevin Farrington in the Tanzer 25 “Epee” for victory.

Racing in Bayview continues most Wednesday nights and Sunday mornings throughout the summer. To see the full results or to get involved in sailboat racing or cruising on Lake Pend Oreille, visit the club website at www.LPOYC.org or contact club secretary Ed Simpson at simpsoned@aol.com.