Gull Lake Yacht Club and Sailing School to host Major Youth Sailing Regatta

More than 100 Sailboats Expected for ILYA Class X Championship Regatta on Gull Lake in July 2009

The Gull Lake Yacht Club will host more than 170 youth sailors to see who are regional champions during the ILYA Class X Championship on Gull Lake in Brainerd, Minn., July 22-25, 2009.

At this championship youth regatta, an estimated 100 sailboats will compete with sailors ages 16 and under from the five-state area and beyond. Sailing teams will represent Gull Lake, other northern Minnesota lakes, Lake Minnetonka, White Bear Lake, and many other lakes from Iowa, Wisconsin, Illinois and Michigan. Sailors will all be racing on X-boats, 16-foot, two-sail scows, each with a skipper and one crew member.

Sponsored by the ILYA (Inland Lakes Yachting Association), the championship rotates among member yacht clubs each summer. There are 16 races scheduled over three days, eight for skippers age 14 and under and eight for skippers ages 15-16. While the crystal clear waters of Gull Lake will be the sailing venue, other on-land activities will take place at the newly completed Gull Lake Sailing School and Family Center on the eastern side of the lake

“People often think of sailing as peaceful and leisurely,” said Vince Driessen, regatta organizer and Gull Lake Yacht Club member. “These races will demonstrate another side of sailing that is highly athletic and highly strategic – a chess game on water, with smart, young sailors in charge. These young sailors are among the best in the country.”

The ILYA includes 50 member yacht clubs located in nine states, the majority in the Upper Midwest. It was established in 1897 to promote the sport of sailing and conducts regattas for a variety of sailboat classes each year.

The Gull Lake Yacht Club (GLYC) is a private, volunteer-run, non-profit organization located on the eastern shores of Gull Lake. The club, founded in 1947, has long been a hub of sailing and social activity on Gull Lake. GLYC hosts a variety of sailing races and social events throughout the year.

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