Midwest Viper Regattas

[Thomas Leith]

I see the Texans have a five-regatta circuit, with a possible addition of Oklahoma City. There's a lot of great activity up and down the Eastern Seaboard. Maybe we can start to get something centered on St. Louis (really Carlyle Lake in Illinois).

Chicago, Dallas, Oklahoma City, and Atlanta are all within striking distance of here. That gives some overlap with Texas and Southeast which I see as a Good Thing.

I understand there is a Viper in Chicago and another Minneapolis. The "fleet map" says there's a boat in Kansas City and in Minneapolis. There are two at Carlyle Lake.

Carlyle Sailing Association hosts a multi-class regatta in September called The Whale of a Sail. If five boats come to The Whale, CSA will make both the M-24 & the Viper into one-design fleets. Otherwise they'd probably run the M-24s and Vipers in a PHRF Division in order to be friendly. There has been some interest at Carlyle in the Viper as an alternative to Lightning and E-Scow -- a good showing at The Whale could be helpful.

When I had a Star, there was a multi-class regatta at Wilmette (north of Chicago) each summer that might be a good venue (although the parking is a real pain). Milwaukee might make a great meet-up also. There is the Chicago Yacht Club NOOD regatta, but I don't know whether they're set up for small boats or what they'd do with a Viper.

It seems like we could have at least one Midwest Meetup in 2009, and possibly travel to a Texas venue and a Southeast venue as well. Finances are tight, but this seems doable even in addition to Charleston in a few weeks.

So, who's in the Midwest?