Blue Chip Regatta starts tonight

From the Friday, Sept. 12, 2008, edition of the Northwest Herald:

Blue Chip Regatta starts tonight
By DIANA SROKA - dsroka@nwherald.com

JOHNSBURG – By Friday evening, the southwest shore of Pistakee Lake will be flooded with more than 22 sail boats in town for the 49th annual C Scow Blue Chip Regatta, hosted by the Pistakee Yacht Club.

The three-day event will include a dinner and two days of regionally known sailors competing on Pistakee Lake, event organizer Michael Morgan said.

“It’s showcasing the top sailors of the C fleet,” Morgan said. “It’s attracting the best of the best to come and sail at Pistakee.”

The event kicks off this evening with a pork chop dinner at the Pistakee Yacht Club, 3300 Rocky Beach Road, in Johnsburg. As sailors arrive at the club tonight, they’ll also learn the identity of this year’s mystery guest.

The mystery guest usually is a nationally known sailor, possibly an Olympic sailor, Morgan said. The guest will get to participate in the races Saturday and Sunday.

The first race starts at 9:30 a.m. Saturday. Organizers hope to have either three or four races throughout the day.

“It’s all dependent on the wind,” Morgan said.

The races will follow an approximately 3.5-mile course on Pistakee Lake, on the north side of Coon Island. Each boat will have two or three sailors, dependent on the wind. People can watch the races from the shore or a spectator boat, he said.

Saturday’s events also include a pasta dinner, which is open to the public.

The event will continue at 9:30 a.m. Sunday. Organizers hope to have two races Sunday.

McHenry County authorities will patrol the water during the regatta so boaters don’t get in the way, but Morgan encouraged boaters to come and watch from the water.

“Private people on their boats are more than welcome to see the race,” he said.