LAKE REGION SAILING CLUB
SAILBOAT RACING ON LONG LAKE IN THE LAKE REGION OF WESTERN MAINE
The LAKE REGION SAILING CLUB is a group comprised of both new and experienced sailors who spend time together on and off the water promoting and enjoying the sport of sailing and sailboat racing. We race on the Harrison Bay at the north end of LONG LAKE in BRIDGTON, MAINE, and after our Tuesday night races we regularly meet at a local restaurant to socialize and compare notes on the racing.
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We are a regular feature in the Sports Section of the weekly BRIDGTON NEWS during the summer months of July to September.
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Our goal is to promote and enjoy sailing and racing with a minimum of fuss and a maximum of fun. You can email us or visit our Facebook Page. Just click on CONTACT US at the top of this page if you would like find out more about our Club.
OUR MEMBERS ARE REGULAR FOLKS WHO LOVE TO SAIL BOATS OF ALL KINDS!
And we love racing sailboats!
Ours is a laid-back club that loves to sail, and our members love to race sailboats. We are low-key, low-cost and if it's not fun we don't do it.
And yes, we have a Good Time! If you've thought about sailing or sailboat racing but never have, come on down. You can crew on a members boat to see what sailing is all about or bring your own boat out. No appointment necessary!
We race at 5 pm on Tuesday Nights July 4th to Labor Day plus or minus. We also have several Saturday Races during the summer (Sunday if it rains). Look for the start line buoys just off the shallow water marks near Lakeside Pines Campground on Long Lake. That's on the west side of Harrison Bay at the north end of the lake. We'd love to see you! Click on CONTACT US at the top of this page to get started!
HOW IT ALL BEGAN
In the early 80’s, Gary Searles started hosting sailing races at his camp on Crystal Lake in Harrison, Maine. After a couple of years, he moved the races to Long Lake, just off from his offices at the Anchorage. He ran two races a year. As many as twenty boats of all sizes participated, using the PHRF handicap system and granting awards for the first three spots in two classes. Tee shirts and a buffet were included in the $20.00 entry fee. Gary not only sponsored the races, he raced in them. He and Henry Hudson were the real founders of racing in the area.
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Around 1988 or 1989, three sailors felt they would like to race more often. Rob Knowles, Alan Boise, and Virgil Duemler got together one winter evening and decided to create a sailing club that would race on Tuesday nights and maybe a couple of more weekend races. The club was founded on three principles. First, it had to be simple and easy. Secondly, it had to be cheap. And lastly, it had to be fun. With this in mind, we gathered people together and set $25.00 as the fee that would off-set trophy and operation costs. Virgil and Rob got the racing marks, and set up the courses. Jim Allen of Naples Marina fame was racing at the time and sold Rob Knowles the pontoon boat for $0.96 along with the maple tree that was growing in it. A napkin was the bill of sale. Rob bartered for a number of motors and finally bought one.
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Almost immediately, Gary gave the responsibility of all the weekend races to the club. Since that time, we have run the entire show. Gary continues to sponsor the races and we continue use his docking facilities. He no longer races but is still a lynch pin in the system.
Around 1997, Pat Klofas joined the sailing club and instantly sponsored the Tuesday Night Series. Lake Region Therapy has been its only sponsor and continues to support the club. We have had great success with this series, hosting as many as 25 boats on a given night.
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The club had a brief period when the club had many evening tie up parties anchored just off one of the many islands in Long Lake. Several years in a row, back when there was a swing bridge at the Naples Causeway, a number of boats would gather up and go into Sebago for a couple of days; rafting up at night was quite an event.
Racing and introducing new sailors to racing has been the greatest success for the club.
We have four major weekend regattas a year. We have had a number of formats including races that have gone the entire length of the lake. Lake Region Sailing Club is comprised of a myriad of different sailors at different skill levels. We have never had any protest flags for the races and the interaction of all the sailors with one another is one of support. We are competitive but only to a point. This speaks volumes about the group.
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Lake Region Sailing Club is thirty years old now and sailors have come and gone (and some have returned again). We have nurtured young sailors, and we have enticed older folks to get into sailing. We have, for thirty years, presented a beautiful picture on Long Lake. No one can watch a fleet sailboats tacking and shifting, wing-on-wing or heeled over on a beat and not be moved. This club is a success.
INTERESTED? DROP US A LINE!
The map to the left shows the location of Lakeside Pines Campground on the west shore of Harrison Bay, Long Lake. We start our Tuesday Night races off the shallow water marks near the campground.
To get in touch with the Club, click on the email address shown below. Or find us on Facebook: Lake Region Sailing Club. We look forward to hearing from you soon!
