Final Wrap-up...

Hundreds of women sailors participated in an instructional clinic and fleet racing as part of the third annual Bayview Yacht Club Women’s Invitational Regatta Aug. 19 and 20.

With a full day of clinic instruction on Saturday (58 women registered), a match racing exhibition Saturday afternoon (women were on each of the four teams), and 24 boats racing on two courses Sunday, the weekend was full of sailing and social activities.

Winning skippers in the Sunday racing were:

Adam Hollerbach, of Grosse Pointe Farms, won the Match Racing Exhibition Saturday afternoon..

It is with excitement that we announce the 2006 Bayview Yacht Club's Women's Invitational Regatta. As many of you know, this event has grown over the last couple of years into quite a day of racing, camaraderie, and all around summer fun at the Club. The plan for this year's event is a bit different, and if I must say so myself, very exciting!

To make the regatta more enticing to beginners and veterans as well as out-of-towners, we have tried to include a mix of activities and make this a "full-service" event including instruction, food, and entertainment.

We have added an extra day to the event to include a comprehensive clinic and match racing exhibition on Saturday. The clinic boasts a combination of on-the-water and classroom sessions including video debriefs and should provide a great deal of hands-on experience beneficial to both the novice and seasoned sailor. We plan on using U20s for the clinic, which will include a variety of topics from boat handling, to starts, to basic crew work. For the more advanced participants, there will also be the opportunity to ask specific questions and address more complex issues.

Taking place Saturday after the clinic, we expect the Match Racing Exhibition to be the talk of the club. We have secured some of our very own national-champion match racers to go head-to-head, as well as to compete against some of our instructors. The match racing will take place in front of the club, with live on-the-water commentary piped into the club house and broadcast on the lawn. We will also randomly draw willing participants to join these match racers for some first-hand exposure to the art and science of match racing. Of course, the more spectators the merrier, so mark your calendars for Saturday, August 19th.

After the match racing is over, clinic participants will enjoy dinner and debrief of the day. And to close out the day, we will have an open party with entertainment and dancing. All are welcome to join in the festivities of the evening so be sure to come on down to your Club on Saturday night!

The cost of the clinic will be approximately $100 per person. Keep in mind that this includes 3 meals, instruction, and entertainment. What a great gift idea for that significant other, daughter, mother, or wife! And, all women participating in the clinic on Saturday are guaranteed a spot on a boat to race on Sunday. More information will be posted on www.byc.com.

Sunday, August 20th will bring a day of racing…two circles this year! One will be for the bigger boats with the same format and location as the last two years. In addition, we will have racing on the River in front of the Club for smaller boats. More information to come on which boats we will be racing on the River - (probably U20s and Crescents).

So as you can see, we have two full days of activities planned. Our clinic faculty include women with international success in sailing who will be teaching and coaching on Saturday. In addition, we already have a couple of boats committed from out-of-town, and, most importantly, a whole lot of enthusiasm and support from our team. If you are interested in joining our team or volunteering, contact me at lynnsuzette@yahoo.com or 248-882-3884.

The next phase is to continue the sponsorship process. We are working with Angie Bournias, and have already secured a sponsorship from Lincoln Mercury, as well as interest again from Lands' End. We will be sending out information to potential sponsors starting February 1st, and will certainly accept any interested parties based on our defined levels (Bronze: $300, Silver: $500, Gold: $750, Platinum: $1500, Diamond: $3000, and Title: $10000) and club protocol. If you know of a potential sponsor, please feel free to contact me and we can send them a sponsorship package defining the levels in more detail.

Looking ahead, we are excited to continue growing this event. We plan to couple the BYC Women's Invitational in 2007 with the US Sailing Women's Match Racing Championship, which BYC is hosting! So what's in store for 2008 and beyond? One can only imagine. Perhaps a multi-day event serving as a qualifier for an international championship, or maybe a Rolex Keelboat Championship site? The possibilities are endless…

Our entire team thanks you in advance for your continued support of the BYC Women's Invitational Regatta, and continuing the spirit of the Natalie J. O'Niel trophy - enthusiasm and dedication to the sport of sailing.

Saturday - August 19th
Registration / Continental Breakfast / Keynote Intro	8:30 - 9:00 AM
Lecture / Teaching Session	9:00 - 9:45 AM
Boat Assignments	9:45 - 10:00 AM
On-the-Water Session "Starts & Boat Handling"	10:00 - NOON
Lunch & Video Debrief	12:00 - 1:00 PM
Lecture / Teaching Session	1:00 - 2:00 PM
Boat Assignments	2:00 - 2:15 PM
On-the-Water Session "Fleet Racing"	2:15 - 4:15 PM
Match Racing Exhibition	4:30 - 6:00 PM
Dinner & Debrief	6:00 - 8:00 PM
Band & Beer	8:00 - 11:00 PM
Sunday - August 20
Registration / Skipper's Meeting	8:00 - 8:30 AM
Racing	10:00 - 2:00 PM
Awards	3:30 PM