Regatta returns to Saipan shores

Local captains and crew are preparing to hoist their mainsails and follow the second star to the right straight on until morning during the Over The Reef Yacht Club’s 31st Annual Laguna Regatta next month in the Saipan Lagoon.

The drive for sponsors and volunteers continues this week, as the OTRYC will reconvene tonight at Hamilton’s Bar and Restaurant in Gualo Rai to discuss preparations for the 31st edition of the open water race on Saturday, March 4, and Sunday, March 5.

While the details of some of the issues are yet to be released to the public, it is certain that in the coming days and weeks, volunteers and businesses throughout the community will be asked to lend a hand to help make the event the biggest and the best in the 31-year history of the race.

Tonight’s meeting will be the final in preparation for the annual event, and will raise anchor and get underway at 6:30pm

Last year the husband-and- wife combo of Tony Stearns and Janet McCullough guided their catamaran to victory for the 11th time; receiving top honors at the awards banquet at the Dai-Ichi Hotel Saipan Beach (Now Fiesta Resort & Spa), as well as the coveted Brass Bat for besting the fleet of eight on the crystal clear waters between Managaha and Saipan.

Ako Nakura of Japan and Brett Sellers of New Zealand teamed up to finish second overall during the two-day affair, while the tandem of Tetsuya Sasaki of Japan and local sailor Kelly Bruce managed to take third place in the long running event.

Michio Tanaka of Japan paired up with Saipan’s Hilary Stevens to take fourth place in 2005, while previous commodore Ron Smith and crewmate Ted Parker sailed to fifth place overall, and local sailors Lino Olopai and Cecilio Raikulape overcame slower finishes on the first day to take sixth.

Seventh place went to skipper Lisa Black and first time crewmate 14-year-old Katie Johnson, and the team of John Maguire and Scott Augenbaugh raced to an eighth place finish overall, but provided for a number of close rounds that thrilled onlookers.

Aside from the exhilaration from taming the tides, Black and Johnson received the Bronze Bat, which is given to the team that shows perseverance in the face of adversity and/or excellent sportsmanship.

The OTRYC has been in existence since 1972, and has sponsored catamaran events (Hobie and Prindle cats), monohull distance sailing and regattas, and public seminars about both traditional Carolinian sailing and modern sailing.

The Regatta pits the captains and crew of the 16-foot Hobie Cats against one another in the waters of the Tanapag Lagoon, between Tanapag and Managaha.

In addition to being one of the most colorful events on the water, the Regatta is also the longest running sporting event in the Northern Mariana Islands. This year, the club expects somewhere between 10-12 teams from Japan and Saipan.

For more information about the Over the Reef Yacht Club, or about becoming a sponsor or a volunteer for the 31st Annual Laguna Regatta, visit their web site online at www.otryc.org.