OTRYC sets sail on Laguna Regatta preparations

The drive for sponsors for the 2005 Laguna Regatta is officially on as of Tuesday night, as the Over the Reef Yacht Club met at Hamilton’s Bar and Restaurant in Gualo Rai to discuss preparations for the 30th edition of the open water race.

While members took turns volunteering for different assignments and sponsorship canvassing, the planned vote for the board members of the New Year was postponed until their next meeting in February.

“We’ll be voting on the future leadership of the club, and this meeting is open to the public, and anyone interested in volunteering their services for the Regatta. We are looking forward to see some new faces at the meeting, and we hope to recruit people to participate in the committee boat and the chase boats, to name a couple of positions,” said the commodore of the OTRYC, Ron Smith.

While the details of some of the issues are yet to be released to the public, several items were approved by the general membership, such as the location for the awards banquet, the location of the registration social, and the approval of the official logo for the 2005 Laguna Regatta.

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 30-year history of the race.

Members, prospective members, and volunteers will next meet at Hamilton’s on Feb. 8 at 6:30pm. After the voting is completed, the focus of the meeting will move to the continued planning of the Laguna Regatta on Saturday, Feb. 26, and Sunday, Feb. 27.

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.

“We anticipate somewhere between 5-6 teams from the (Saipan), and another 5-6 teams from Japan,” said Smith.

For more information about the Over the Reef Yacht Club, visit their web site online at www.otryc.org.