The Leland Yacht Club is in the midst of hosting the National One-Design Championship Regatta for the 24th time since 1950 through Saturday, Aug. 15.
Sailors from Denver, Ireland, Ohio, Indiana, and locals are competing during the 90th anniversary year of the National One-Design class, designed by William Crosby in 1936.
Races last through Saturday off Nedow’s Bay in Lake Leelanau.
Stephen Rutherford made the trip from Holywood, Ireland, a proper small Irish town, near Belfast.
“Back in the early 80s the designs were built in Belfast. I found them through a magazine and they built swell to them.
And as a teenager, I sailed on them. Move forward then, 30 years or whatever.
On Facebook, I saw the association (Leland Yacht Club) and clicked on it and started following it. One of the girls spotted me and asked me why.I explained the same story that I'd sailed as a teenager back in Ireland and they invited me to come out to Leland last year to sail in the world championships.
And I'm back for another go.”
Rutherford visited the area for the first time last year with his son and gave an Irish approval, with plans of returning and spending a couple weeks in northern Michigan.
“I love the place. It's great. I came last year with my son … In the evenings, we traveled around the lake … I think we'll be back again, possibly next year and this time I'll open my life and maybe take a longer holiday.”
Rutherford amidst he is at a disadvantage against quality sailors and in different waters.
“There’s a local knowledge advantage in this, to be honest with you, when you come to someone else's venue, with a day like today when the wind’s light, local knowledge is a good thing. If we get a steady breeze, it’ll level the playing field,” Rutherford said.
The championship regatta featured 10 sails and has steadily grown from just a handful in recent years. Referees include two patrol boats during the championship sail.
This is the 90th anniversary year of the National One-Design class sail boat, Introduced in 1936 by Crosby, who also designed the “Snipe”
This 17-foot centerboard dinghy is a hallmark of American one-design sailing. With about 1,000 wooden hulls built before fiberglass versions emerged, the class is carefully regulated by the National One-Design Racing Association (NODRA) to maintain level competition. The boat stands out for its 400-pound lightweight design, impressive angles, enabling it to plane in brisk winds.
Designed for club racing and relaxed family outings on lakes and bays, it features a single permitted trapeze for an added racing advantage. Its straightforward rig and forgiving nature have made it a lasting favorite among newcomers and aficionados of vintage sailing.
“This has the rudder more in the middle of the boat rather than on the rear end. So it's very, very sensitive. It's a great boat,” Biff Steel said. “I’m happy to get out in the lake and, the open water, the open sky, and then hearing the waves, just washing around the boat. It’s very peaceful.”
Biff has been sailing for 75 years and broke out his original rig from 1959 for the race.
Out of the 10 people racing, one person is 91, another is 87 and 84, respectively.
But age is just a number on Lake Leelanau.
“This race has been very good for families … We like getting together because it's like family reunions,” Steel said.
