It’s been an exciting week at SYC. We can hardly keep up with ourselves! Since the last column, we have participated in the Rock the Boat 5K, Arts and Crafts Show,  Mark Island Race, Maine State Optis and the sailing program Olympics!

Maine States was an exciting one-day regatta held at Portland Yacht Club this past Tuesday, Aug. 3. We brought six of our Opti sailors to compete in mostly breezy conditions on a couple of fun courses consisting of windward-leewards, port triangles, and the Olympic course. With 35 boats on the line, our sailors placed wonderfully over the five races throughout the day. Big congratulations to Daphne Walsh, who placed 1st overall, winning the regatta with a total of only 18 points! Additionally, Rachel Phippen placed 3rd in her age division, getting 9th overall. Nathan Phippen and Parker Baker both finished above the top half of the fleet. Gabriella Moen and Ilyana Harrington were not too far behind, making their first regatta appearances a success. Congratulations to all of our sailors who competed at the Portland Yacht Club!

Saturday’s eighth annual Rock the Boat 5K provided a balance of camaraderie and multi-generational community spirit.  There were several course records broken and many pies given out to winners of each category. Special thanks to Eden Climo for the stretching tent, Gerry Gamage and the Southport Fire Department for keeping runners safe and traffic moving and to all the volunteers who made the event a success. The overall winner was Bryce Jacobs with a time of 19:42.0. There was some competition for the award to the family with the most members volunteering and running in the race. The Saudek/Cusack/Alberino family had 19 with the Cameron/Irving family with 18. Both families received an award in the form of a pie. 

The Tokyo Olympics this summer are popular with many of our members finding ways to view, leaving those without cottage televisions to find creative solutions. Last week both the Morning and Afternoon Classes participated in the 2021 SYC Olympic Games! We had representation from six different countries including Australia, Ireland, Sweden, New Zealand, Italy, and USA. The games kicked off with a beautiful Opening Ceremony where competitors from each country passed the Olympic torch from the senior dock to the junior dock, ending with a ceremonial jump in the ocean from a few eager competitors. Other events included a cross-terrain relay (run, row, sail), javelin toss, shot put, artistic gymnastics floor routine, equestrian, cannonball contest, pencil dive competition, and artistic synchronized swimming. Both rounds of games ended with the playing of the Australian National Anthem to congratulate our gold medal victors! Congratulations to all of our Olympic competitors! We had an amazing fun day!

The Arts and Crafts Show had a wonderful exhibit with over 35 artisans and plenty of good weather.  Thank you to co-chairs Adrienne Rogatnick and Cush Brinegar for your hard work and organization.  Proceeds from this event benefit local artists and support Southport sailing program scholarships. 

Congratulations to Dane Phippen who sailed a 420 and won every race on corrected time in Saturday’s Mark Island Race. Second goes to the young ladies of WIRED -- Parker Bates and Daphne Walsh, who alternated skippering each race.  The third place goes to the J-80 SKY ROCKET from Boothbay Harbor sailed by the Prestons. The turnout was great with 13 boats ranging from 420s to the Alden 38 MUSKRAT. Thanks to the first-rate race committee of Bryce and Will Jacobs. We look forward to the last turnabout race -- the Cedarbush Triangle on Sunday, Aug. 15 at 1 p.m.

The end of our junior sailing season is traditionally wrapped up with our Junior Banquet, where we come together one last time for some food, fun, and awards. While we normally pack everyone into the Town Hall for this event, this year we will host two smaller events right at the SYC on the lawn. Two ice cream socials and awards nights will be held: Morning Class Celebration on Tuesday, Aug. 17 and Afternoon Class Celebration on Wednesday, Aug. 18. Both nights start at 6. Ice cream will be available on the junior building deck starting at 6 and then we will begin presenting awards on the lawn at about 6:30 for both events. Please RSVP on the form sent via text. 

Our next social event is the Beer Tasting on Saturday, Aug. 21 and is hosted by Geoff and Joan Chatterton.