Little Traverse to host US IRC Nationals

IRC moves to the US mid-West

Little Traverse Yacht Club's (LTYC) 48th Annual Regatta and One Design Series, fondly known as the 'Ugotta Regatta' that follows the Mackinac Races each year, is this year to double as the second Rolex US-IRC National Championship. Scheduled for Friday through Sunday, July 25-27, 2008, the event will take place on Little Traverse Bay, Lake Michigan, adjacent to Harbor Springs, Michigan where the LTYC is located.

According to US-IRC Executive Director Luiz Kahl, the regatta still has space for 8 in Division 1 IRC where the battle for the championship will ensue. The division is limited to 50 entries.

This year's event will follow the two most famous long distance fresh water races in the Great Lakes starting with the Bayview Mackinac Race, which was instrumental in the introduction and growth of IRC in the Midwest, and the 100th running of the Chicago-Mac Race, which is a sound reason to follow that event with the Rolex US-IRC National Championship in the Midwest this year.

One-design classes with a minimum of 10 boats will be given separate starts. There also will be a PHRF Division 2 (with the same boat minimum required for a separate one-design start) sailing for the 2008 LTYC PHRF Regatta title.

IRC Division 1 will sail all three days, while PHRF Division II will sail only Saturday and Sunday. Scheduled are three windward-leeward races on Friday; a traditional 'Tour of the Bay' race of 7-10 legs (weighted at 1.5 in scoring) on Saturday, followed by three windward-leeward races for all classes on Sunday. Three separate courses will be utilized for the windward-leeward races.

“Little Traverse Yacht Club, established in 1895, is one of the oldest yacht clubs in the Midwest and has a long history of commitment to innovation in sailing,” said Event Chair Kevin Farrell. "We are thrilled to host the 2008 Rolex US-IRC National Championship in Harbor Springs as part of the 48th LTYC Regatta and One Design Series."

The Storm Trysail Club's Block Island Race Week presented by Rolex hosted the inaugural Rolex US-IRC National Championship during its 22nd biennial running last June. Blue Yankee, Bob and Farley Towse's (Stamford, Conn.) Reichel/Pugh 66, won the event with a string of four victories in six races.