ROCKPORT — The Sandy Bay Yacht Club will host a sailing regatta this weekend — on a small scale.
The regatta, the Sandy Bay Invitational, will include the participation of 2.4 meter sailboats, miniature versions of 12 meter boats from the 1970s-1980s.
“These solo-sailor boats are particularly adaptable for disabled sailors, a number of whom will be in the competition,” said club member Arthur Bookstein. “One was a gold medalist at the Olympics in Beijing.”
Bookstein, 85, is a longtime sailor who is familiar with piloting 2.4 meter sailboats.
“You have to keep moving,” he said. “You have to keep moving until you can’t. This is a very exciting boat. It’s a wet boat. You get a lot of water in these boats.”
Bookstein said when purchased new, the 2.4 meter boats cost between $17,000 and $20,000. He added competitors participating in the 2.4 meter Regatta are coming from Newport, Chicago, Maryland, Florida and Canada.
Bookstein said onlookers may want to venture down to Davis Park off Old Garden Road in Rockport to watch the races.
The regatta will take place from Friday through Sunday, said event organizer Kathleen Whitehair.
“Approximately 15 competitors will come together, some from out of state, to compete for three days,” she said. “As many as five are disabled sailors.”
The 2.4-meter racing sailboat is 13-feet, 8 inches long; the 2.4 meter refers not to the boat’s length but a class designation arrived at by a formula. The boats are said to be designed for competitive sailing and easy to handle, launch and store.
The class includes former America’s Cup sailors, one-design champions, disabled sailors, cruising class sailors and those of all ages who love to sail.
Some Sandy Bay sailors own more than one 2.4 meter racing sailboat and some welcome newcomers to borrow one and try their hands at it.
“The best thing about the 2.4 meter is that each sailor competed on an equal level of sailing ability, not agility,” said Whitehair. “Some have called this boat ‘the great equalizer’ because it really levels the playing field for sailors of all ages and abilities.
The tentative schedule includes:
– Friday July 12 at 11 a.m. – Competitors meeting.
– Friday July 12 at 1 p.m. – First warning signal.
– Saturday July 13 at noon – First warning signal.
– Sunday July 14 at 10 a.m. – First warning signal.
For additional information, go to: www.sandybay.org.
Stephen Hagan can be reached at 978-675-2708 or at shagan@gloucestertimes.com.