Club 420 Racing

EYC junior racers who want to gain experience racing in big fleets, and in higher performance doublehanded dinghies, should consider competing in the Club 420 National Championship Regatta at the Lake Geneva Yacht Club on July 11-13.   The Notice of Race is at www.lgyc.com/events/2013-club-420-assn-us-national-championship

The Club 420 is a doublehanded boat equipped with a crew trapeze and a spinnaker.  They are a lot of fun to sail for both skipper and crew, and are the most common boat for youth doublehanded racing in the United States.  US Sailing’s Bemis trophy (national doublehanded youth trophy) has long been sailed in Club 420s.

Club 420s are available to charter for the Nationals from Sturgis Boat Works  www.sturgisboatworks.com

The EYC’s 420s cannot be sailed in Club 420 class events.  The EYC’s new fleet of eighteen boats is the “SCV” 420 (School and College Version).  The EYC’s SCV 420s are simpler (not equipped with a trapeze and spinnaker) and more heavily built for durability.

The Club 420 summer racing schedule (consisting mostly of high-school age racers) is extensive.  Other Club 420 events in the Midwest in 2013 (all of which are BYOB – Bring Your Own Boat) include:

  • Inland Lakes Yachting Association 420 Dinghy Championship, Delavan Lake Yacht Club, Delavan, WI, June 21-23
  • LMSRF Youth Championship and Wente Cup, Sheridan Shore Sailing School, Wilmette, IL, June 27-28
  • Midwest Junior Olympics, Wayzata Community Sailing Center, Wayzata, MN, June 30-July 2
  • Kaszube Cup, South Shore Yacht Club, Milwaukee, WI, July 8–10
  • US Sailing Area K Chubb Junior Championship (Bemis trophy eliminations), Lake Forest, IL, July 14-16
  • North Shore Cup, Lake Forest Sailing Center, Lake Forest, IL, July 26
  • Skyline Regatta, Columbia Yacht Club, Chicago, IL, August 8–9

The Club 420 Association maintains a national regatta calendar at www.club420.org.  Other event calendars to keep your eye on are the Lake Michigan Sail Racing Federation’s Youth Event’s calendar at http://www.lmsrf.org/lmsrf/index.php/youth/youth-events, and the Inland Lake Yachting Association’s calendar at http://www.ilya.org/event-calendar.html