The 5^th annual Indy Regatta was held on May 21-22, 2016 at the Eagle Creek Sailing Club in Indianapolis.  The turnout was light due to some scheduling conflicts with other Midwest District clubs.  But the boats that did show up were all top-notch sailors.  We had the following skipper/crews for the regatta. 

After a hearty breakfast of biscuits & gravy, the competitors headed out to the course.  Sailing conditions were perfect with winds from the north at 10-15 mph.  The northerly wind allowed the Race Committee to set up a windward-leeward course the entire 1-mile length of the lake.  Although the lake is small, it has the very important benefit of virtually no motorboats.  The sailors had the entire lake to themselves for the entire weekend.

Eagle Creek is known for its shifty winds, and Saturday was no different.  This was the 4^th or 5^th time for Ben Williams and Deb Aronson at Eagle Creek and they have the lake pretty much figured out.  They scored bullets in the first 3 races.  Hometown favorite Tyler and Carrie Andrews were close behind.  Winds were so perfect, we took a quick poll and all competitors voted for a 4^th race.  Tyler Andrews had his boat dialed in and won the 4^th race.  Bruce & Lynn Kitchen, who won the event in 2015, returned to defend their honor in their new boat Kitchen Sink III.  It took them a while to get dialed in, but showed steady improvement over the course of the regatta.  Frank and MariAnne Gerry posted solid results the first day as well with 3 2^nd place finishes.  Local sailors Geoff Endris and crew Tom Moore watched in awe from the rear.

At the end of the day, Ben & Deb were in first, followed by Tyler & Carrie, Frank & MariAnne, Bruce & Lynn and Geoff & Tom.  After a long, hard day of racing, the competitors took showers, relaxed a bit and were treated to root beer floats.  Dinner was the traditional BBQ dinner from local favorite: Squealers.

Sunday morning brought clear skies and a second day of northerly winds at 10-15.  Another perfect day!  After a breakfast of pancakes and sausage, the competitors headed out for another two races.  Bruce & Lynn posted bullets in both races.  Tyler & Carrie posted a 2 & 4.  Frank and MariAnne posted a 4 & 2. Ben & Deb finished 3^rd in both races.  Geoff & Tom continued to watch the top guns from the rear.

At the end of the regatta, Ben and Deb held on to finish first.  Bruce and Lynn used their two bullets on Sunday to move up from 4^th to 2^nd.  Tyler & Carrie dropped from 2^nd to 3^rd.  Frank and MariAnne dropped from 3^rd to 4^th.  Geoff & Tom showed the only consistency throughout the regatta by finishing 5^th in every race!  It is worth pointing out that the top 4 teams were Wife/Husband teams.  Geoff and Tom probably didn’t really have a chance.

Final race results: