Youngstown Level Regatta -July 28 - 29, 2012

Location

Billed as one of the largest freshwater sailboat races in the country, each July the Youngstown Level Regatta attracts sailors from two nations to the water and Youngstown. Traditionally, nearly 60 percent of the sailors hail from Canada. Hosted by the Youngstown Yacht Club, the Regatta brings hundreds of boats to Lake Ontario for the two-day event. Five race courses are situated out on the lake. Approximately 300 sailboats representing many classes will race for prizes in their divisions.

The event was started in 1972 by Don Finkle, a Youngstown Yacht Clubmember looking for a different kind of yacht racing.

He wanted to do something a little different where sailboats raced were raced without using handicaps, The club puts together five circular courses out in Lake Ontario as far west as St. Catheranes in Ontario and as far east as Wilson. Boats are then assigned to each course and a starting mark is determined based on wind direction. In other words, you’re always sailing directly into the wind

Youngstown can expects to see 2,000 or more people come to town to race, which means the Club and the Village have quite an undertaking each year.