Glen Lake Yacht Club hosted 112 boats and crews competing in the Butterfly Nationals Regatta last week.

Last Wednesday, July 20, was “a picture-perfect Glen Lake day with good winds and a total of 63 boats competing in the junior open division,” reported Jandy Sprouse of the Glen Lake Yacht Club.
LOCAL WINNERS in the Butterfly Nationals were (rear, from left) Pete Kerby-Miller, Lizzy Hamilton, Melissa Moore and Reid Peirce; and (front, from left), Rachel Dow, Nate Whiteside, Carson Reay, and Vic Peirce. Not pictured, Stella Young. (Photo courtesy of Diane Hamilton).
Junior sailors require a crew and both competitors must be age 16 and younger. In the open class, a total of 49 boats competed; and there are no age limitations.

In the masters division, for sailors 50 years and older, there was an impressive performance by two local sailors in their 80s – Ned Lockwood, 83, who started sailing in 1932; and Glen Lake Yacht Club sailor Nate Whiteside, 81.

Carson Reay of Empire won an award for being the youngest skipper in the regatta, at age 10.
“The field of competition was impressive and athletes came from as far away as Colorado to participate,” Sprouse said.

Over the course of the two-day competition there were five races in each division. On Wednesday there were three in each division, with two more staged on Thursday.

“Local sailors fared well in bringing home the hardware with top-ten finishes in both divisions,” Sprouse said.
DOZENS OF Butterfly sailboats approach the starting line during the Butterfly Nationals Regatta last week on Glen Lake. The regatta was hosted by the Glen Lake Yacht Club. (Photo courtesy of Diane Hamilton).
In the junior division, Glen Lake Yacht Club skipper Melissa Moore and crew Stella Young placed eighth, and skipper Pete Kerby-Miller and crew Rachel Dow finished ninth overall.

In the open division, Glen Lake Yacht Club’s Lizzy Hamilton placed fifth, Kerby-Miller was eighth, and Reid Peirce was ninth overall.

Leelanau County resident Jeff Ragains, from Leland Yacht Club, placed second overall in the open class. Masters sailor Vic Peirce was second, and Whiteside was third, both from Glen Lake Yacht Club.

Local sailors from Crystal Lake Yacht Club also brought home the hardware with Elissa Walter placing fourth in the open division and taking top woman sailor honors, and Tony Pugh placing sixth.

To view the entire list of competitors and results, visit www.butterflyer.org online.