Yngling

Saturday Regatta

20110813-040216.jpgIf you look at the sails of these boats, you will notice a "Y". That identifies them as Yngling class boats, which is an international classification. You might also notice the "USA" on the sails. If this photo had been taken in Switzerland, you would see "SUI" instead. Or in Sweden "SWE". And so on. Additionally, the number on the sail indicates the hull number. My boat (which is a Catalina 250) has the number 639 on the sail, which means that it was the 639th Catalina 250 to be built.I'm sure you're thrilled by this information, but being an educator, I feel obligated. . .What you are looking at in this photo isn't just any Saturday Yngling class regatta. You are looking at one of the races in the North American Yngling Regatta, which was being hosted by the Okoboji Yacht Club on Lake Okoboji in Iowa. They had a brisk NW wind to sail in and we just happened to be cruising the lake in a powerboat when the regatta started. I wasn't planning on taking photos of a sailboat race and if I had known this was happening, I would have brought my good telephoto lens with me. :-)

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