Category: Whiskey Town Regatta

2026 Regatta Schedule

Posted on April 29, 2026 by - Canandaigua Dinghy Regatta, Pig Regatta, Schedule, Whiskey Town Regatta, Worlds

Hello everyone,
Gerhard and I have gathered some info, and here is an outline our 2026 FD Regatta Season Roadmap.
The 2026 sailing season has shaped up to be a good one, from the high-altitude breezes of California to the historic waters of the Finger Lakes. Whether you’re a seasoned sailor or a dockside enthusiast, these four events offer a perfect mix of competitive racing with an excellent sailing community.
Here are the listings of our key regattas you can’t miss this year.
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Whiskeytown Lake Regatta
Dates: May 23–24, 2026 (Memorial Day Weekend)
Location: Whiskeytown Lake, California
Kick off your summer at the 61st Annual Memorial Weekend Regatta . Hosted by the Whiskeytown Sailing Club , this event is a West Coast favorite known for its stunning mountain backdrop and family-friendly atmosphere.
● What to expect: Typically featuring a variety of centerboard and keelboat classes, this regatta is as much about the friendly vibe as it is about the podium.
● Pro Tip: Whiskeytown is famous for its clear water and unpredictable canyon winds—come prepared for shifts!
● Camping spots : Spots are first come first served, RV’s at Brandy Creek Marina, Tents at Oak Bottom Marina.
Registration for Whiskeytown can be found here:
Whiskeytown Sailing Club,Whiskeytown Registration
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Canandaigua Yacht Club Invitational Dinghy Regatta
Dates: July 24–26, 2026
Location: Canandaigua Lake, New York.
In the heart of the Finger Lakes, the Canandaigua Yacht Club serves as a premier host for mid-summer racing. This late-July window often features intense competition across popular one-design classes.
● The Vibe: Expect classic Finger Lakes hospitality combined with tight, technical racing on one of the most scenic lakes in the Northeast.
● For the FD sailors: Five or more boats at this event can set up a designated start.
Information for Canandaigua can be found here:

Canandaigua Yacht Club
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Flying Dutchman Regatta @ Baseline Lake
Dates: August 15–16, 2026
Location: Michigan Sailing Club (Baseline Lake), Michigan
The Michigan Sailing Club is the place to be in mid-August. This year, the club highlights its high-performance roots with a dedicated two-day regatta. Baseline Lake offers a protected but challenging environment perfect for small-boat tactics.
● The Scene: Known for its cooperative, volunteer-run spirit, the Michigan Sailing Club events are fantastic for meeting local sailors and enjoying post-race barbecues at the clubhouse.
Information for the FD Regatta at Michigan Sailing Club will be posted here:

Michigan Sailing Club
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2026 FD Regatta Season Close Out The Pig Regatta
Dates: September 12–13, 2026
Location: Brookville Lake, Indiana (Brookville Lake Sailing Association)
Our last regatta and the closing out for the season is the legendary Pig Regatta . Hosted by the Brookville Lake Sailing Association (BLSA) , this event has earned a cult following for its unique blend of fun racing and the serious food on shore.
● The Main Event: While the racing on the water is competitive, the shore-side festivities—specifically the namesake roast—are the highlight of the weekend.
● Classes: This low key event usually attracts a diverse fleet including keel boats, and various dinghies.
Information for the Pig Regatta at Brookville Lake Sailing Club is posted here:

Brookville Lake Sailing Association
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And; we need to finish with a Grand Finale: 2026 FD World Championship
While our regional circuit starts in California and wraps up in Indiana, the pinnacle of the year sits across the eastern horizon on the international stage. This year the ultimate test of Flying Dutchman skill and speed is in Kiel, Germany.
● Dates: June 21 – 28th, 2026
● Location: Kiel, Germany (Kieler Yacht-Club)
The 2026 Flying Dutchman World Championship returns to the historic waters of the Kieler Förde . Known world-class race management and challenging Baltic Sea conditions, Kiel offers a legendary backdrop for the FD class. This is more than a regatta; it is a gathering of the fastest sailors in the world in a city known for sailing excellence.
The official Notice of Race (NoR) and registration details are here:

2026 Worlds Registration

Whiskeytown Lake Regatta, 2025 Edition

Posted on June 1, 2025 by - Northern California, Whiskey Town Regatta

This year was the 60th anniversary of this famous Memorial Day weekend event, and the Whiskeytown Sailing Club and its members again did a wonderful job! This is also becoming the main event for the West Coast FD sailors.

The Carrs came down again the long stretch from Seattle area. They are a fixture to this event by now – even the local hydro powerplant is named after them!

Jim Conachen’s wooden Van Doesburg FD from 1968 caught a lot of adoration; Jim did a wonderful job in restoring this boat that used to belong to Buzz Ballenger (who unfortunately could not join the event due to work).

Three FDs showed up for this event: the Carrs, Jim Conachen, and Gerhard Panuschka.

There were reserved tent spaces for the sailors in the group camp nearby; RVs were allowed to stay in the parking lot of the launch ramp.

All boats had to be inspected for the Golden Mussel that was recently discovered in some lakes on the West Coast. The federal inspectors were very friendly, including the sniffing dogs.

The westerly wind on Saturday morning started to die just before the 1100 first start, as predicted by the locals. Nevertheless, the race committee was able to get three races through that day. 

Jumping into the refreshing water was fun after the races.

We were starving when dinner started at 1730. There was also a band playing good music from the ‘70ies and ‘80ies.

Gerhard just returned from Europe and was not able to find crew. Jim did not have crew either, so on Saturday Jim helmed the West Coast Lindsay with Gerhard as crew. Jim had to leave on Sunday to prepare for the Memorial Day celebrations on Monday: he is playing his bag pipe. The FD sailors sat with a group of nice people during the dinner on Saturday. Gerhard mentioned that he needed crew for Sunday, and Anna, a nice woman with no sailing experience, agreed. Somehow, Gerhard must have been convincing ;-). 

A lot of partying was going on that night, and some sailors were a little tired the next day.

Sunday was another beautiful sunny and warm day with 10 to 15 knots of wind (3 Beaufort) from the East that lasted all day. The FDs even got to use the trapeze! (except for Gerhard with Anna, who did a wonderful job handling the Genoa, but we didn’t want to overwhelm her). We raced another three races for a total of six races as planned.

More than 60 boats registered. A total of seven groups started in a 3-minute sequence. Some classes had their own starts (Snipe, El Toro, Wabbit). The FDs started in the Centerboard A group together with C-15s, a Buccaneer, and two other fast dinghies, a Nomad and a VX-One (technically a keel boat). The VX-One was the fastest and got second place overall on corrected time. First place went to the Nomad, a father sailing with his two young kids – they are also from Gerhard’s Lake Washington Sailing Club.

Peter Carr and his son Conner became 5th behind the two C-15 (the FD’s rating of 80.1 was not in our favor), and Gerhard on 6th. Jim’s FD did not get in the water due to the lack of crew.

As Peter Carr already mentioned in his Facebook post, the Whiskeytown Regatta does not disappoint year after year. We will be back next year, and we welcome all of you to join the fun!

Whiskeytown Lake Regatta

Posted on May 28, 2024 by - Whiskey Town Regatta

The Whiskeytown Sailing Club runs this famous event for almost 60 years. Whiskeytown Lake islocated just west of Redding/Northern California in the Whiskeytown-Shasta-Trinity National Recreation Area. The lake is a reservoir operated by the US Bureau of Reclamation to provide flood control, irrigation, and to generate electricity. Conditions were perfect with a full lake and warm (not too hot) breezes.

A big fire engulfed the whole area almost 6 years ago – it is nice to see new vegetation taking over again. Peter Carr and his son Conner came down from Washington State and competed in the races. I met them when they were relaunching their FD after doing some repairs that became necessary in the first race. As you can see, they were truly enjoying themselves! Winds were quite puffy on the first day, and much calmer on the second day.

There was a nice dinner on Saturday with live music and good food. RVs were allowed to park in the parking lot next to the launch ramp, together with the boats on trailers. In addition to toilets with running water, there were also a couple of porta-potties. People with tents (including Peter and Conner) stayed at another campground on the lake. We plan on bringing out more than one FD next year. We left with good memories and we are looking forward to coming out again.

Gerhard Panuschka US Flying Dutchman Class Secretary/Treasurer

PS: Gerhard could not sail this year because of an injured shoulder, but he was able to take some photos…