SYRACUSE — The 59th Annual Hoosier Regatta was cancelled because the water level for Lake Wawasee is too low. Plans are already being made for next’s years race, which draws people from points as distant and Buffalo, N.Y., and Green Bay, Wis.
The Hoosier Regatta is a race of Lightning class sailboats. This class of sailboat is described as a 19-foot sloop, an affordable family day sailor and racing boat. It is a one of the most popular and competitive one-design racing classes in the world, (lightningclass.org). Other specific sail boat races include the e-scow and the sunfish type boats. The club maintains statistics for crews and skippers and their race qualifications.
The Yacht Club partners with Wawasee School Corp. to teach sailing and boating skills to students. The regatta typically draws sailing enthusiasts from near and far, and provides a real taste of the excitement of sailboat racing for beginners and local fans. It is also the last of four annual races in the region, and thought of as “the crown jewel” of the fall racing events, according to Jeff Schmahl, who chairs the regatta.
“This is the first time 59 years that we’ve had to cancel the event,” he said, “but we felt that it was the best choice. We did not want people to invest in the travel and the expectation for a great race, and then risk damage to their boats.”
The boats are placed into the water with the use of a crane. The water, which is usually 20 inches deep, is now so low that boats would scrape the bottom.
Chad Johnson, superintendent of the Parks Department in Syracuse, is responsible for monitoring and maintaining the lake level. Winter snows and spring rains typically require the lake level to be lowered until mid-May. “This past winter, we shut the gate in Mid-March,” Johnson said. The unusually high heat and drought conditions have been brutal. “We just measured the lake recently, and it is at least 16 inches lower than the normal level.”
“Normal” is equal to the top of the dam spillway, and was set by the state officials “way back,” explained Johnson.
“We’ve been concerned since early July,” Schmahl said. “Hurricane Isaac was our last hope that there might be enough rain for us to go on. But the 10 or 12 inches forecast just petered out. We cancelled it Labor Day weekend, in order to give everybody enough notice. Now we are able to go ahead with plans for next year with every one feeling good about it.”
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Jim and Janay Hackleman relax after teaching a kayaking class for Wawasee High School students. The Lightning Class boat Jim is sitting on belongs to Allen Fox. PATRICIA DAVIS | THE GOSHEN NEWS
Hoosier Regatta canceled
Drought makes lake levels too low for annual lightning class race
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