The first-year sailors of the Inland Lakes Yachting Association gathered on Lake Beulah on Monday for the ‘No Tears’ regatta — This is an event for the most inexperienced sailors in the region. For many, it’s their first regatta! Forget the scorecard: the emphasis is most definitely on fun. Trophies have varied over the years – painted rocks, ceramic hand-fired candy jars, clocks, gumball machines, heck, even live goldfish. This year, everyone was psyched about the lava lamp prizes. When one sailor hit the windward mark and did his penalty turn, he yelled out, “But I really wanted a lava lamp!!!!!” (You’ll be delighted to know that he did indeed get his lava lamp.) The rules of the regatta are few:

  1. Have fun
  2. Port-starboard
  3. There IS room at the mark
  4. Windward boat keep clear
  5. You must ask permission to swim off your boat

 

We get it: The first regatta is a big deal. That’s why we made sure we took a photo of every sailor. And we’re making them available to you. We have no plans for them other than that. Open the gallery. Find your sailor(s). Download. Print. Send to Grandma. Simple. Open the gallery right here:

Thank you, No Tears sailors, for joining Blockheads! You can watch the skills-building videos on boat maintenance, rigging, and tuning right here.

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What exactly is a Blockhead? If you are totally obsessed with how to rig and sail your boat, you might already be one! Join the community of Blockheads to learn more about the sport, engage with others and share sailing experiences. This site serves as the hub for Blockheads globally, where you can discover how to join, media, tips and tricks, contests, and events. This program is all about YOU and we want to hear from everyone! Not seeing something? Your feedback is crucial, feel free to shoot us a comment or message.