The Herald-Zeitung

The Lake Canyon Yacht Club and Wurstfest are hosting the second weekend of the Wurstfest Regatta at Canyon Lake, an event that attracts sailing enthusiasts from Texas and beyond.

“This past weekend, we registered 87 boats, some from as far away as Oklahoma City,” said David Bray, Wurstfest chair of the Lake Canyon Yacht Club.

A regatta, a sailing race or series of sailing races, divides the vessels into races based on size and type.

The first weekend was for board boat and centerboard boat races. The lake was filled with Flying Scots, Lasers, Laser Radials, Optimists, Sunfish and Vanguard-15s.

“We did have a guest come in this year, the manufacturer of Flying Scot boats, Harry Carpenter,” Bray said.

This weekend will feature a larger class of boats in keelboat and multihull races.

“This coming weekend is the bigger boats, the J-42s, J-24s and even Catalina 22s. So far, we have 47 registered, so we’re expecting turn out in the mid-50s,” Bray said. “This is a premier regatta. We’ll have a separate course for catamarans and tri-hulled boats.”

Friday night, a crew of 80 to 90 volunteers from the Lake Canyon Yacht Club will provide a light dinner for arriving sailors. After breakfast on Saturday and followed by a skipper’s meeting and opening ceremonies, the races begin around 11 a.m. They will continue at 10 a.m. on Sunday and end by 2 p.m.

Trophies will be awarded soon after.

Many sailors stay in New Braunfels and Gruene, Bray said, and some camp near Canyon Lake.

Registration is still possible online at www.wurstfestregatta.com.

Entry is $50 for single-crewed boats, $60 for double-crewed boats, $65 for keelboats or multi-hulled boats with three or more crew members. Youth may register for $25 and race in a junior category.

“Even with the economy as it is, people are still coming to this event.

“It’s one of the least expensive regattas and people come year after year. It’s a big deal that nobody knows about,” Bray said.