King of Clubs yacht regatta sets sail Saturday

SWAMPSCOTT – The perks of being crowned the King of Clubs include bragging rights, a trophy, and the honor of holding a party for up to 200 yacht-club members from Lynn, Swampscott and Nahant and members of the public at next year’s regatta.”It’s a lot of work and sometimes we wish the other teams would win ?” said Swampscott Yacht Club’s Bonnie Brown, who is in charge of food for the event. “But it’s fun.”Saturday will mark the sixth annual King of Clubs Regatta held among sailors at the Lynn Yacht Club, The Nahant Dory Club, and the Swampscott Yacht Club. Jody Graul of the Nahant Dory Club said that the regatta was started as a competition to introduce sailors from each club to each other, and that more than 30 boats ranging from 19 to 44 feet in length are expected for Saturday’s race. Graul said that the boats are given a handicap based on their type and past performance – in accordance with the Performance Handicap Racing Fleet of New England – which is considered with the boats’ times. The scores of the top eight boats at each club will be used to determine which club wins the regatta, Graul said, and there will be two starts n the first for faster and larger boats, the second for slower and smaller boats – held two minutes apart. The course is in Nahant Bay, just outside Swampscott Harbor.So far, Nahant historically leads in wins, having captured the trophy from 2006 to 2009. But Swampscott sailors have dominated the past two years. Lynn Yacht Club is eager for its first win this year, Graul said.Brown said that spectators should plan to arrive around noon to stake out a spot on the Yacht Club’s pier or along Fisherman’s Beach. The evening festivities begin at 6 p.m. and include an awards ceremony, a cookout with burgers, ribs, beer and wine, and a live band. Tickets cost $20, and all are welcome, but only 200 tickets are available, she said.”Bring a beach chair, come on in and have some fun,” Brown said.The King of Clubs Regatta will be held Saturday at the Swampscott Yacht Club, which is located at the Swampscott Fish House on Humphrey Street in Swampscott. Boat check-in starts at 11:30 a.m. and the race starts at 1 p.m. For more information, contact the Swampscott Yacht Club at 781-598-9273.