Augusta, GA

‘It’s very intense’ more than 170 sailors compete on Clarks Hill

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AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) – More than 250 sailors from around the country came to Clarks Hill to compete in the Augusta Sailing Club’s 69th Annual Halloween Regatta.

It’s a two day sailing event where sailors compete in several one-design classes, whoever completes the course first wins.

People from states like California, Missouri, and New York all came to compete.

“Just being out there with the wind in your hair, and the sun in your eyes and kind of getting burnt the whole time. It just feels nice knowing that you’re doing something a lot of people never get to do,” said sailor Hailey Bagnoni.

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Aside from the competitions, people also camped on the lake over the weekend. Starting Friday, they enjoyed a cookout, live music and a Halloween party.

“We’ve had over 500 people here camping. For the weekend, we’ve had more than 170 boats successfully on and off the lake this week,” said Tim Sparks, Augusta Sailing Club Vice Commodore.

The objective of the race is to get to the windward mark, then race back to the finish.

“It’s much like a track meet where you’re, you’re running and you’re running and you’re running and you’re stopped for a few minutes, then you’re going and you’re going and going, and it’s very intense,” said Emily Sternkopf, a sailor.

“Today, it was a lot of keeping ourselves focused because there wasn’t a lot of wind. So it’s easy to drift off of the course when you’re not paying attention. So it’s a lot less of us keeping calm and a lot more of us keeping on course,” she said.

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Historically, sailing is a male-dominated sport but they are hoping to change that.

“I know I’m one of the only girls, like today I was sailing laser and just in this Regatta, we probably had 19 boys and only three girls,” said Bagnoni.

They recommend giving sailing a chance.

“It’s really fun and if you just try and do it, it’ll be really fun, because that’s what I did and I loved it and I love it now,” said Lainey Putnam, another sailor.

Winners in the sailboat race earned points this weekend for their national and international rankings.

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