Yacht club gets ready for competitions

Racers from the Bellport Bay Yacht Club are setting sail this weekend during the club’s annual Labor Day Invitational Regatta and Queen of the Bay races.

Starting Saturday at 10:30 a.m., boaters from Bellport and invited yacht clubs will compete in the Labor Day Invitational Regatta with races in for the Performance Handicap Racing Fleet (PHRF), Marshall 18 boats, and Zim 15 team sailboats. Following the invitational regatta, the BBYC will host its Queen of the Bay race on Sunday at 11 a.m., with a time limit of three-and-a-half hours for the first boat to finish.

For the Saturday competitions, four races will determine the PHRF and Marshall 18 placements, and a round-robin series of races will determine the standings for the Zim 15 crews before the top four teams face off in a final round for awards.

The PHRF races are performance-driven, with handicaps based on a competitor’s equipment to judge a sailor’s skill over who has the most optimal boat. Each team for the Zim 15 competition will include three skippers or a crew combo.

At Sunday’s Queen of the Bay competition, boaters will navigate three courses, each with increasing length, from one-and-a-half, two-and-a-half, and three-and-a-half full triangular laps. Participating members of the BBYC will compete for four types of trophies including the Everitt Trophy for the first eligible yacht, regardless of hull type or rig, to finish with the lowest elapsed time.

To catch this weekend’s aquatic action, the best vantage point will be at the BBYC at the Bellport Marina.