46th AYC Birthday Regatta and Leukemia Cup

AYC's biggest event of the year was a big hit at Lake Pleasant, January 13-15, the weekend of the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., holiday.

This giant race and party kicked off with Friday night dinner and music, segued into Saturday morning burrito breakfast and captains' meeting before exploding into a regatta with 80 entries, circled by cruising entries.

AYC Chef Rick Johnson prepared his International Chicken for Friday night's dinner ($10) and finished it off with a spectacular Bananas Foster ($6) for those who could handle it.

When you hit shore after an afternoon of racing, you stepped into the party of the year: great dinner, bustling bar, and hundreds of people having a good time.

The action continued Sunday with morning races, lunch, and awarding of the trophies. Sailors from out of state were able to get on the road that afternoon if they wished (helped on the trip home by the Monday holiday), or they could have decided to stay around and enjoy some more of Arizona's delightful winter weather (average January high: 67).

Classes: Portsmouth, Buccaneer, Santana 20, Catalina 22, J/24, Merit 25, and PHRF spin and non-spin. Pirates will be limited to the Buccaneer class. Here are the results.

Questions? Check with event chairman Dennis Martinelli.