The Davis Island Yacht Club's Thanksgiving All Class Regatta at Tampa has long been a popular event for small boat racers in the southeast. This year's two-day holiday weekend event attracted sailors from as far away as Ohio as 168 boats--an increase of some 50 boats from 1997--competed on four Hillsborough Bay racing circles.
         Race chairman Vic Gittens said, "We were hoping for 110 to 115 boats like last year. One hundred seventy boats showed up." He said that pre-arrangements with the city recreation and aviation departments allowed Davis Island Yacht Club to use the beach and parking area outside of the club grounds to accommodate the large fleet. "We could easily handle twice as many boats next year," he added.
         The sailors might have wanted a little more wind--the breeze never topped 10 knots, and usually felt more like five knots--but the competition and race organization left most of the racers pleased with the experience. Charlie Fowler of Miami came back to the event after a long absence to race in the Flying Scot division and went home with a trophy while praising the host club.
         "I haven't been here in about 18 years, and it is just as good as I remembered it," he said. "The wind was like Biscayne Bay, but you don't have the powerboat chop here so the water is smoother," Fowler added. The Miami racer posted four wins in five races to clinch the six-boat Flying Scot class.

Nancy Haberland (77888) takes Sunfish honors at DIYC.

         Tampa's Jeff Linton had competed in this annual regatta for years in the single-handed Sunfish class but has moved up to the larger Lightning