1908 Inter-Lake Yachting Association Regatta
Inter-Lake Yachting Association Meet at Put-in-Bay
by F. A. Carroll
The fifteenth Annual Regatta of the Inter-Lake Yachting Association opened at Put-in-Bay on Sunday, July 19th, and continued throughout the week. Each succeeding year has been marked by increasing interest, and the attendance has rapidly increased until this year's event has proven by far the largest meet of its kind held in this locality.
The weather conditions were most favorable, and the large number of entries added materially to the success and enjoyment of the occasion. The Bay was constantly alive with wide-spread canvas and motor-driven craft, making their way between the islands and furnishing a sight which caused even the semi-interested to catch the enthusiasm which filled the very atmosphere.
A well-planned schedule provided interest for each day from the start of the first class "A" sailing race early Monday, until the prizes were awarded on Friday evening. The celebrated Verdi band of Cleveland, with twenty-eight performers under the direction of Professor Pietro Oddo, furnished music during the entire week, which added materially to the program. Each city of the Association was represented, including different clubs from Detroit, Cleveland, Buffalo, Columbus, Erie, Toledo, Sandusky, Grosse Pointe Farms, Monroe, Put-in-Bay and East Tawas.
Several days before the regatta formally opened, there was a gathering of boats in the Bay. Motorboat races were the events of Tuesday and Wednesday afternoon.
After a general review on Monday, there was a reception for the members of the clubs and ladies, on the flagship and boats of the vice and rear-commodores, Commodore Worthington proved a host in himself. In the evening there was a banquet at the Hotel Victory.
Grand Gala night was scheduled for Wednesday evening, and there were entertainments on the boats which were attractively decorated with Chinese lanterns and illuminated with incandescent lights. During the evening Paine's fireworks were enjoyed by hundreds of spectators upon the bank. On Thursday afternoon water sports were participated in by club members, and in the evening the annual ball was held at the Hotel Victory. The Toledo yachtsmen defeated the Detroit yachtsmen in a game of baseball on Friday afternoon; the score was close,--1 to 0. In the evening of the same day prizes valued at $2,500 were awarded to the winning yachtsmen at the Hotel Victory.
Grace A , of the Detroit Motor Boat Club won Class A for cruising boats, while Juliet , of the Gordon Park Club, Cleveland, finished first in class B, with Resolute , of the Toledo Yacht Club, second. In class C the Winton , of Lakewood Yacht Club, was running away from the fleet at the start, when she was disabled and passed by Silver Fizz , of the Detroit Yacht Club, and the Rainmaker , of the Detroit Motor Boat Club. The Winton , however, gave little heed to this, and was soon on her way again, and had the course nicely to herself when another accident necessitated her stopping, and she was unable to finish the race. This left the field to Rainmaker , which averaged better than twenty-two miles an hour over the entire course.
The Scripps , with a Scripps 70-hp.engine that competed in various races at Detroit, and also in Florida last Winter, made wonderful speed, and was one of the most popular boats at the meet.. At the close of this race, Mr. Scripps protested that the flagship Pricilla delayed her at the start. The protest was sustained by the committee, and a race between Scripps and Rainmaker was scheduled for the following day. The race, however, was not run, and the prize for the fastest race of the meet was awarded to the Scripps . The races of Tuesday were for the benefit of assisting the handicapping committee in arranging the boats for even races for the following day.
On the second day of the motorboat races, Red Devil proved an easy winner of the twenty-mile race and came in third in the ten-mile event. The Lemon , the Red Feather and the Coot were also winners in various races of the afternoon.
At 4:30 Wednesday afternoon, the twenty-mile race for open launches was started. it was merely a question of which boat could hold out at the high rate of speed for nearly an hour. Here the Red Devil proved her reliability. Stuart and Rainmaker , both of Detroit, came in ahead of Red Devil , but ran ahead of the penalty and were, therefore, disqualified. Key West was second, Red devil third, and Silver Fizz fourth, as it finally figured out.
The records of the various boats and the decorum with which the events were handled, stamped the meet as one of the greatest regatta ever held on fresh water. Commodore Worthington congratulated the various committees which worked in conjunction with him for the excellent results of their efforts and they, in turn, confessed that only with the hearty co-operation of their commodore could the regatta have been made so great a success.
(Excerpts transcribed from MotorBoat , Aug. 10, 1908, p. 29.)
[Thanks to Greg Calkins for help in preparing this page. — LF]