Tahoe YC’s Wednesday Night Beer Can Spring Series Wraps Up

Tahoe Yacht Club’s (TYC) Dick Ferris Wednesday Night Beer Can Spring Series final was July 15, ending seven weeks of racing with something Lake Tahoe sailors have learned not to take for granted this spring: nice weather.

Coming just two days after the three-day Trans Tahoe Regatta weekend, where sailors encountered dramatically different and shifty conditions each day, the pleasant weather for the final July 15 evening of TYC’s Wednesday Night Beer Can racing was a welcome way to finish the Spring Series. Over the previous seven weeks, the fleet had already seen plenty of Lake Tahoe’s unpredictable side, including cold temps, hail, shifting winds, and one evening with so little wind that racing was canceled altogether.

Since 1982, Tahoe Yacht Club has run Wednesday Night Beer Can racing for keelboats, with boats from around the North Shore converging off Dollar Point for the 6 p.m. warning signal. Three divisions bring together an interesting mix of boats and sailors, from the larger keelboats in Division 1 to a strong contingent of Melges 24s in Division 2, and a varied fleet rounding out Division 3. A special shout-out to Division 2 first-place winners, TYC’s Dan Hauserman and crew, who also came in first in the Trans Tahoe Regatta One-Design Melges 24 fleet.

The competition can be serious, but Wednesday nights have always been as much about the camaraderie as the racing. After the final race of the Spring Series, sailors gathered at the TYC clubhouse for the awards ceremony, dinner and the usual post-race stories.

With the Spring Series complete, there isn’t much downtime. The Summer Series is already underway, and Wednesday night racing continues through September 2, with plenty more Lake Tahoe wind, weather and surprises still to come.

Congrats to Jim Yates for a first for Division 1, with Wicked (Melges 32); Dan Hauserman for a first in Division 2 (Melges) with Personal Puff; and a first for Division 3, John Morrison, Fired Up (Express 27).

You can find the full results here.