There’s still time to sign up for a catamaran race this weekend, but few spots remain.
The Cats on Cooch beach cat regatta will take place Saturday and Sunday on Lake Couchiching, starting at the Champlain Sailing Club on Cedar Island Road.
“We have some world-class sailors coming here,” said Brian Burrell, organizer of the race, which is sanctioned by Ontario Sailing.
If any locals with catamarans still want to get involved, “we will find a space for them,” he said.
The event will start Saturday with back-to-back “short races” on a course that goes between Chiefs Island and Pumpkin Bay.
On Sunday, it will be a longer course from Pumpkin Bay to the top of the lake, around Chiefs Island and back.
The race is open to catamarans up to 18 feet long.
Cats on Cooch ran annually from 2009 to 2011, but it “fizzled out,” Burrell said.
“It’s very rewarding for me to see this come together again,” he said, noting Lake Couchiching used to be “one of the biggest destinations for catamaran racing in North America.”
Those who aren’t taking part can still catch the action, from a distance.
“These are colourful and fast boats. They’ll be fun to watch,” Burrell said.
For more information, call the Champlain Sailing Club at 705-326-8445.
