On Aug. 30, approximately 100 sailboats will race from Chicago to St. Joseph for the annual running of the Tri State Regatta.
Arriving anywhere from very early morning to early afternoon Saturday, depending on boat size and weather conditions, the sailors will enjoy their afternoon at the St. Joseph River Yacht Club; wandering the streets and shops of our beautiful town, or engaged in a volleyball tournament at Tiscornia Beach.
The yacht club sponsors the annual party, which will be held Saturday, Aug 31. It is said by many to be “the best regatta party on the Great Lakes,” and is open to the public for all to enjoy. Expect great food and drink, great entertainment and dancing round out the evening.
The race from Chicago is run by the Columbia Yacht Club, which in partnership with SJRYC, has literally sent many thousands of sailors and visitors to our shores. The current format, with a Sunday race to Michigan City and a labor Day return to Chicago, sponsored by MCYC, and JPYC respectively, has been running for well over 70 years. There is record of the earliest competitive sailing between the Columbia and St. Joseph Yacht Club fleets going back to the early 1900s. To that point, Olaf Anderson Tri State Race Chair and Larry Kwiat, Columbia’s Sail Fleet Chair and Terry Deegan, Fleet Vice-Commodore for SJRYC have pointed out that the long relationship between the two clubs is very truly unique and one that each club sincerely values.
Typically about a dozen or so boats from St. Joseph travel over to the historic Columbia site for the return race back.
Deegan said the party is unique because of all the volunteers that donate so many hours to assure the St. Joseph celebration maintains its reputation as the coolest place to be on a hot Labor Day weekend on all of Lake Michigan.
Food and drink tickets can be purchased at the door and available all day and evening.  For more information call the Yacht Club at (269) 983-6393.
It is located at 128 N. Pier St, St. Joseph.