The Saint Joseph River Yacht Club is hosting its Tri-State Regatta party Saturday, Sept. 3 at 7 p.m. Photo submitted

The late-summer sun may be setting on the 2011 sailing season, but Saint Joseph River Yacht Club has one more party to throw.
“It’s a great yearend finish of the racing season,” said rear commodore and SJRYC Tri-State Regatta chairman Tom Zellers.  “It’s a fun race for the sailors, the community and we always put on a really big party for everybody.”
Each year during Labor Day weekend St. Joseph River Yacht Club, 1 Lighthouse Lane, St. Joseph opens its doors to the public to celebrate another successful year of smooth sailing, and plays host to one of the most prominent sailing events in the region.
For at least four decades The Tri-State Regatta has drawn around 100 teams of sailing enthusiasts together from all parts of the country to compete in an exhibition of some of the finest craftsmanship in modern lake sailing.
The Tri-State Regatta party will begin at SJRYC 7 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 3 and continue into the evening.  The event will feature lots of food, a beer truck and live music provided by Libido Funk Circus beginning at 8 p.m.
The annual Labor Day weekend sailboat race takes place in three phases during three days, forming a triangular course that spans the southern tip of Lake Michigan. On Saturday, racers will set sail from Chicago toward St. Joseph, arriving at SJRYC to complete the first leg of the race. The following day, Sunday, racers will depart St. Joseph for Michigan City in the second phase of the race.  The third and final leg will take place on Labor Day, Monday, Sept. 5 when teams make their return voyage to Chicago from Michigan City.
Zellers expects a healthy turnout in St. Joseph for the party on Saturday as well as for the beginning of the second race-leg on Sunday.
“A lot of spectators walk the arboretum to get an up-close look at all of the boats tied up there,” he said. “Then when the race starts on Sunday the pier is just lined with people. It makes for a nice day.”

For more information visit sjryc.com or call (269) 983-6393.