Islands Race celebrating 70th year on Lake Erie

SANDUSKY — The Sandusky Sailing Club is hoping for a little wind Saturday morning. The 70th annual Sandusky Islands Race will start near Cedar Point and head toward Kelleys Island before returning. Last year, there was no wind. That's not good for sailing. "We were roughly seven or eight miles in at six hours to the first marker. It was brutal," said Jason Huffman, this year's race director and past commodore at SSC. The Islands Race is the first of three big races in the area. Next weekend, the Fun Day Race will take place Saturday, Aug. 30. The course will take competitors from SSC to Port Clinton. The following day, the Port Clinton Yacht Club will host the Green Island Race. "If you're trailering a sailboat, if you can do three races in two weekends, it's a better draw than having to travel here and back for one race," Huffman said. Huffman, who lives in the Columbus suburb of Powell, expects more than 30 boats for Saturday's race. "We'll probably get a straggler or two from people waiting to see the weather forecast," he said. The Sandusky Sailing Club has already hosted a handful of major events this summer, and the Islands Race will keep the club busy this weekend. "It's a way we bring our club together," Huffman said. "It's been kind of the marquee race for our club for many years. We've done a lot of different courses. It'll be largely dependent on wind." The fastest boats will compete in PHRF A Class. Among those entrants is Illuminati, an Andrews 68 from Lakeside Yacht Club. It is the fastest-rated boat (and largest boat) in the race. Huffman also will race. His crew includes three of his children. "We're looking to show kids what sailing is about and how you can do it through a lifetime," he said. Huffman said SSC takes great pride in hosting the Islands Race. "While sailing is always challenging, there's still a connection to putting on the race for decades and into the future," he said.