Orcas woman wins first place in Windermere Regatta

On June 12, dozens of sailors came out on a beautiful summer day to participate in the 24th annual Windermere Regatta, sponsored by the Anacortes Yacht Club, and Orcas Island’s own Betsy Wareham won first place with her crewmembers Bob Toombs and Max Smiley.

Wareham, who won Division D racing her 22 foot Santana, has raced in the Windermere Regatta four times over the last eight years. The fastest sailboats are in division A; there are five divisions in racing, A, B, C D and E. Each division participates in a number of races on Saturday and Sunday. Wareham and her crew raced five times on Saturday and three times on Sunday, coming away with five firsts, a second, and two thirds, to win their division overall.

“My boat is an older design,” Wareham said, “so my handicap was high. The crews sailing in the A and B divisions are super-fast. I’ve also raced in my family’s 35 foot Halberg, a great cruising sailboat, but this year I decided on the Santana.

“There are lots of boats out there – Thunderbirds, Sea-larks, Lightnings, Solings, J-24’s, J-22’s, and bigger boats, Cal-40’s .. my crew and I will get bragging rights for the year as well as a nice trophy. We had a lot of fun, and that’s the best part.”

Wareham, who has been sailing most of her life, grew up in the Seattle area near the water. She started sailing with her father at the Seattle Corinthian Yacht Club after her father bought a Bay sailer. Wareham started taking lessons soon afterwards at the age of nine.

“We belonged to the Yacht Club for a good long time and I grew up with a competitive group of kids who are still sailing today,” Wareham said.

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