oyal Regatta

aron Von Lodge was the head of a small country known as Lilliland near Switzerland. The time was the early 1900s.

Castle Lake in Lilliland was so large that ships of all sizes were able to navigate the waters. Lilliland Castle was on the lake as was Lady Angela’s Alpine Castle. Lady Angela was the Baron’s fiancée and together they enjoyed sailing on the lake.

Once a year, in mid-July, the Baron would host a week of sailing for all of his old university friends. The sailboats were only 19 feet long and held a crew of four, usually couples. The week was more for a class reunion than for serious sailing. The course was only four miles long and was carefully designated with special marker buoys.

The Royal Regatta, as the Baron called the reunion, had a dozen boats registered in previous years and it was the same this particular year. The first sailboat to finish the course won the day. The event was held over three days and the contestants were awarded position points at the end of each day. The points were totaled at the banquet during the last day and everyone received some sort of award, prize or certificate, no matter how they finished.

It was all good sporting fun and no one really cared about placing in the race just as long as everyone had a good time.

Professor Hamblin, a former university professor, was in charge of the score keeping.

The day of the events for the first race began and all twelve of the sailboats were in position at the starting line marker buoy. But after the first half hour, things seemed very different this year. There was no wind and everything on the lake was very still. After three hours of just sitting at the starting position, not one sailboat had moved. They called it a day with some discouragement.

The second day of the three-day regatta was the same. No wind and no sailboat movement. They all quit after two hours of inactivity.

The third day was as dismal as the first two days. After only one hour everyone quit. Some crews thought that the next year they should have powerboats.

The final evening at the banquet everyone had a good laugh because there were no winners since no sailboat made it to the first marker buoy.

The reunion was over and a few days later the Baron was reviewing the events with his fiancée Lady Angela. Lady Angela reminded him that anytime an outdoor event was planned there should always be a backup plan in case Mother Nature did not cooperate. The next year they would emphasize friendships more than the outdoor events and everyone would still go home happy.