Scow now, and how.
Today through Saturday promises to be a thrilling time at the Privateer Yacht Club in Hixson, which for the first time is hosting the prestigious Masters Championship for the popular MC Scow racing sailboats.
"Mostly it is sailed single-handed, but you can bring a crew on board for windy conditions," said Steve Sherman, the 2014 PYC commodore and the regatta chairman. "This feature is one of the reasons it is the fastest-growing one-design class in the United States. In fact, it is one of the only dinghy classes that is growing.
Ted Weihe, right, and John Houck, who traveled from Florida, set up the mast of Houck's MC Scow sailboat the day before the start of the MC Scow Association's Masters Championship regatta at Privateer Yacht Club on Wednesday, Sept. 30, 2015, in Chattanooga, Tenn. The regatta begins Thursday and lasts until Sunday.
Ted Weihe, right, and John Houck, who traveled from Florida, set up the mast of Houck's MC Scow sailboat the day before the start of the MC Scow Association's Masters Championship regatta at Privateer Yacht Club on Wednesday, Sept. 30, 2015, in Chattanooga, Tenn. The regatta begins Thursday and lasts until Sunday."It has attracted some of the best sailors from other classes that do not have the activity they once enjoyed."
More than 60 of the 16-foot MC Scows from across the nation are expected to be on the start line this morning on Chickamauga Lake. The warning signal to start the first race is scheduled for 10:30 today and at 10 a.m. Friday and 9:30 Saturday, with two or three races likely each day.
Eight to 10 of the entrants will be PYC sailors, but 50 or so will be from elsewhere - adding to the draw of Chattanooga as a hot spot for nationally recognized outdoors activities.
According to the MC Sailing Association website, "The MC class is one of the top one-design sailboat racing classes in North America." Its regattas are known for catchy names, such as the Train Wreck in Florida, the Bunny Hop and the Old Brown Dog in North Carolina, the Cow Town Classic and the Cowan Scow'n in Ohio, Bottoms Up in South Carolina, Otter Landing in Washington state and the Polar Bear in Iowa.
Privateer often has six or seven MC Scows competing on Sundays, and it holds the Scowabunga regatta for the boats every year. The one this past May included 23 MCs representing nine clubs. But the Masters is a big step up in size and glamor.
"This is the biggest regatta in 15 years at Privateer Yacht Club," said Dr. Joe Kanan, a Tullahoma chiropractor who has been a member of the club for two years. "It's going to be a huge event."
Kanan noted that PYC has just finished a major reconstruction of the clubhouse at 4713 Privateer Road and made some improvements to the marina, so the club is eager to show off its facilities as well as its organizational abilities and hospitality. The public is invited to come and watch each day, and the clubhouse patio provides a good view of the action on the lake, Kanan said.
John Houck, left, and Ted Weihe, who traveled from Florida, set up the mast of Weihe's MC Scow sailboat the day before the start of the MC Scow Association's Masters Championship regatta at Privateer Yacht Club on Wednesday, Sept. 30, 2015, in Chattanooga, Tenn. The regatta begins Thursday and lasts until Sunday."It looks like only a small chance of rain, and the wind should be fantastic for the race," Kanan said. "I think they're predicting wind like 10 to 20 miles per hour, and these boats are made for racing, so there will be a lot of action out there.
"If we get the wind we're expecting, it should be a fun-filled weekend for sure. You get points for how you finish, and the person with the most points wins."
He will be one of the competitors. Originally from Michigan, Kanan moved to Tennessee five years ago and eventually joined Privateer, he said, "because it's the only yacht club in Tennessee with a one-design class."
And now it's the only one with a one-design national regatta.
"We're pretty active in the MC association, and we've got some pretty good sailors," Kanan said. "We're proud to be hosting the Masters."
The principal race officer is Rob Fowler, who also owns River Street Architecture and has spent the last three years designing and constructing the new PYC clubhouse.
"And Rob is one of the best sailors in this area of the country," Sherman said.
Sherman noted that the theme for this regatta is "Made in Chattanooga" and that such local companies as Village Volkswagen, Coca-Cola, MoonPie and Tennessee Stillhouse Whiskey have made donations.
Contact Ron Bush at rbush@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6291.
MC Scows line up out from Privateer Yacht Club on Chickamauga Lake. PYC is hosting the MC Sailing Association Masters Championship this week.