FAIRHOPE, Ala. — At the 25th anniversary Dauphin Island Race in 1983, a newspaper account reported the wind was blowing out of the north between 25 and 30 knots.
The record set that day of one hour-12 minutes still stands, said Erik Schmitz, commodore at the Fairhope Yacht Club, who will be in the starting boat at 9:30 a.m. to begin the 50th anniversary race Saturday.
But whether that record survives this year’s 18-mile regatta, the event is not only about racing.
“I’ve always thought of this as a cross between the America’s Cup and Mardi Gras,” Schmitz said. “You’ve got your serious racers and your serious partiers.”
Every fourth year, the event is hosted by the Fairhope Yacht Club.
“Some people come just because Fairhope is hosting it, because the FYC puts on such a good party,” Schmitz said.
But this year’s weekend-long event will be especially memorable, regatta co-chair Vivian Weaver said.
“We’re going back in time to 1958,” she said. “We’re building a fictional little town called Fairhopeville.”
On Monday, more than a dozen volunteers were putting the finishing touches on the “town hall” facade that will be the entrance to the village, a Kress Five and Dime, bank, diner, outdoor movie theater and several other small town landmarks, including the jail.
“Tom Batty is starting to take his job pretty seriously,” said Randy Weaver, regatta co-chair. “He’s starting to deputize his friends.”
Vivian Weaver explained that Batty will be town sheriff and Randy Weaver will be the judge Friday night when sailors and others are “arrested.”
“You might get put in jail for jaywalking or just about anything,” Vivian Weaver said. “While you’re in jail for 20 minutes, your friends and family will be trying to bail you out. You’ve got to plead your case to Randy.”
The bail donations will benefit the Alabama Lighthouse Association, Randy Weaver said.
“As sailors, we value the local lighthouses and think they’re a historic treasure,” he said. “If there’s something we can do to preserve them, we want to do our part.”
Friday night’s kickoff party will feature the Tip Tops band under a tent for an American Bandstand experience, Vivian Weaver said.
“We’ve been working on this for two years,” she said.
As of Tuesday morning, approximately 175 boats were registered for the Saturday race, Schmitz said. The registration deadline is noon today.
“It’s supposed to be the largest point-to-point sailing event in the nation,” Vivian Weaver said. “At one time we had 300 boats in the race. We’re trying to build it up after the hurricanes.”
Cathy Cromartie, the principal race official who will be at the finish line recording the times of the racers, said recent hurricanes seriously damaged many local boats, but that participation in the race continues to increase.
“A lot of people will wait for the five-day forecast, and then register when they see there are no major storms,” she said. “There are not a lot of things that have been around for 50 years, but this race is one of them.”
For more information, visit the Web site at www.dirace.com or contact Randy Weaver at 753-2124 or rastasails@bellsouth.com.
