The Free Press, Mankato, MN

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July 28, 2007

Racers take sail on Madison Lake

Pat Christman

slideshow Click here to see more photos from Saturday's regatta on Lake Madison.

They may not be the 75-foot behemoths that raced in Valencia, Spain, this summer for the America’s Cup, but the nine Holder 20 sailboats racing on Madison Lake Saturday prove to be just as exciting for spectators, captains and crew.

The boats were racing in the Holder 20 Nationals One Design regatta Friday and Saturday. Crewed by two or three people, the racers time their approach to a starting line based on horn signals and flags. Once underway, they race two laps around windward and leeward buoys before returning to the finish line near the middle of the course.

Racing during the seven-race, two-day regatta got interesting as the boats often raced feet apart at speeds reaching 4 knots (nearly 5 miles an hour) in Saturday’s wind.

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