Tommy Wunderlick Classic Regatta

It’s like going 100 miles offshore, right in your own backyard!

Lake Texoma is the 11^th largest lake in the country with points of interest 25 miles apart.  Deep channels created by merging rivers and covering over 90,000 square acres, Lake Texoma is the only body of water in this part of the country outside of the Gulf of Mexico that can reasonably accommodate a race of this kind.  It is not uncommon to see boats that would normally cruise offshore.

The idea of the Wunderlick Regatta  is to simulate offshore distance racing, complete with the challenges of navigation and nighttime sailing, within the comparable safety of an inland venue. At nearly 90,000 square acres, Lake Texoma is the only body of water in this part of the country outside the Gulf of Mexico that can reasonably accommodate a race like this (with 10+ mile legs, etc.). All keelboats over 20 feet are encouraged to participate.

Held every Labor Day, the Wunderlick Regatta is the region’s biggest, baddest, inland/”offshore”, long distance sailing race.  Sailers come from all over Texas and Oklahoma to participate in races of 100 or 50 mile PHRF division for spinnaker boats; 50 or 25 mile PHRF division for cruising boats (working sails / main and jib only); 50 or 25 mile PHRF division for leisure boats (cruising boat with a roller furling main and/or a monohull with a draft/beam ration</=39%; and a 12.5 mile PHRF “Flotialla” divisions for cruising and leisure boats.

Hosted by the Texoma Sailing Club, the event will start with the skipper's meeting where participants are given GPS coordinates to a series of marks that will comprise the racecourses. The race may run throughout the afternoon, night and into Sunday morning. One of the most fun/frustrating elements to the regatta is navigating to the 4' yellow tetrahedron marks in the dark (harder than it sounds).

The Wunderlick Regatta is named for former Texoma Sailing Club member Tommy Wunderlick, who died of a heart attack while on the racecourse.  Proceeds from the Wunderlick Regatta benefit the Texoma Lakefest Foundation, which in turn benefits the Make-A-Wish Foundation® of North Texas.

The Make-A-Wish Foundation of North Texas

In 2009, the Texoma Lakefest Foundation selected a new beneficiary – the Make-A-Wish Foundation of North Texas. The sole purpose of the Make-A-Wish Foundation is to grant the wishes of children with life-threatening medical conditions, in order to enrich the human experience with hope, strength and joy. Their goal is to provide children with the hope for better times, strength through the tough times and the joy to experience the present. The Make-A-Wish Foundation has granted more than 3,000 wishes since its inception in 1982.

"Doctors provide the medicine; the Make-A-Wish Foundation supplies the magic."

The Make-A-Wish Foundation of North Texas is part of the nation's largest and most well-established wish-granting organization, with chapters and volunteers throughout the U.S. and abroad. The Make-A-Wish Foundation draws on that strength, as well as its vast local network, to make a child's dream a vivid and memorable reality. Every fulfilled wish represents a unique collaboration between wish families, medical professionals, volunteers and donors. The Make-A-Wish Foundation provides the structure, but it is the child's request that determines the wish.

The Make-A-Wish Foundation of North Texas covers 106 counties and expect to grant more the 500 wishes annually. Proceeds from the Lakefest Regatta will focus on granting wishes to children in Grayson and surrounding counties.

The Make-A-Wish Foundation of North Texas is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt not for profit corporation. Donations to the Texoma Lakefest Foundation and the Make-A-Wish Foundation are fully tax deductible as allowed by law.

For more information, please visit www.texomasailing.org

For more Lake Texoma Labor Day weekend Activities and Events visit www.texomaconnect.com.  You will find accommodations, events, activities, entertainment, restaurants and more on TexomaConnect – the number one travel guide for the Lake Texoma area.