Prairie Winds is a mainstay on the Alberta regatta fixture. It features a large oval-shaped lake in a prairie landscape. Located within Kinbrook Island Provincial Park, there is serviced camping within steps of the club, and free tenting on the club lawn. Alberta’s best beach is just across the parking lot, making this regatta a favourite for families of sailors as well. Western Fireballers protect this weekend for an annual rendezvous on the Alberta prairies.

Six Fireballs participated. Day 1 had light winds diminishing to zero by noon. One race was completed then we did tuning and boat comparisons transitioning to an evening BBQ and social. John Cormack, our smart race officer, shifted the start time earlier on Sunday. That move rewarded us with 12 knot winds for 3 races that dropped to 5 knots by mid-afternoon. In the end, we had a 6-race total, giving us a throw-out.

The results were in a log-jam by mid-morning of the second day with Chris Lemke/Jeff Kay, Frank Crawford/Laura & Dan Hider, Richard Quinlan/Liam Quinlan, and Ken Tichkowsky/Vincent Brocke all winning at least one race. As the breeze dropped, Chris and Jeff found their groove with two final bullets to secure first. Second, 3^rd, & 4^th were all within a point of each other. A short distance back was the WSC team of David Sorenson and Fraser Keith, followed closely by Yevgen Dombrovskiy and Mykola Trypolko of Calgary. Both of these teams include accomplished sailors, but the team combinations are new to the Alberta Fireball circuit, and we hope to see more of them!