Leukimia Cup Sailboat Regatta





     Most weekends on the lake are spent enjoying the sunlight and the water, but every year on the weekend of September 15th and 16th the Birmingham Sailing Club goes above and beyond. This year eighteen boats lined up at the starting line to compete in the Club’s 30th anniversary annual race for leukemia. The Leukemia cup is the Club’s biggest event of the year, and the goal is to raise money for the leukemia Lymphoma Society, or the LLS. “This lake was the start of this event,” says LLS Campaign head Julie Moon. She has been the head of this event, at the BSC, for the past couple years. Julie was assisted by a woman who, herself, had survived leukemia. Kate Siqueira is a two-time cancer survivor who graduated from Jacksonville State University and now assists with charity campaigns, working for the LLS.

     Events like this are now held nationwide, at various other sailing clubs. This is all thanks to the Leukemia Lymphoma Society. The LLS took this idea from one of the various clubs that got absorbed into what is now the BSC and moved it around the US. Today there are over forty of these events held throughout the United States, some events raising hundreds of thousands of dollars for the charity. All the proceeds raised by these events go exclusively to help patients in need and research to find a cure. The charity has raised over one billion dollars nationwide and over 1.5 million just in the state of Alabama. The event for the BSC generally raises around thirty thousand dollars, and last year raised over forty thousand. Much of this money goes to UAB. In total the Leukemia Lymphoma Society has given the University of Alabama almost three million dollars in donations.

     In the early days of Logan Martin lake many of the sailing club members were personally affected by leukemia and so they created the race to assist others in need, as well as “to give themselves a reason to get out and drink on the water” as club Commodore John Grainger said. The Birmingham Sailing Club, or BSC, has been around since literally before there was water in the lake. It was started by fifteen people in 1963. Water finally came to the lake in 1964. Now the club has over 150 members and continues to grow. The non-profit organization features sailing lessons, races almost every weekend of the year, and provides adult and youth activities to get more people interested in sailing.

     The Leukemia Cup consisted of three starts, based on three common classes of sailboat. The first this year to start was the nineteen-foot flying scots. After several minutes of delay, to prevent the boats from crashing into one another, the second start consisted of the seventeen-foot thistles. Again, after about 5 to ten minutes of delay the third start of the open fleet was released. This final fleet was a mishmash of various types of sailboats. Depending on the type of the boat and its top speed, some boats would be given handicaps to ensure fairness in the final race times. The scoring works much like it does in golf. The regatta would last several hours. Each participant paid a 60$ entry fee that also went straight to the LLS.

     Each Boat was crewed by anywhere from two to five people and many of the sailing crews were families. One boat consisted of Fred Smith, his two kids, and his daughter’s friend. Fred’s crew finished first among their type of boat, the J22 in the open fleet. Harry Reich, who is the last surviving Charter member of the club, also participated in the race and was one of the first to finish. Harry is ninety years old and was the skipper of a flying scot.

     After the race drinks were served and dinner was eaten while a live auction was held. Various items, that were donated by the community, were auctioned off to the highest bidder. Again, all proceeds will be donated to the LLS. After the festivities a woman came up to speak in front of the party. Her name was Deedee Hanks. She was diagnosed with high risk myeloid leukemia in 2015 and was given five years to live. After a bone marrow transplant, several years of treatment at UAB, and with assistance from the efforts of the LLS, she has now been given a ten percent chance of remission. She was joined by another young woman named Milenna Painter. She is twelve years old and now receiving assistance from the LLS to help pay for her Leukemia treatment as well. 
Sailboats Docked

Sailboat compass and wind-tracking instruments


Harry and his partner


Like this story? Find more of my articles and others like them at Lakeside Living Magazine. 

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