Bird Key Yacht Club Regatta participants race among high winds, waves

Adventurous sailors among those competing in the 2025 Bird Key Yacht Club Regatta saw rewards for their spirit — especially for the crew captained by Donna Hillmyer.

Her team took first place in its division, PHRF Spinnaker, after Saturday's competition. Under sunny yet windy conditions, they boldly decided to send up their biggest sail on the "Encore."

Hillmyer grew up sailing with her parents and has continued to pursue her passion. She sailed a J/95 that day.

"It was so terrific, the perfect day for that boat," she said. "We flew a spinnaker, the big sail in front, and it was a lot of fun."

She said making the call was somewhat intimidating given the mighty wind conditions, but Alyssa Thomas helped make the call to raise it. Their gamble paid off with the division win.

The "Stealth" led by Doug Fischer took the top prize as the Sarasota Bay Cup winner, and the "Kraken" led by Alan Staniforth won the Price Cup.

As he took to the podium, Fischer joked that the team must not have been all that stealthy if their crossing the finish line didn't escape the judges' notice.

The course took sailors around five main turning points, where their sails let out a great crack with the changing direction, before sending the vessels gunning for the finish line.

Fellow competitors took pride in even completing the race. Novice Amy Steenhoek joined her family's seasoned team. She and Karly Campbell joked that their primary role was serving as ballast. But the winds still went in their favor, as the crew of the "Shimmer" took first place in the E-Scow division.

This marks the final major event for the yacht club before members celebrate a new chapter. They will hold a gathering on April 26 to bid farewell to the old clubhouse, which is being demolished and replaced with a brand-new facility over the next year.

Commodore Michael Landis and Vice Commodore Tony Britt agreed this year's competition was a perfect sendoff for the season, bringing together members of the sailing community from all along the coast to celebrate.

"We had 75 vessels all together, even better than the 60-some that participated last year," Landis said. "Of course, this weather was perfect for sailors. It's challenging to get out in this, but it's a lot of fun and well worth it."