OSHKOSH (NBC 26) — This week in Oshkosh, more than 80 sailing teams took to Lake Winnebago for the annual Midwest championship, a chance for sailors to compete in the sport they love.
- The 2025 ILYA Regatta Championship set sail off the coast of Menominee Park in Oshkosh.
- The competition brings together sailors from across the Midwest.
- Over 80 boats competed this year.
(The following is a transcription of the full broadcast story)
As Nick Clemence and his sailing team, Haulin A, pack away their boat after Wednesday’s races, he remembers his start in the sport.
“I remember my grandma was like, ‘I'm signing you up for sailing school,’ and I was like, ‘Grandma, I do not want to spend my summer in school,” Clemence says.
And 25 years later, he’s grateful to be sailing Lake Winnebago with a group of old friends.
“It’s just you and the water and the wind and your buddies,” he says. “It’s the best thing in the world.”
Haulin A is competing in the class A races in the 2025 ILYA Regatta Championship, which are races dedicated to larger sailing boats.
“We just go around this track, usually 2 or 3 times, and whoever does it fastest wins,” Clemence says.
Watch the full broadcast story here:
Both ILYA and Oshkosh Yacht Club have over a century of history and traditions, so sailors say winning the competition is an honor.
“You know we come back every year trying to capture trophies like this and championships like this, and it keeps us coming back all the time,” T Freytag, one of the Class A winning sailors from the competition, says.
The Haulin A team says they're disappointed to not take home a title of their own.
“We actually did not have the best event, we had a breakdown yesterday in the first race… we were struggling with our boat speed,” Augie Dale, a teammate on Haulin A, says.
But for Clemence, there is something bigger on his mind.
“My wife is pregnant right now, we’re about four weeks to go, so that’s where I'm going after this is to take care of her,” he says.
So while they’re going home empty-handed, they’re still happy to set sail.
“At the end of the day you get to come off the water, look around you, you’re surrounded by your friends, and generally speaking we’re in beautiful places, so it’s really a great opportunity to just sit back and look at your life and realize how beautiful it can be,” Dale says.
Starting Thursday, the E and C classes will race, which are the smaller sailboats. The events run through Saturday, and you can see the boats from Menominee Park in Oshkosh.
