The AYC Birthday Regatta & Leukemia Cup: February 7-9, 2020.
Photos: Mike Ferring
Race Documents
Notice of Race
Sailing Instructions
Weekend Information “One Page Flyer”
Lake Pleasant Course Chart L
Additional Chart Information
Cruising Chart 2020
Emergency Action Plan
Regatta Site Map
Lodging and Boat Charters
The AYC Birthday Regatta: You Gotta Regatta!
Celebrate the improbability of a yacht club thriving in the middle of the Arizona desert for 62-years! Happy Birthday, AYC! Register and race in the Birthday Regatta – top finishers in each class will be recognized with awards. These classes are expected:
- Three-day racing: Multi-Hull, Viper 640
- Two-day racing: Buccaneer 18, Catalina 22, Laser, PHRF non-spin (jib & main), PHRF Spin, PHRF Sport Boat, Santana 20, and Sunfish
- One-day event: Cruising – PHRF distant race
Sail with us, over 200 sailors and “shore crew,” and 70+ boats. Sail under blue skies in front of the Black Mountains near Castle Hot Springs, Buzzard Neck and Humbug Bay. Celebrate with us under the stars, between the saguaro and ocotillo, with the burros and coyotes on Lake Pleasant, just 45 minutes northwest of Phoenix.
Our Keynote Speaker this year is award winning nautical photographer Onne van der Wal. He will be on the water during the day taking photographs that will be shown during the dinner Saturday night. More about Onne van der Wal here.
Finally, this event doesn’t happen without help from a small army of volunteers! This year you can sign up online for what you’d like to do using Sign-Up Genius. Check out the different needs and volunteer on this page.
The AYC Leukemia Cup: Raise More than a Sail!
Raise money to fight blood cancers by supporting the critical work of the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society (LLS).
Registration is free and fund raising is easy – anyone can do it. Help us save lives by supporting LLS’s ground-breaking research to find cures for blood cancers. It’s what sailors do. The team or individual raising the most for LLS will win the Leukemia Cup. Give generously and make this a banner year for AYC charitable fund raising.
The Leukemia Cup is AYC’s annual charitable fundraising campaign to support the life-saving work of LLS. It leads up to, and runs concurrently with, our on-the-water sailboat race – The Birthday Regatta. Of the approximately 1300 US yacht clubs, AYC is honored to be part of an elite group of just 45 clubs that annually sponsor a Leukemia Cup fundraiser.
The nation’s first Leukemia Cup was held over 32 years ago, and today Leukemia Cups remain a popular charitable activity in sailing circles, providing one of the six main revenue sources for LLS. AYC has been a Leukemia Cup host for 19-years and has donated over $700,000 to fight blood cancer.
Anyone can register for the Leukemia Cup – AYC membership is not needed, and you don’t need to own or crew on a sailboat. All you need is a willingness to help others and to raise more than a sail! If you’re a skipper, enter both the Birthday Regatta races and and the Leukemia Cup.
Here are some helpful links to get you started:
– Pro Tips for Personal Fundraising
– Donate to AYC member and Leukemia survivor Steve Campo’s GoFundMe
– Six Ways to Contribute to AYC’s Fundraising Charitable Fundraising Campaign
– Silent Auction fundraiser – donate and buy items.
– Corporate Sponsorship – encourage your company and other to join in. Many companies have donation matching!
– Tax Advantages for Donors Aged 70-1/2 and Older
– Join or renew your US Sailing membership – they’ll contribute $10 to LLS
– Facts about the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society and blood cancers
– Incentives and discounts for fundraisers
– Leukemia Cup article – BoatU.S. Magazine, October-November 2019
– LLS Leukemia Cup Overview