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Opening Ceremonies Held For Thistle National Championship

Thistle Boats lined up at Mayville’s Lakeside Park on Sunday for competitions during the upcoming week. Photo by Jordan Patterson

MAYVILLE — The Thistle National Championship began Sunday afternoon and for the first time ever was hosted on Chautauqua Lake at Mayville’s Lakeside Park.

Organized by the Chautauqua Yacht Club and the Thistle Class Association, the event started off with an opening ceremony before sailors were allowed to participate in a practice race.

Headed by Tom Hubbell of the Chautauqua Yacht Club, the opening ceremony included ground rules, or in this case water rules, for the busy week ahead.

Joy Martin, Thistle Class Association third vice president for growth and promotion, described the week ahead.

“We have been racing these boats for 72 years and we race them all around the country,” Martin said.

The Thistle National Championship has been hosted in cities such as San Diego; Sandusky, Ohio; Sheboygan, Wisconsin; and Eugene, Oregon.

“We come together once a year for six days of racing and a good ol’ family reunion,” Martin said. “Some of us have been doing this for 30, 40, 50 years. It’s a large family organization, so we have parents sailing with their children.”

She then mentioned how one family has three generations of racers: a grandfather, a son and grandson.

As Hubbell was speaking to the group of people gathered for the opening ceremony, Martin explained the important role Hubbell played in bringing the Thistle National Championship to Mayville.

She explained that Hubbell, a resident of Dewittville, and Don Emhart, Chautauqua town supervisor, played an intricate role.

“This is his baby,” Martin said of Hubbell. “He dreamed this up, with the help of Don Emhart, they decided they would do this.”

The week will feature competitive races every day until Friday. At 4 p.m. on Thursday, there will be a community event, free of charge, for people to come and simply sail to get a feel for what the championship is like. Martin requested that anyone interested in joining in the festivities on Thursday should email her at jmartin98@rochester.rr.com.

Registration for the actual competition was around $200 per boat. The competition ends Friday and then a banquet will be held at the Chautauqua Inn & Suites to celebrate the week.

For more information about the Thistle National Championship visit thistleclass.com.

The races can be seen during the week at Lakeside Park through Friday.

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