The 51st Annual Lake Opeka 470 Spring Regatta drew competitors to the Des Plaines Yacht Club in Des Plaines, Illinois, with eleven races making up this year's programme.
Ziggy Pawlik and Peter Pawlik took the overall win, with John Michael and Jeane Michael finishing second. Aidan Handler and Tez Ahern rounded out the podium in third.
The regatta remains one of the more established fixtures on the greater Chicago sailing calendar, bringing together seasoned campaigners and younger talent. The Des Plaines Yacht Club has been building that tradition since 1962, when it began working alongside the Des Plaines Park District to develop sailing in the northwest suburbs.
Lake Opeka itself has an unlikely origin. It was created in the late 1950s as a byproduct of construction on the Northwest Tollway (I-90), with earth excavated from the site used as fill for the overpasses in the area. The Des Plaines Park District, assisted by their attorney Frank Opeka, purchased the resulting 60-acre tract for $1.00 and created Lake Park.
Today the facility encompasses a 39-acre lake with launching ramps, docks, and wet and dry moorings, alongside an 18-hole par-3 golf course, band shell, picnic area, children's playground, sand volleyball courts, and a clubhouse and marina with snack bar accessed from Howard Street.
