The 2008 Area IV offerings are detailed in the event section of this site.

The Offshore series remains the same and we reconfigured the Boat of the Year series to make it more central to Area IV events and more accessable to all Area IV racers.

A new series was added, the Area IV Lake Michigan Championship. This series is geared to our higher profile teams which travel to the bigger Lake Michigan events. It still incorporates Area IV club's two day buoy regattas, the Tripp Memorial and Queen's Cup, but adds a heavy dose of Chicago ... the NOODs, the Mac, and the Verve Cup.

There's no scheduling conflict that would prohibit an ambitious program from entering all the Area IV series and going for 'The Sweep'. As head of Area IV, I'm offering to supply a broom trophy for any boat that wins all four series. Come on, make me!

We had an excellent 2007 season of racing and I'd like to thank all those who participated, not only the boats and crews, but all the club volunteers who make the races possible. Area IV has an excellent group of racers and I challenge everyone to increase the participation in our events. It's way more fun to have a crowd, so help me by being a salesman for Area IV.

As I mentioned after last season, I'll establish (and publish) the sections for the Offshore series soon after the entry deadline. I'll also keep you informed of the LMSRF Best of Lake Michigan PHRF Championship. That's the series which we need at least three Area IV boats to enter in order to be eligible for the The Palmer Johnson/Edward Willman Offshore Team Championship Trophy.

Here's looking forward to a sucessful 2008 season with more area boats involved.

Bob Harvey
Area IV Vice Commodre