2007 Leukemia Cup Regatta

The regatta started in 2001 when Stacey Zerban of Carlyle Yacht Club at West Access Marina was approached by the St. Louis Chapter of the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. Realizing the magnitude of the event’s potential, Stacey contacted Rick Bernstein, then Commodore of Carlyle Sailing Association, regarding hosting the new event since CSA had the largest venue and Rick had experience in coordinating large events. Together, with the help of many volunteers, the two were the driving force behind launching the first Leukemia Cup Regatta on Carlyle Lake.

The first event in ’01 saw 84 boats participate and raised over $40,000; quickly the regatta gained regional and national attention. The reason for this is the organizing committees work at finding local and regional sponsors to help fund the event. Soon joining the committee from Trade Winds Yacht Club at the north end of the lake were Bonnie DiMercurio plus Rey Neville from Boulder Yacht Club. The regatta immediately became a cooperative lake wide event, something never before done, attracting participants from all 4 sailing clubs as well as sailors from around the country.

The event has 3 race courses set up on the lake for boats ranging in size from 8 foot Optimist Junior Dinghies to 38 foot Catalina’s; there’s also a course set up for catamarans. On Friday night of Memorial Day Weekend we host a welcome party. Racing takes place on Saturday and Sunday. On Saturday evening we have a catered dinner with live band and auction. Sunday after the racing, scores are tabulated and many trophies are handed out. Guests are welcome!

Locally, sailors such as Doug Draper, Rex Carr, Bob & Agnes Levin and Phil & Inga Holland, soon became big sponsors of the event. Joining the regatta regionally was Pepsi and Mount Gay Rum. These sponsors covered expenses for the regatta such as beverages, trophies and welcome bags full of sponsor materials for all participants. This enabled the event to spend virtually no money on expenses, thus enabling the regatta to take in fund raising dollars in which 90 percent went directly to the LLS. It’s this ratio of income to expense that has set this event well above the other 42 regattas nationwide.

How far have we come? To date, 6 events later, the Leukemia Cup Regatta has raised over $300,000 and close to 500 sailboats and 2,000 sailors have participated. Our organizing committee continues to grow, local and regional interest continues to grow, and the 4 sailing clubs on Carlyle Lake are gearing up for another great event this coming Memorial Day Weekend. This is our lucky 7th event, we’re hoping to surpass the $75,000 mark for the first time, but we need and would really appreciate everyone’s help.

Our committee would like to begin working with area organizations to come up with fund raising drives for the regatta. These programs could be something at local High Schools such as “Save your quarters for Leukemia,” or a “Pennies for people,” type of program at elementary and middle schools. What about civic groups in the area, maybe we can coordinate fund raising drives, or have local business sponsor a particular aspect of the regatta such as merchandise. These sponsorships are available from $100 up to $5,000. From the event’s point of view, a dollar raised is a dollar that goes towards helping to find cures for these terrible diseases.

For information on joining the upcoming regatta, or if you’re interesting in becoming a sponsor either as an individual or business, please contact Rick Bernstein at rick@aboveandbeyond.tv, or Stacey Zerban at slzerban@aol.com or Judy Swiecicki at the local Leukemia Society at judy.swiecicki@lls.org.

To everyone who reads this, we need your help. The sailors and clubs on Carlyle Lake have spent 6 years developing this regatta, please come on board to help us take it to5 the next level.