Long Race Award Winners at the Sunrise Regatta Breakfast

Kachina's crew receives the award for winning the fifty-mile race of the Sunrise Regatta during the regatta's awards breakfast. Competitors woke up to a full breakfast served inside the Dam Site restaurant overlooking the south end of Elephant Butte Lake.

Sunrise Regatta 2009, 50-Mile Race Start

Two J/24's at the start of the 50-mile race during the Sunrise Regatta, October 3, 2009, at Elephant Butte Lake in southern New Mexico. Kachina is in the foreground; Red Shift in the background. A cruising sailboat having some problems at the starting line made for an interesting diversion during the start.

The J/24 Kachina powers through the chop to race through many miles of non-stop sailing.




J/24 Red Shift passing in front of Kettletop Mesa. The boat recently received decking repairs and a great paint job.

Beginning of the Sunrise Regatta 2009

C&C 29 Nessie, Hobie 16, and Laser show off very different kinds of sailing craft at the start of the Sunrise Regatta. The 10- and 25-mile boats started at 1:23 Saturday afternoon, with the 50-mile boats starting eleven minutes later.

Start of the Sunrise Regatta at Elephant Butte Lake

Fleet panorama as the ten- and twenty-five-mile-race boats start. In between the Catalina 25 in the middle of the picture and the C&C 29 Nessie at right can be glimpsed Kettletop Mesa in the distance. Land to the east beyond Kettletop is part of one-time famous sailor Ted Turner's Armendaris Ranch, one of his many conservation-oriented holdings in the region.

Boats at the start of the Sunrise; the J/24 Hot Flash follows some cruisers. Mountains and mesas in the background are part of the scenery we get to enjoy in the mountain desert of southern New Mexico. A few miles away are hot springs once used by the Apache leader Geronimo.

Columbia 26 II and Grampian 23 at the start of the Sunrise Regatta, October 3, 2009, at Elephant Butte Lake.

Columbia 26 II Imagine.