23rd Annual WLSC Frostbite Sailboat Race set for Sunday

Published 1:40 pm Tuesday, December 27, 2022

HAMPTON — It’s that time of year again! As sailors from Tri-Cities Tennessee, Western North Carolina, and Western Virginia gear up for their first race of the year! The Watauga Lake Sailing Club (WLSC) will hold its 23rd Annual Frostbite Race on Sunday, Jan. 1. Typically 6 to 12 boat captains and their hardy crew participate in this race. The club has held the January Frostbite Race every year since 2001 and the sailors have raced in everything from sunny 50-degree weather to blowing snow.

WLSC is a private club (though open for membership) and has been promoting the passion for sailing, sailboats, and nautical traditions on Watauga Lake near Hampton for 40 years. Although the club’s next official race isn’t until April, the Frostbite Race is the annual kick-off event and is well attended by our over 75 sail club members from all around the region. The public can watch the race from Watauga Point State Recreation Area, or other nearby viewing areas near Lakeshore Marina.

Registration will be at 12:15 p.m. at Lakeshore Marina Sailboat Dock on Sunday, Jan. 1, with the Race Starting at 2 p.m. on Watauga Lake in Hampton.

For more information, contact Brandon Bragg, Commodore, at 423-297-3784 or Johnny VanDeusen, Race Captain, at 512-919-9012.