The U.S. Windsurfer Class Association will hold the 48th annual Windsurfer Class U.S. Championships Nov. 6 to 8 at Clearwater Community Sailing Center, 1001 Gulf Blvd., according to a news release.

The association said more than 80 sailors have registered from 19 states and five countries: Australia, Austria, Germany, Japan, and Kenya. Florida has the largest delegation with 25 sailors, followed by California with 15, the group said.

Competitors will race in four disciplines: course racing, long distance, freestyle, and slalom. Events are divided into four weight divisions and seven age divisions, along with women’s and cruiser classes. All sailors will use the same equipment: the Windsurfer LT, the association said. North Beach Windsurfing and Sandy Point Progressive Sports are providing charter boards for participants who do not bring their own.

The association said the entrants include Windsurfing Hall of Fame inductees Tom Pace, Kelby Bruno, and Scotty O’Conner. Olympians on the entry list include Mike Gebhardt, who won bronze in 1988 and silver in 1992 and competed in five Olympics, and Scott Steele, who won silver in 1984. The association described Steele as the first American to win an Olympic windsurfing medal. Lanee Butler, also an Olympian, is registered. Seppi Salvenmoser of Austria, a four-time Division II European champion who placed third at the Windsurfer LT World Championships in Finland, is also entered.

The championships will introduce three new perpetual trophies: the Garner Cup for women’s overall champion, the LT Board for top overall youth sailor, and the Dagger Award for top women’s freestyle sailor.

Butler and Gebhardt will lead a two-day pre-race clinic Nov. 4 and 5 covering boat handling, starts, and tactics, the association said.

Racing begins by 10 a.m. each day. It is scheduled to end around 3 p.m. Sunday, with an awards ceremony at about 4 p.m. Organizers said spectators can watch from the beach next to the Clearwater Beach Marriott.

North Beach Windsurfing and Sandy Point Progressive Sports are the event’s main sponsors. Valkobi, Frida’s Cafe & Bakery, and Tampa Bay Brewing Co. are providing additional support.

The U.S. Windsurfer Class Association is a nonprofit based in Annapolis, Maryland. It organizes regattas, clinics, and championships for one-design windsurfing racing in the United States.

Direct questions about the event to Tom Latham, Vice President, U.S. Windsurfer Class Association.

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