Mobile Area sailors will converge on Mobile Bay this Saturday for the country's largest point to point race. This year's event is the 48th annual, and it promises to be the biggest race ever.
Should you be interested in learning more about the regatta you could try the Buccaneer Yacht Club web site.
Johnny Roberts, a 31-year veteran of the Dauphin Island Race, has high hopes for this year's regatta.
That is, if he can make it to the starting line.
Roberts, 58, is a native of Mobile who has missed only two Dauphin Island races since 1975. He is registered for Saturday's race but does not currently have a boat ready for the 48th annual event, which is the largest one-day point-to-point sailboat race in the country.
In fact, Roberts' boat doesn't even have a keel yet. Or a mast. Or a working engine.
But that doesn't mean he won't be racing.
For the past few weeks, a crew of four has been working around the clock to make sure Roberts' boat, a 39-foot Farr 39 named "Fine Line," is ready for the start of the race, which will take place Saturday on Mobile Bay from Mobile to Dauphin Island.
"Two weeks ago, I wouldn't have said we were going to make it, but I feel optimistic right now," Roberts said. "I've had the crew working nights and weekends on this thing, but we still have a lot left to do. We've got to put the mast in, we've got to put the keel on, we've got to finish up with the glazing on the windows, we've got to put the balance of the hardware on the deck and we've got to get the engine running.