Preparations for the 2014 Red Jacket Youth Sailing Regatta, co-hosted by Rockland Community Sailing at The Apprentice Shop, are under way. 

The event, in its 11th year, will be held Sunday, July 27 in Rockland Harbor, near the Breakwater Lighthouse. The event will kickoff at 11:30 a.m. with the first race, and no race will begin after 2:30 p.m. 

A total of 10 teams are set to participate in the event, including` Rockland Community Sailing, St. George Community Sailing Foundation, Northport Yacht Club, Big Tree Boating (Islesboro), Trefethen-Evergreen Improvement Association Sailing (Peaks Island), North Haven Casino, Rockport Boat Club, Castine Yacht Club, Camden Yacht Club and Stockton Harbor Sailing Center. 

Sailors will race in Optimist prams and 420 sloops. 

The Rockland Community Sailing instructors spent Tuesday, the first day of practice this week, settling any nerves of the racers and re-iterating the basics. 

The St. George Community Sailing Foundation has been “doing minimal practice until this week,” according to head instructor Briggs Hupper. “Now, we are focusing on tuning each individual sailor’s skills and comfort racing.”

The Northport Yacht Club has been practicing Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays in day sailers, according to instructor Erik Ekberg, Jr. “We do have two 420's that kids have also been practicing on in anticipation of the regatta for [the] past couple of weeks.  The club does not have any opti's to practice with, but we will do our best.”

Preparation summaries from other participating teams were not available. 

To reach George Harvey and to submit tips, email sports@penbaypilot.com.