Driving through the streets of South Whidbey, residents may notice a trend: dozens of dejected boats sit in yards and driveways waiting idly for the day they might set sail once more.

Members of the South Whidbey Yacht Club are offering these boats, and their owners, another chance to take to the sea at the “Sail What You Gotta Regatta” this weekend.

“Around the area here you’ll see little boats in people’s garages or on trailers just sitting there and you’ll see them there month after month or year after year and that shouldn’t happen. You must have some interest in sailing it, or you did at one time, so this is your chance to bring it out on the water,” said Bob Rodgers, event organizer.

Rodgers said members of the yacht club got the idea for the regatta from their affiliation with the U.S. Sailing Association, a national organization whose newsletters suggest clubs hold community-inclusive parties.

Rodgers said the event will give amateur sailors, including members of the youth sailing club, an opportunity to gain experience in a free and open environment. But most importantly, he noted, the event will offer both these and more experienced sailors a chance to have “some fun and whimsy” on the water.

The regatta begins at 12 p.m. Saturday, July 26 at Lone Lake and will continue in a mostly free-form fashion until its end at 5 p.m.

Rodgers said that, weather permitting, they are hoping for 75-125 people in attendance.

At noon, South Whidbey Yacht Club Pelican skippers will offer free rides for those interested. The skippers each hold about two to three people, and participants must know how to swim and be unafraid of the water. Personal flotation devices are required and some will be available for loan.

At 1 p.m., youth sailors from the yacht club’s Learn to Sail program will race their El Toros.

Pat Sasson, whose late husband founded the yacht club, said the Learn to Sail program is one of which the yacht club is especially proud.

Sasson said that her husband would be “thrilled” to see the young Learn to Sail program participants succeeding and having fun on the water during the Saturday’s festivities; her husband’s priority for the yacht club was to let kids around the island have a chance to learn to sail.

The yacht club offers beginning, intermediate and advanced classes. During the beginning Learn to Sail program, kids learn water safety and to tie knots along with the basics of sailing.

After the procession of El Toros has passed, free hot dogs will be served while supplies last. Attendees are encouraged to bring a picnic lunch to enjoy lakeside.

Intermediate sailors will follow at 2 p.m. with a race of the Vanguards, at which time other faster boats are welcome to hop in as well.

At 3 p.m., Pelican racing will start. “Rookie” community members are welcome to begin at this time, as are other slower vessels.

At 4 p.m., all boats will parade past the beach.

At the end of the day, the most unique and impressive boats will be awarded for categories such as “oddest boat that can float” and “best decorated boat.”

“It’s just a fun day to get people out on the water,” Sasson said.