HAMPTON, Tenn. (WJHL) — The 25th annual Frostbite Race held by the Watauga Lake Sailing Club kicked off the new year on Wednesday, and temperatures were cold.

“It’s a great race to do in the wintertime. I can’t ever tell about the weather. Today, it’s cold and it’s windy,” said Skip Greene, a long-time sailor in the race. “That’s always a variable that we have to deal with.”

Greene told News Channel 11 the weather can create challenges during the race.

“It’ll be the wind shifts,” said Greene. “We have to go around the big island up there, which is difficult sometimes, but that, staying warm and being safe is the main thing.”

William Mauney, Commodore of the Watauga Lake Sailing Club, said it has been a great tradition to get members of the club together during the winter months.

“With Watauga, we can sail year-round because the lake doesn’t freeze over,” said Mauney. “The club has 100 members and at least 15 or 20 boat captains will come out, and we do fall and spring series races year-round.”

This year, the race also supported local people who have been impacted by Hurricane Helene’s destruction.

“We’ve had several families in our club that have had their houses damaged and their businesses have been damaged,” said Mauney. “We’re doing a little fundraiser for that to try and give back to them and also to give back to their community.”

Fourteen sailboats competed in the race. This year’s race was a pursuit-style race, meaning each boat was staggered and started at different times.

“Depending on what your boat’s rated for, it will give you that start time,” said Mauney. “We have two marks set up at the peninsula out there, and it’s just two marks where we line those up. Then we’ll go past those marks at a specific time, and we’ll race around Clifford Island down there, and whoever comes back first is the winner.”

The Watauga Lake Sailing Club holds the Frostbite Race every year on New Year’s Day.