If you talk with previous class champions, Mikey Rian was not supposed to factor at the 2026 Inland20 championship Sept. 17-19 at Indian Lake, Ohio.
Sure, the 68-year-old with a pony tail is a fixture on scows and iceboats at his home lake of Wawasee Indiana. Good sailor. But mostly a mid-pack finisher at away games.
Nobody will make that mistake again.
Over three days of light air, Rian scored five bullets against previous heavyweights including Wisconsin’s Aaron Lynn and home-lake-favorite Joe Ewing. Rian’s fist slammed the table in the first race on Friday with a solid win, followed by three more on Saturday and a final punch on Sunday. Eight races…five wins.
For those who know him, Rian isn’t exactly a “new kid in town.”
Back at Wawasee Lake, Rian’s chief competition was watching the results with a knowing grin. Throughout the summer, former I20 class commodore Andy Allen and his skipper/daughter Emily tangled with Rian and his I20 partner Frank Levinson for I20 bragging rights. Out of 33 races, they saw Rian and Levinson, who helms, win a few more than they did, good enough to best the Allens for the series.
“I was like: Way to go! We knew it was doable. That boat is dialed in,” said Allen, who pointed out that Rian was also studying on line with a world class sailing coach.
As if that were not enough to sharpen his skills, on Sundays. Wawasee hosts a healthy E scow series. There, Rian finished fifth out of 15 scows.
He put in the work, said Allen. “I wasn’t surprised at all. And he had Brian in the front.” That “Brian” would be Brian Bahler, the closest thing Wawasee has to a professional sailor. Bahler also helped West Rapp win a class championship in 2024.
“Bahler was on my ass about boat speed, and boat speed kills. You can have bad tactics, but if you have boat speed you will win out,” said Rian.
“I’ve been sailing since I was 4 years old. I was conceived at the (Indianapolis) yacht club. You get all caught up in strategy and tactics, but the key to Indian Lake was boat speed. We had really light air, crummy light air and a breeze when you had to hike and we didn’t have much chop but you had to pay attention to boat speed. … If you’re not moving, what are you going to do? In the scow boats you can put the bow down and speed up. And then you can point up.”
Rian is a big advocate for the I20. He calls the M15 a “fad” that will die off but sees the I20 as the best solution for adults who crave the speed of a scow without the budget for an E or A scow. HIs win proves that older boats can be competitive; it’s a 1989 Melges M20 that was converted to an I20.
During the awards, Rian heaped praise on the class for its dedicate to a friendly “vibe” that fosters growth and learning.
And food. The i20 regattas routinely offer three meals including a hot breakfast, something other classes only dream about. Regatta chair Joe Ewing was in the kitchen each morning cooking eggs and sausage while a team of volunteers cut fruit and put out a banquet. Saturday night, chef Alex Patten made a Mexican feast for the competitors, featuring three different spiced meats and his own pica de gallo.
Geoff Rigney helped with awards, contributing his own hand-made commemorative trivets for all competitors.
Special thanks go to the Indian Lake RC team led by Pat Tynan, and the Indian Lake Commodore Jeff Patten.
Postsrcipt: Rian wants folks to know he used to sail Lightnings
