Heavy rain didn’t dampen the spirits of the sailors in the Buzzards Bay Regatta, said event Chair Bonnie Kirchner.

“Everyone came in feeling cold on Saturday evening, but then we had dinner and people started dancing,” she said. “They warmed up pretty fast.”

On Friday, the annual regatta, now in its 42^nd year, welcomed 1,000 sailors across 18 different classes for the three-day racing event.

Started in 1972 by Marion resident and member of the Beverly Yacht Club Bill Saltonstall and Bob Saltmarsh of the New Bedford Yacht Club, the event has become the largest multi-class yacht regatta in the nation, said Kirchner.

This year marked her first as the race chair. Planning starts in the winter, and more than 30 volunteers spend time organizing the regatta.

“There are a lot of dedicated people who give up their personal time to make the regatta a success,” she said. “They all take time out of their busy lives for this.”

This year, to better accommodate the sailors organizers switched the boat launch location from Island Wharf to Silvershell Beach, which has more space.

“That’s been a great change,” Kirchner said. “Getting the boats in and out of the water is much more efficient.”

Since it started, the regatta has been held at the New Bedford Yacht Club and in Marion in alternating years.

On Friday and Saturday nights the participants enjoyed food, drinks and live music at the yacht club.

The event ended Sunday afternoon with an awards ceremony for the winners.

For a complete list of the winners, visit www.regattanetwork.com.