The third annual Gosport Regatta Saturday will set sail Saturday, June 9.

Held in partnership with the Piscataqua Sailing Association, the event serves to kick off the summer conference season at Star Island, one of the rocky, windswept Isles of Shoals, located six miles off the coast of Rye.

Star Island is a recreation destination for day and overnight guests who travel to the island by ferry, charter, or in their own boats.

The regatta will set sail from the start line in the Piscataqua River basin at 11 a.m. Race classes include cruising, racing, and J-24, as well as a team cup for yacht clubs entering three or more boats.

The sailing race, which takes its name from the original Gosport Regatta first held in 1874 at the Isles of Shoals, is expected to draw hundreds of sailing enthusiasts and racing skippers to the Granite State. Competitors from ports as far south as Marblehead, Massachusetts and north to Portland, Maine, are set to participate. The original race was organized by John Poor, president of the Stickney & Poor Spice Trading Company, to celebrate the grand opening of Star Island's Oceanic Hotel. More than 50 boats participated. The race was won by the famous yacht America in 1875, the sailboat for which the America's Cup is named.

Guests are invited to board the spectator boat, the M/V Thomas Laighton, operated by the Isles of Shoals Steamship Company, and come ashore for an island party and best views of the finish line.

The awards reception and dinner bring race crews and spectators together in the Oceanic Hotel dining room. A lecture on New Hampshire's maritime history will be presented on Sunday following brunch with music by Joanne Connolly with jazz combo Seasmoke. Tickets are $75.

Spectator tickets with overnight lodging is $170, including Sunday's jazz brunch; racer tickets are $35, including a reception Friday night and Saturday's awards banquet; and racer ticket with overnight lodging is $14, including Sunday's jazz brunch. For details, log onto GosportRegatta.org.