This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2017, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.

Trying times on the Great Salt Lake will bring together a group of unlikely allies for a celebration this weekend, now that a temporary reprieve from years of drought and low water levels is in sight.

The Great Salt Lake Yacht Club's annual Sailfest, which takes begins Saturday, will have a curtailed schedule of events again this year. But the improved 2017 roster of events — last year's was so sparse the club chose not to advertise at all — will feature a first: a meet-and-greet with environmental activists.

The yacht club's rising frustration with the state of the Great Salt Lake Marina and the Great Salt Lake in general caused it to form an alliance with other advocacy groups fighting to preserve Utah's largest body of water.

Water levels in the marina, located on the lake's southwestern edge, fell last summer to as low as 1.5 feet in some areas, forcing most of the marina's boats out into adjacent parking lots.

Those levels have since increased by 3.3 feet, harbormaster Dave Shearer said, thanks to ample winter snowfall and a wet spring. State officials are in the process of removing silt from about half of the marina to further increase the water depth — a project the yacht club has complained is long overdue.

There are about 200 boats currently at the marina, well below its 320-boat capacity. Roughly half the boats have returned to their slips. The other half will have to wait until the dredging wraps up over the next few weeks, which means the Sailfest's tradition of free boat rides for non-sailors won't be possible this year.

Instead, yacht club commodore Janet Robins said she invited Friends of Great Salt Lake and the Utah Rivers Council to join in this weekend's festivities, which will include cardboard boat races, waterslides, live music and food.

The goal, Robins said, is to boost awareness of the need to preserve the lake, while also signaling that the yacht club doesn't plan to let up on its newfound political activism any time soon.

"If we don't continue to protect the Great Salt Lake," Robins said, "we're going to be in the same position in a year or two — the marina will be out of commission."

The lake level may be up this year more than usual — Shearer said the marina typically sees water levels rise by 2 feet each spring — but Robins said those levels should have risen higher. Most of the water came into the lake during February and March, she said, and now the rise has leveled off, despite overflowing rivers throughout the lake's watershed.

"We're not really getting that much water," Robins said.

While most of the state's reservoirs are full, "they're still diverting as much water as they can, because the state's position still seems to be that every drop of water that makes it to the Great Salt Lake is wasted."

Lynn de Freitas, executive director of Friends of Great Salt Lake, said the group hopes to use Sailfest to familiarize more residents with the Great Salt Lake and the issues it faces. The idea, she said, is that if more people understand their local water system, the interest in safeguarding it will increase.

With a limited budget, Friends of Great Salt Lake usually focuses on hosting field trips for children and has less time to reach out to their parents. But increased cohesion between environmentalists and the yacht club will let it expand its reach, de Freitas said. particularly through recreational activities like Sailfest.

"The more people you bring out there to help them understand that it's not a dead sea, that's very helpful to energize people to engage in conversations about the preservation of the system," she said.

Sailfest has, in the past, been a big draw and fundraiser for the yacht club, Robins said. The three-day event, which includes numerous free activities for the public, traditionally draws an average of 150 to the marina each year.

It's also good for introducing new sailors to the lake, Shearer said. The marina was at full capacity and had a waiting list in the 90s, he said, but parched years have left dozens of boat slips empty.

"It's going to take some time to get back to capacity," said Shearer. "We had a lot of sailboats that left the state. When those boats leave the state of Utah, they rarely come back."

But Shearer is optimistic that this year's wet winter will be followed by more big snow years. The return of Sailfest, even with its partial slate of events, has everyone in a better mood, he said.

"It's bringing life back to the marina," Shearer said. "There are a lot of positive attitudes this year, compared to last year, when people just didn't have any faith the lake would come back."

Twitter: @EmaPen ­—

2017 Sailfest Schedule

All activities to take place at the Great Salt Lake State Marina, 1075 S. 13312 West near Magna (exit 104). Parking is free for those attending Sailfest.

Saturday

8:00-10 a.m. • Meet-and-greet.

8:30-10 a.m. • Free pancake breakfast.

10:45 a.m. • Cardboard boat races.

Noon-4 p.m. • Water slides/bounce houses ($10 pass required).

Noon-4 p.m. • Kids sail painting.

5:30-7 p.m. • Barbecue dinner ($5-$15 per person).

8 p.m. • Live band.

10:30 p.m. • Bonfire.

Sunday

8:30-10 a.m. • Free continental breakfast.

9:30 a.m.- 3:30 p.m. • Utah Cup Offshore Race.