Six sailboats are participating in this weekend’s 15th annual Edgartown Yacht Club 12-metre regatta, a three-day sailing event that also is a spectator sport for anyone with an eye toward Nantucket Sound.

These are the World Cup boats, sailing out of the past, about 70 feet in length with 90-foot tall masts. This year’s participating boats include: Intrepid, Courageous, Weatherly, American Eagle, Columbia and Easterner.

Practice racing is scheduled for this afternoon; the racing takes place tomorrow and Sunday.

Yesterday, though, half a dozen campers at Camp Jabberwocky were given a memory by the captain and crew of the 12-metre sailboat Easterner from Newport. They were taken out on a sail to the waters off Cape Pogue lighthouse and back. In fact there were two trips, one in the morning and another later, for both campers and their camp counselors.

The captain, Paul Callahan of Newport, is a quadriplegic, having broken his neck at the age of 21, in 1991.

Mr. Callahan is a chief executive officer of Shake-A-Leg, a charitable organization committed to offering therapeutic services to help children and adults with neurological disorders. Mr. Callahan said it was important to him to give the campers an opportunity to participate in the sail and steer, not just be on board.

Easterner is the only 12-metre racing sailboat that is handicapped accessible. Mr. Callahan said he was so pleased by the reception he and his sailors have received and the enthusiasm expressed by the campers that he plans to offer Jabberwocky campers a sailing trip again next year when they return.

Meanwhile, the best place to see these huge boats is as they enter and leave the harbor, so Memorial Wharf and Edgartown Lighthouse Beach are the finest viewing positions. Some of the racing may be visible from the Joseph Sylvia State Beach. Show time is between 10 in the morning and 3 in the afternoon.

Bill Roman, yacht club manager, said there will be two divisions: a modern division for Intrepid and Courageous, and a classic division for Weatherly, American Eagle, Columbia and Easterner.

There are not as many participating sailboats this year as in past years, a decline being attributed to the economy rather than any lack of hospitality extended to the sailors in the past.

“This is really one of the highlights of the summer for us,” said Mr. Roman. “The enthusiasm and excitement for this weekend brings out the sailing community.”

A number of local sailors are expected to join in the fun and crew on these boats as they race in Nantucket Sound. Each boat has a sizeable need for crew, as many as 20 sailors per boat.