What is your favorite annual regatta?

I don't know about just one favorite, but I really enjoy the Sun Fun Cat Dash sponsored by the N. Myrtle Beach, SC Chamber of Commerce. It takes place the last weekend in May. The Le Mans start is colorful and exciting, there are lots of spectators, and hey, it's a weekend out at the beach for everyone. I can't speak to wind or conditions because I didn't race and, of course, it varies from year to year, but Jake and I have gone out the day after the race and had a great time sailing up and down the coastline. There are cash prizes and the organizers really show everyone a good time with a dinner and wine tasting at the local vinyard, La Belle Amie. It's part of the Sun Fun Festival, so there are lots of activites for the whole family during the weekend.

My favorite Buoy’s race is the Jetty Park Ocean Regatta put on by Fleet 45 of Cocoa/Cocoa Beach, Florida.

They consistently put on a well-planned and executed event. There is always plenty of beer and wings after the days racing. The conditions on the water are always a mixed bag, from light to moderate not favoring any one boat or team. Plus it's on the open ocean, always a bonus.

A close second is the St. Augustine, FL Regatta. This race is also on the ocean and offers the same conditions.

My favorite distance race:
Key Largo Steeplechase.

This race consistently attracts the best sailing talent in the country. The course offers navigational as well as tactical challenges. You get a little bit of everything with this race. Plus, the FL Keys in the middle of winter is not a bad place to be.

David Ingram

My favorite race is the Chesapeake 100. Of course I just won that race. If I am ever able to win another, that race might become my favorite. Seriously, it is a great navigation challenge, some big water and logistically easier than any other distance race that I am familiar with--you start and finish at the same place. A memorable event that you come away from with a feeling of accomplishment, no matter how you finish.

David
H20

Summer Sizzler at Treasure Island Hotel, Daytona Beach, Florida. Hobie Fleet 80 has done superb work on this since forever, may they live long and prosper.
(Jetty Park Ocean Regatta and St. Augustine Annual Regatta are both terrific too, thanks Hobie Fleet 111).

I-LYA Race week on Put-In-Bay Island, OH that begins with the Sandusky Steeplechase (17 miles from Sandusky out to the Island). There's not a big catamaran contingency at this regatta but it's an incredible venue with incredible entertainment all around! It's akin to a little more mature Key-West. This is a huge mono-hull event that is very friendly to us mad catters. Great racing, entertainment, hospitality, and old friends (I even ran into my high school history teacher/wrestling coach and sailed against him - I had no idea he and his wife had been sailing all this time!). Mary, I believe you know them quite well too!

Next would be Round the Island at Fort Walton, FL. but just for the endurance racing and competion. There's not much in the way of entertainment or time for hospitality on this one.

I-LYA regatta

Round the island

the Rolex regatta.....St Thomas US Virgin Islands....last weekend of March...great wind,geat sailing great time....competition is very tough..this year 2 teams trying to qualify for the olympics where there...Enrique Figueroa(racing in the Euro Championshios) from Puerto Rico and Terry Jackson from St Thomas...the Glazers and Rick Bliss where there and really uped the competition,,,I believe Jim Stone was there also.....

I'm with Dave on this one, too! Florida has a number of great venues for both fresh & salt water sailors. Between the Keys, Miami, Ft. Lauderdale, Cocoa, Daytona, and St. Augustine on the east, and Tampa, Clearwater, Dunedin, Pensacola, and even Naples on the west, it's hard to find a weekend with NOTHING going on!

I'm going to say that so far, Jetty Park Ocean Regatta (JPOR) has the best logistics, food, smack-talk, and venue. The beach access is normally restricted, but they planned it so well that there wasn't a problem. Now if we could just get those dang cruise ships to stop with the swells...

Also putting them on top is that all those NASA guys are pretty good about calling the weather, and got us on the beach before all that bad weather stormed over the horizon on us!

I've yet to sail St. Augustine, but it should be fun, as the I-20 state champion will be determined that weekend, and I have to pay my dues/respects there...

As for distance stuff, it would be Key Largo Steeplechase for it's competitiveness and overall challenge, and maybe the Miami Key Largo for it's sponsorship and attendance. The only drawback to the MKL race (besides the price) is that they hold the skipper's meeting and award ceremonies in such a way (a week later) that the out-of-towners are not in a position to attend.

A very close second would go to Pensacola (only reason it's not tops is it's about 10 hours drive from my house) and the Tampa area (Tampa Bay Cat Sailors really put on a show - only drawback is the weather can be quite a bit more flukey there).

I'm hoping that they will eventually design a steeplechase around Egmont Key in Tampa Bay. Starting/finishing at Davis Island YC or something...

How about the Statue of Liberty Race put on by none other than the Sandy Hook Catamaran Club? Even on a bad day its worth it to sail up into NY harbor with the Manhatten skyline and the lady herself. Always held the Saturday after the 4th of July by a great club with great facilities.

One of the best venues on the East coast of North America and Iceland,mostly because of its proximity to Tony the Cat's table top dancing and Boozarama "DELRAY BEACH proudly presents the annual DRAGRACE. The only thing holding this race back are the locals. Seafarers the likes of"Bobby the RAT","Chippy the CHIGGER", "Jesse the Jackel" and "MILDEW Trampoline Mark" ,have not completely convinced the city officials that this is an actual event!

Round Texel

M20 versus Tornado
The Hague | 13-06-2003 13:53:00 | By: Diana Bogaards
Since two months, a grey flash has been signalized regularly off the coast of Hoek van Holland. It happens that Gunnar Larsen and Xander Pols infest the North Sea with their brand new, silver grey M20. During the Hoek van Holland – Scheveningen VV Catrace, they frustrated the rest of the fleet in their hopes to win. After 45 minutes Larsen and Pols were no longer recognizable on the horizon. Two hours after the starting signal the enthusiastic men already crossed the finish line. A new period has been introduced with this rapid M20 that only weighs 122 kg. Round Texel will be the ultimate test for the winner of 1999 (Gunnar) and the second finisher in 2002 (Xander). Last year, Sven Karsenbarg and Mischa Heemskerk won the Round Texel race with their Olympic Tornado, until now the fastest race monster. On June 21st, five teams will fight the Tornado on a M20. Will the Round Record of 2.30.36 hours finally be broken?

For more info see web page

Juana's Good Time Regatta- Navarre Beach, FL, 2 days.
Round the Island Race - Ft. Walton, 100 miles distance race, Gulf of Mexico and intercoastal waterway.

Bot held in September.

Don

Miami-Key kargo is a classic. Blowing by a guy in a e-scow with 3 guys on the wire and running with the F boats, Raiders etc is a blast. Finishing the race in time to take a nap, eat dinner, and start the party before the $100,000 monos pull in is all I need to keep cat sailing.

A distance race that starts and finishes in the same place is always a big plus.

There isn't anything stopping us from sailing the race you just described. All we have to do us put the word out and go sailing. Only thing is... the schedule is pretty full. Now, that's the kind of problem I can live with 🙂

Dave

Dave,
Which post are you replying to? And who is STANK?

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Summertime regatta (June) that draws out some of the fun folks with smaller boats, so there has been a open fleet with DPNs over 70 in the past, as well as the usual fleet of rock stars that show up around here. There is a distance race one day, and buoys the second day - I like the two day regattas, nice to leave the boat set up. A local Subway Sandwiches owner who likes sailing sponsors the event - a BIG sandwich for lunch (hence the name "White or Wheat," which used to be the first question you would hear walking through the door until they added all those other breads).

I like sailing in Santa Rosa Sound, a east-west body of water between the barrier island and the mainland - with the summer sea breeze coming from the south, the distance race is always fun. And it seems like the local fleet of hot dogs is more relaxed for the event.

I've sailed it on a Nacra 5.0 with an I-17 snuffer rig, and on the Mystere 4.3. This year did it on a Cape Horn 17' center console with a radio and GPS in my hand. Everyone should take a turn at committee - trust me, you'll learn something, and it improves your appreciation for the folks who give us a place to race. Plus, you can set your beer right in the cup holder!!!

It's been a fun pick-up style regatta with good attitudes in the past - hope it will be again. Had to sail it in Pensacola Bay this year, as the Town of Navarre Beach goes through some growing pains and we lost our beach access down there. Should all be sorted out by next summer, though - new ramp and new state park. Looking forward to that cold Corona at Juana's after sailing against the 5.0s, Hobie 17s, Hobie 16, Waves, and who knows, maybe another 4.3 will show up! Let the big dogs eat - the competition is better in the small boats for those who are mere mortals!

MAry It's a hard choice, even for one with so little experience! I have only been to Fleet 28's Buzzard, and Fleet448"s Summer Classic and The New England 100. I have yet to race! I did register once or twice, but was always distracted by others that just wanted to "funsail". Each event has it's good points, and weather is never one you can count on. Last year The Buzzard, held in The Whaling City, New Bedford Ma. was great! Lots of wind, (too much Saturday, with lots of broken boats) Terrific hospitality from the city,(We used to get police details to guard our boats overnight)lifeguards to keep swimmers out of the beach, a traffic detail during peak traffic, a nice lawn for camping. There is an old fort you can walk around, and nice waterfront park. Then there's Fleet 28... Sometimes they provide towing onto the beach, they put on a good feed, and Ted Knowlton always comes through with a jazz band Saturday night. Wow is he an inspiration or what!? For The Summer Classic, and N.E.100, Saturdays of both events, end at Quonset Point on Narraganset Bay. A great crowd, great feeds, and for the N.E.100, one year they had a tent with a "Surf Band". It was a gas! Of course my favorite event is not a race, but The High Holiday of Cat Sailing, Fleet 448's Annual Island Hop. This is held at my home port, Gooseberry Neck, in Westport MA.We have a small dirt parking lot, with very few trailer spots, but organizer John Smith has arranged to have the state open a gate into the reservation there, so we can put the trailers in. We have primitive facilities, and only draw about thirty boats , but the destinations would be hard to beat anywhere: Cuttyhunk; Quicks Hole; Tarpaulin Cove; Penikese; and Menemsha on Marthas Vineyard; and Cherry and Webb; and Barney's Joy Beaches on the mainland. Followed with a good cook out back at the beach. Sorry to rant, but I just get to feeling religious writing about the Cult I'm in! Brian

My Favorite race down here in OZ would be without question.... Sail Melboure Olympic Class Regatta, Sandrigham Yacth Club on Port Phillip Bay.

It brings the best Tornado sailors from around Australia together as well as a few internationals. Port Phillip always serves up, atlest for a few days, some hair raising coditions with short sharp chop up to 2.5 meters and 25 knot plus winds. Their is always some carnage and plenty of spectacular rides whilst lauching over waves.

On shore the regatta is very we run and the regatta always attracts the top crews from all the Olympic Classes. The National coaches also are present on and off the course and are more than willing to give some training.

There is a chandlery at the club and many sail makers very close by.

After a tough days sailing you cannot go past a massage back on shore, then head up stairs and have a beverage and finger food, overlooking the boat park and the beatifull Bay whilst chatting with the some off the best sailors from around the world .

My favorite regatta now is just a dream from the past. Back in the early 1980's when we first had our Hobie 18, my favorite event was The Dam Regatta at (I think) Hoover Dam in Ohio. The wind was always lousy -- light and flukey. But everybody camped right there. It was like being on a farm out in the middle of nowhere, and we had the whole area to ourselves. Lots of grass and plenty of beach. Everybody brought their kids and their dogs, and frisbees were flying everywhere, along with assorted types of spherical objects. The organizers had a big tent and supplied a great dinner Saturday night. Most of the kids who were playing, and sailing, at those Dam Regattas are adults now, but they are still sailors -- some just at heart and some in actuality. I think it is partly because of the great memories they have of regattas like that when they were children.

It has stayed in my mind as the image of the way beach-cat regattas should be. Unfortunately, there just aren't as many venues any more that lend themselves to a whole-family experience.

I was raised in the area of the shelf islands in western Lake Erie -- mostly I was just into fishing and water skiing.
But at Put-in-Bay, Ohio, where we always went to party and have a good time at the shops, bars and wineries, I remember all of these sailboats coming there once a year. I was not a sailor at the time, but really thought it great to see all those boats with their trophy flags flying.
Well, in 1965 I bought my first sailboat -- a Shark Catamaran.
I crewed with Mary's sister, Betty Bliss (Hobie 18 Worlds Champ, Shark NA Champ, Women's Wave NA Champ and wife of Jake's high school teacher, Dick) on my Shark at that very regatta, and learned a lot from her.
Can't remember if we won or not, but probably did -- she's good.
At any rate, that was in 1965 that I went to the I-LYA Bay Week Regatta and have not missed a year since. It is so much fun that you would have to have the smile removed from your face surgically.
It all starts on Saturday morning with the Sandusky Steeplechase (a feeder to the island from Sandusky SC to Put-in-Bay, Ohio) and the distance is around 22 miles. The race used to be a pretty casual thing -- I remember putting a case of bottled beer on the deck of the Shark and pouring a bunch of ice over it.
I raced the Steeplechase with the Shark, and later the Tornado. In 1980 we sailed the Hobie 18, then came the Mystere 6.0, the Nacra 5.5Uni, the Nacra 6.0, Taipan 4.9 and the last two years on a Wave -- won it last year on the Wave with a Hooter, by the way.
The feeder race got to be pretty serious when Tom Tannert of Sailing Spirit (one of the largest Hobie/Prindle dealers in the country) put up a beautiful trophy in honor of Mary's Dad (Who taught all of all about sailing -- don't think he ever lost a race. He is a Hall of Famer that just died this past year). The trophy is the Bill Wells/Sailing Spirit Trophy and is awarded to the winner on corrected time. It is displayed at the Put-in-Bay Yacht Club.
Later, I put up a trophy called the Rick White Perpetual that was a hand-carved replica of Perry's Monument (a major landmark and park on the island) for the boat that finished first. It is displayed in the Put-in-Bay Museum.
Ever since these two major perpetuals racing is not at all layed back. There have been as many as 45 boats racing the mini-distance race to the island.
Many of the Steeplechase folks spend the weekend on the island and head back to work, but normally around a dozen to 20 boats stay for the whole regatta.
After the feeder race to the island, most of the folks jumped on a ferry and went Lonz Winery on Middle Bass Island. It was always a jumping place. Guess someone jumped too hard -- the concrete floor broke through to the basement and that was the end of the parties there. Would have been anyway since the state bought the property. It was a huge castle-like place. I still remember sitting on the front porch talking to old man Lonz.
The regatta starts with a beer bash party at John Borman's house where everyone gets their Sailing Instructions. Then the races begin at 9AM on Monday and daily until Wednesday.
Every afternoon is action and fun packed after the sailing is over. A bunch of us head for the tennis court, others go shopping or take the tour train, etc.
And then on Monday evening is the Rum Party and Awards for the deepwater feeder races.
After sailing on Tuesday there is a Tea Party for the Ladies while the guys have a baseball tournament and beer blast. By the way the Tea is pretty strong -- the ladies always return a bit tipsy.
And then there is a steak cook-out at the yacht club -- you do your own. And then Deb Shafer always has folks out to her campground on a cliff overlooking a setting sun and they have a sing along.
Wednesday is more of the same, but after the races everyone heads to Borman's again for wine and cheese, then to awards armed with bottles of champagne.
Thursday is for licking your wounds.
If you can stay for Friday night, there is a concert put on by a bunch of Barbershop Quartets -- must be about 30 of them that put on a great show on the steps of Perry's Monument.

This year will also be the Wave North Americans. If you can round up a Wave and get there, you will have a great time -- I promise.
Rick

Mary,
I'd have to say my favorite was the Seminole County, Flordia Citrus Sail Fest. It was a blast, not just a cat regatta, but 700 boats of all shapes and sizes. The party on Friday night was wild, something like 3500 people just having a blast at the civic center. The saturday night party was just as big if not bigger, free mount gay rum, shirmp, oh what a life. The cops had the street blocked off and as long as you didn't cross the street drunk they didn't care. Awesome racing in december very memorable. Someone should really look into organizing that again.
But now the favorite regatta is CatFight in Muskegon Michigan. 100+ catamarans, three days of racing, more mount gay rum and lots of sun and wind. you guys from down south should consider coming up for it, its a blast.

Leah