About

Charleston Race Week is an annual premiere regatta for One-Design racing sailboats 20 – 70 feet in length, and PHRF and IRC racing sailboats 22 – 70+ feet in length. The 16th edition of this rapidly growing event will be held April 20 – 22, 2012. Race headquarters will be located at the Charleston Harbor Resort & Marina in Mt. Pleasant, South Carolina. This resort location offers one central site for dockage, car parking, hotel accommodations, and the Race Village where evening festivities will occur beachside. Fleet action will include both harbor and offshore courses Friday through Sunday. Participants must arrive on Thursday, April 19th to sign-in and receive skipper packets before the festivities begin.

If a class is interested in utilizing the event for a championship or points regatta, CRW may allow a select class to have a 4th day of racing starting on the 19th. There is also potential for a multi-hull class to develop.

Charleston Race Week offers sailors an affordable, dynamic and fun race week experience. The three days of racing will prove to be tricky and competitive as local wind and current considerations can upset a traditional strategic approach. Whether racing an inshore harbor course or the offshore courses, the conditions and fronts that roll through the Lowcountry in April will challenge the best skippers and tacticians.

The dates of Charleston Race Week have been set to complement other premier regattas in the southeast.

History

Race Week was founded in 1996 by the Charleston Ocean Racing Association (CORA). The event acted as both a seasonal championship and a means to showcase the fine local conditions in Charleston. In 1997, the world-renowned sailboat builder Beneteau, together with St. Barts Yachts, signed on as primary sponsors. By 2007 Race Week grew to 151 boats with over 1,000 sailors and is now the largest regional keelboat regatta with boats hailing from as far away as Canada, Michigan and Florida.

In 2005 CORA announced a joint partnership with the South Carolina Maritime Foundation (SCMHF), a nonprofit organization, to organize and manage the event. The SCMF handles all land-based operations, administration, and marketing, while CORA continues to perform water-side activities.

For further information contact the event director Randy Draftz at rdraftz@charlestonyachting.com