2010 Charleston Race Week Open For Business (12-02-10)
Registration Opens as City Prepares For Another Record Year
CHARLESTON, SC (December 2, 2009) – Getting a jump on the holiday season, the
Organizers of 2010 Charleston Race Week are pleased to announce that on-line registration for this marquis event is now open for all competitors, with the Notice of Race available online today. “We know that sailors are anxious to plan their winter and spring schedule as soon as they can,” said Event Director Randy Draftz. “And with an expected 200 boats in town for 2010 Charleston Race Week on two busy inshore courses and two action-packed offshore circles, the more time we have to prepare, the better!” Competitors can register at http://www.charlestonraceweek.com.
Earlier Date Opens Fleet Options, and Early Registration Brings Big Benefits
The South Carolina Maritime Foundation and Charleston Ocean Racing Association select the dates for Charleston Race Week to maximize the benefit of Charleston Harbor’s famous tidal current. Properly timed dates provide offshore competitors with a 3-4 knot tidal “moving sidewalk” to and from the two ocean courses, making their morning and afternoon ‘commute’ an easy ride past historic Fort Sumter. The optimal tide for 2010′s running of the event are April 8-11, adding the additional benefit of spreading the event out from later spring regattas further North.
Organizers are offering big bonuses to early registrants, including free rafting moorage for the entire event to the first 35 boats to sign up. “Free moorage has proven immensely popular over the past couple of years, and is one more thing that we do to make this event easier for out-of-town racers to participate in,” said Logistics Director Danny Havens. Host venue Charleston Harbor Resort & Marina is also offering a strong incentive for teams to register before the end of the year. “The Host Resort has been a great supporter of Charleston Race Week since 2006,” said Sponsorship Director Jeanne Jamme. “They are generously offering a 10% discount on the CRW group rate to anyone who registers and books their stay at the Resort prior to January 1, 2010.” With the luxurious resort’s location just at the edge of the award-winning marina’s docks, this offer will be hard to beat. Great Racing, Great Value, and Great Times Prove Irresistible To Racers
The general health of major sailing regattas has weakened with the economy, though racers are “voting with their wallets” as they increasingly flock to events that provide great racing and a great value – like Charleston Race Week. From its roots as a regional regatta with less than a hundred competing boats just five years ago, Charleston Race Week has grown every year, with 2009 providing the biggest field of entries ever. “We’re immensely proud that the sportboats have embraced Charleston and made the commitment to show up with such large fleets,” said Draftz. And they have; of the 174 boats racing during 2009 CRW, nearly a hundred were the ultra-light, ultra-fast, easily handled sportboats that make up the only growing sector of sailboat racing. “It’s the ideal place to race in April,” said Northern California-based Melges 24 skipper Kristen Lane. “San Francisco-like racing, but in t-shirts and maybe a spray top – Charleston is just awesome!”
Melges Performance Sailboats CEO Harry Melges III agrees. “Large numbers of racing enthusiasts have moved from bigger boats to smaller, quicker ones that provide great bang for the buck,” Melges said. “And Charleston delivers exactly that – excellent racing, solid management, and one of our favorite venues. And with 2010 CRW on the official calendars for the Melges 20, 24, and 32, Melges Sailboats and Charleston Harbor are a match made in heaven.”
Handicap and One Design Racers Applaud Weather, Hospitality, Race Management
Charleston is undeniably a great place to sail in the spring, with ultra-reliable sea breezes punctuated by the passage of occasionally strong frontal systems. “The wind is great, we are speeding around all day in the flat waters and loving it,” said first-time Charleston competitor and French pro sailor Alain Fedensieu just after the 2009 event.
Local racer and sailing instructor Ned Goss agrees emphatically. “The breeze is as reliable as anywhere in the U.S., but equally important to Race Week’s great reputation is the high quality of the offshore handicap fleets and general race management,” said Goss. “We have some of the closest ratings bands of any major regatta, with numerous fleets of a dozen or more PHRF boats battling for handicap victory as well as boat-for-boat honors during the entire event.”
The quality of race management is also credited with the incredible growth among the
“Roaring Twenties,” – the 20′ sportboats. From zero entries in 2007 to nearly 50 in 2009, this is the hottest sector in the country and includes the Viper 640, Melges 20, and Laser SB3, amongst others. Arizona-based Viper racer Stacey Loula was amazed that so many boats could race inside the harbor without incident. “With a smart starting sequence and great work in getting races off, the racing was simply spectacular,” Loula said. “And having similar types of boats around you at all times – even from other classes – added more excitement to the racing than I’ve experienced at other regattas.”
About Charleston Race Week
Charleston Race Week is an event of the South Carolina Maritime Foundation and the
Charleston Ocean Racing Association (CORA). Profits from the event support educational programs aboard the Spirit of South Carolina, a classic tall ship serving South Carolina’s youth. Charleston Race Week is sponsored by Charleston Harbor Resort & Marina, the Town of Mt. Pleasant, Charleston Boatworks, and Azalea Moving & Storage. Check out www.charlestonraceweek.com for more information, including on-line entry, Notice of Race, shoreside events schedules, and housing and logistical information. Click on www.scmaritime.org to find out more about the South Carolina Maritime Foundation’s programs.
