1996-2026: Heading Toward 30 Years of Racing

Charleston Race Week at Patriots Point will celebrate its 30th year of racing in 2026. First launched in 1996 by members of the Charleston Ocean Racing Association (CORA), the event began as a merger of two regional regattas — the South Atlantic Yacht Racing Association’s PHRF Championships and the Charleston Palmetto Cup. That inaugural year, the scratch sheet listed just 29 boats.

The early editions of the regatta, then known simply as Charleston Race Week, were held during the summer and mostly attracted teams from Charleston and nearby cities like Savannah, GA and Wilmington, NC. But a strategic shift in the early 2000s moved the event to spring to align with boats migrating north after the Caribbean racing season, setting the course for remarkable growth. The consistent lack of wind during summer months also reinforced that decision.

In 2005, CORA partnered with the South Carolina Maritime Foundation to co-manage the event with a shared goal: to elevate Charleston Race Week into a premier destination regatta on the East Coast. Key to that vision was a commitment to keep the event affordable and accessible to a wide range of sailors.

By 2006, that strategy was paying off. That year’s regatta drew entries from across the U.S., Canada, and even the U.K., with more than 70% of participants traveling from out of town. Attendance continued to rise in 2007 and 2008, and over the years, Charleston Race Week averaged 15% growth annually, evolving into the largest keelboat regatta in the Western Hemisphere.

A major new chapter began in 2024, when Charleston Race Week and Patriots Point Naval & Maritime Museum established a formal partnership. As part of this agreement, the USS Yorktown — the iconic aircraft carrier moored in Charleston Harbor — now serves as the official headquarters and central venue for the regatta. This unique location offers sailors and spectators alike an unforgettable home base and deepens the event’s connection to Charleston’s maritime heritage, truly making it ‘a regatta unlike any other.’

Now firmly anchored at Patriots Point in Mount Pleasant, SC, Charleston Race Week at Patriots Point continues to thrive with a competitive spirit, a strong community of sailors, and a vibrant sense of place that defines racing in the Lowcountry. As it nears its 30th anniversary, the regatta remains a highlight of the international yachting and sailing calendar.