Charleston Race Week at Patriots Point to Celebrate 30th Anniversary

©Jim Vickers / Charleston Race Week at Patriots Point, c. 2024

Charleston/Mt. Pleasant, SC (2025 October 6) - by Bill ‘Wags’ Wagner. What began as an idea scribbled on a cocktail napkin has become one of the most iconic sailboat racing regattas in the world.

Charleston Race Week at Patriots Point will celebrate its 30th anniversary in 2026. The 30th edition of the “regatta unlike any other” will be held April 16-19. Another huge fleet is expected for an event whose enduring popularity keeps competitors coming back year after year.

“Everyone involved with Charleston Race Week is extremely proud of the product we have created and continue to deliver,” said Randy Draftz, longtime event director. “We have set a standard with this regatta that has earned Charleston Race Week a worldwide reputation.”

Draftz realized that when he was invited to serve as a panelist at a sailboat racing forum in Europe. He was on a panel alongside organizers of such renowned events as Cowes Week and Kiel Week and was asked why Charleston Race Week was consistently increasing participation while those other events were seeing decreasing numbers.

At its height, Charleston Race Week drew a record 287 boats in 2010. That massive mark came amidst a 20-year run when the average attendance was 225 boats. Draftz, who has been involved with the regatta since 2001.

“I think it’s been a combination of high-caliber racing, top-notch on-water management and Charleston being a destination city,” Draftz said. “Charleston Harbor is a challenging venue that delivers consistent wind and tricky currents for the inshore courses, while it’s a short trip out the channel to the Atlantic Ocean for the offshore courses.”

Ryan Hamm recalls the first discussion of creating a race week took place on the back porch of Charleston Yacht Club. He and other members of the Charleston Ocean Racing Association concocted a plan to transform an existing event held off the coast of the historic South Carolina city.

Brian and Lyn Swan were also part of those early discussions to rebrand the South Atlantic Racing Association Championship. Rick Moore and Chuck Rushing were the other founding fathers of Charleston Race Week, which began in 1996 with 29 boats in four classes.

In the early years, it was a two-part regatta with offshore racing held one weekend in June and inshore racing held the following weekend. That format attracted a loyal following and the regatta grew, but organizers realized there were a few issues that would not go away.

“It was hot and there was no wind,” Lyn Swan said matter-of-factly. “We were having to wait until 1 or 2 in the afternoon for the sea breeze to fill in to start racing.”

About four years in, the Charleston Ocean Racing Association leadership came up with the idea of moving the regatta from early June to mid-April with the goal of attracting boats returning north after competing in Key West Race Week in January.

©Sander van der Borch / Charleston Race Week c. 2015

It was a genius idea that also solved the wind and temperature problem and Charleston Race Week really took off. In 2005, CORA brokered an agreement with the South Carolina Maritime Foundation to jointly run Charleston Race Week. Brad Van Liew, a successful solo sailor who was executive director of the foundation, took over as event director with CORA providing volunteers to assist with on-water and shoreside activities.

That partnership ceased after five years and CORA decided to hire Draftz as the full-time event director. It was under his leadership that Charleston Race Week reached record levels of participation due largely to the ability to attract high-level sponsors.

Two loyal sponsors that were pivotal to the early success of Charleston Race Week were Beneteau and Vineyard Vines.

“There was a dramatic uptick in participation after Randy took over. He had connections with several major companies that came aboard as sponsors,” said Brian Swan, who served as event director multiple times. “Randy deserves a lot of credit for building Charleston Race Week into what it is today.”

It was Draftz who struck a deal with the Charleston Harbor Marina and Resort to serve as regatta headquarters and host the post-race parties. That venue proved extremely popular and played a pivotal role in Charleston Race Week consistently drawing more than 200 boats.

In 2023, Charleston Race Week leadership got permission from the town of Mount Pleasant to move regatta headquarters and the post-race parties onto the decks of the USS Yorktown, the historic aircraft carrier that is on display at Patriots Point. That new venue has also proven a hit with participating sailors and provided a unique experience.

Randy and Anna Draftz, Executive Director/Regatta Chair and Event Coordinator, Charleston Race Week at Patriots Point

“We are all so proud of what Charleston Race Week became and still remains to this day,” Lyn Swan said. “None of us that were involved at the start ever dreamed it would grow into such an incredible regatta that draws teams from all over the United States and even other countries.”

To recognize and celebrate the 30th anniversary of Charleston Race Week at Patriots Point, Draftz will make an appearance at the United States Sailboat Show in Annapolis. Sailors visiting the show, being held October 9-12 at City Dock, are encouraged to stop by Booth G3 to talk to Draftz about Charleston Race Week 2026 or to reminisce about past editions.

“I’m really looking forward to meeting up with as many Charleston Race Week fans and future participants at the sailboat show and sharing stories about why the regatta is still going strong after three decades,” Draftz said.

Registration for the 30th edition of Charleston Race Week is now open with the Notice of Race and other important documents are available at: https://www.yachtscoring.com/emenu/50472. Organizers are proud to announce that next year’s regatta will host the inaugural ORC Sportboat North American Championship.

©Jim Vickers / Charleston Race Week at Patriots Point, c.2024

A fleet of 20 to 30 boats is expected to compete in the ORC Sportboat North American Championship, which will feature four days of racing. Action will begin the Thursday of Charleston Race Week with a distance race that will traverse Charleston Harbor. That will be followed by three days of windward-leeward racing.

Dobbs Davis, U.S. communications director for ORC, said there has been widespread interest from owners from New England to Florida and the midwest along with various locales in Canada ever since the North American Championship was announced as part of Charleston Race Week.

Among the various designs that fit into the ORC Sportboat Rule are Melges 24, GP 26, Fareast 28, J/88, Farr 30, Cape 31 and Melges 32. There are also numerous custom designs expected to enter with boats coming from both the United States and Canada.

“ORC sportboats are lightweight, fast designs typically ranging from 24 to 32 feet in length, requiring an athletic skillset for the teams to handle, especially in windy conditions,” Davis said. “They will race in Charleston using ORC handicap ratings for the most fair possible racing outside of one-design class competition.”

It has been commonplace for Charleston Race Week to host major championships such as the Melges 24 North Americans, Hobie 33 Nationals and Tartan 10 Midwinters among many others.

©Rick Walo / Charleston Race Week at Patriots Point, c.2023