Charleston Race Week sets sail

1500 sailors to take part in South Carolina regatta

Nearly 1,500 sailors rigged lines, tuned masts, and set sails on the edge of Charleston Harbor today as they prepared for tomorrow's 1000 offshore and 1100 inshore start of 2010 Charleston Race Week.

Confident teams ventured out in winds of over 25 knots to practice maneuvers and tune up against other teams, and they were all grins as they discussed their adrenalin-inducing sails in big air.

"19.6 knots was our top speed today, maybe the fastest I've gone on this harbor" said Bora Gulari, skipper of the Melges 24 Flying Elvis. "We had some issues out there when a line failed, but that's why you go practice in this kind of breeze - to find the weak links."

First timer Lee Beecham and the crew of Zoo also spent some time learning the harbor's ways - and getting wet in the process. "We're pretty new to the boat, and in this breeze, that meant spending some time on our sides," Beechum said. "But we didn't break anything, and we're just that little bit more prepared for whatever conditions we end up with."

Mix of conditions on tap for three-day event

While Charleston's famous sea breeze won't be visiting until later in the weekend, Friday and early Saturday promise challenging conditions.

"Friday the models call for moderate wind from the north or northwest dropping off throughout the day," said local sailing school owner Ned Goss, who sails on the Charleston-based Archambault 40 Jubilee. Both the northwesterlies and the westerlies that will follow on Saturday mean lots of shifts and extremely unpredictable conditions, so the guys who do well will really have to earn it." Sunday promises classic Charleston spring racing, with strong afternoon breeze that will hopefully provide an exhilirating finish to the South's biggest regatta. "Bring it on," said Goss.

Old friends and new congregate on the harbour

Sailors have made the long trek to Charleston, SC from all over the US and overseas for a host of reasons. "One of the reasons we came in from Texas was the chance to sail against similar boats," said Brian Taylor, who towed his Viper 830 thousands of miles for the opportunity. "Not only do we have a class of sportboats to race against, but we've even got Wanda, which is identical to our boat. Hopefully we'll learn something new from them," said Taylor of his boat, only 14 of which were ever manufactured.

Conor Hayes is the Vice President of the US J/80 Class, which has turned out in strong numbers this year. "The Class is really looking for more recognition of our great racing fleets for 2010," said Hayes. "We've got a full schedule of regattas to ensure that word gets out about these excellent boats, and really generate a following as we head into the big regattas of the summer in the Northeast. It's a long spring for us Northern teams, so we couldn't be happier to be here."

Many of the nearly 200 boats in town are return visitors. Kent Mitchell's a CRW veteran, but he's back for the first time with a new boat, the Cape Fear 38 Velocity. "From our home in North Carolina, it's just a short trip down here to Charleston," said Mitchell when asked about his reasons for coming back year after year. "We love racing around the bay, and we love the Gosling's rum!"

Longtime Charleston sponsor Gosling's Rum is ecstatic about the event's continued growth and the vibe on the docks. "Gosling's Rum became prominent in the US because sailors in the Caribbean loved it so much they brought it home," explained Gosling's Event Director Rinear Thatcher. "It's important for us to show support to our longtime fans - those same sailors - and it's important to support an event with the same attitude we share- Relax, enjoy yourself, and have a Dark n' Stormy!"