SAILING REGATTA PROGRAM

Gulf Harbors Yacht Club has a great racing program and our race director makes sure we have everything we need to enjoy racing all year long with our annual racing regatta series.

Every year the Gulf Harbors Yacht Club race director organizes a unique Regatta series for the year.  The race series consists of 5 or 6 races with neighboring clubs and takes place just off our North channel.

These races use the PHRF handicapping system and use a committee boat to:

• manage the racecourse
• manage the race start
• record finish times
• photograph the event

The race day kicks off with a skipper’s meeting where the racecourse and rules for the day are discussed and is usually followed up with a post-race celebration at the club.

The race takes place on a course which is set up by our Regatta Committee, so sailors have to use all of their skills sailing on all points of sail.

This means they must:

• sail an up wind
• sail a downwind
• reach points of sail while making their way around the course

The committee boat sets the start/finish line buoys just outside the Gulf Harbors North channel and the racecourse usually runs around 2 offshore navigation markers chosen by the race director depending on the conditions for the day.  The entire course covers between 6 and 10 miles, but we do have races that circumnavigate around Anclote Key which is about 4 miles long and sits just southwest of our home channel.

Monohull, Cat, and Tri hull classes are accommodated but we encourage anyone to enter any type of sailing vessel they choose. We also welcome spectators and of course everyone is invited back to the club for the post-race celebration and bragging session!

So racing is alive and well at the Gulf Harbors Yacht Club and all are encouraged to jump in and join the fun!