Please select your home edition
Edition
Barton Marine Pipe Glands

2014 Charleston Race Week - Thousands of sailors descend on Charleston

by Charleston Race Week on 11 Apr 2014
Sperry Top-Sider Charleston Race Week Meredith Block/ Charleston Race Week http://www.charlestonraceweek.com/
2014 Charleston Race Week - Today was the busiest day of the year for the yacht clubs, marinas, and launch ramps dotting Charleston Harbor as nearly 300 boats rigged, tuned, and splashed their way to Charleston Harbor Resort and Marina for Sperry Top-Sider Charleston Race Week 2014.

In the 19 years since the event began, it has transformed itself from a fun local regatta into the largest keelboat regatta in the Western Hemisphere, and despite seven years of consistent growth, Event Director Randy Draftz says there’s much more to come. 'Every year we see big changes in the fleets, but one thing stays the same: People love racing in Charleston.' Draftz says that innovations like the new multihull class, the growing Pursuit Class, and a distance race addition to the high-octane High Performance Rule Class have all helped draw new competitors to Charleston.

'Southern hospitality means providing our guests with not only the highest level of race management and event organization; we want to give them exactly the kind of racing they want, and we’re committed to doing just that,' said Draftz.

Charleston’s reputation as one of the world’s ultimate sailing destinations has spread far and wide, with the 2014 edition of CRW attracting boats from nine nations and as far away as Norway, Germany, and Brazil. 'We’ve heard so much about Charleston and we’re very psyched to finally be here,' said Rio De Janeiro’s Cesar Gomez, skipper of the Melges 20 'Portabella'. 'We are ready for some great racing, and even more ready to check out Charleston’s great nightlife,' said Gomez.

The Charleston-based Swan 56 'Azura' spreads her wings during practice in front of the Charleston Harbor Resort and Marina, headquarters for Sperry Top-Sider Charleston Race Week. She will race in the Pursuit class for the cruiser/racers attending the event.


While the big-fleet one-design racing dominates the highlight reels, one of Sperry Top-Sider Charleston Race Week’s fastest growing fleets is the Pursuit Class. 'This class is growing so fast, because, let’s face it – we’ve got these boats that aren’t real race boats, and this gives us a great way to for them to compete,' said Draftz.

Charleston racer Eddie Evans, who owns the Beneteau 381 'Naut-On-Call,' said teams like his are every bit as competitive as the one-design fleets. 'We’ve had the entire event come down to a one-second win. We may not be the latest and greatest carbon fiber grand prix boats, but we’re definitely racing hard!'

Ideal Wind Forecast for Friday

Once again, Charleston is ready to deliver gorgeous sailing weather for the 2014 fleet. According to professional forecaster Shea Gibson from Weatherflow – the regatta’s official weather source – racers can expect a moderate southerly flow tomorrow with sea breezes building in the afternoon to the mid teens; enough to keep things fresh, but not frightening for the nearly 300 boats on starting lines spread between Charleston Harbor and the offshore course. Sailors can monitor local conditions live and check out forecast tables here.

Three Audi Melges 20 racing boats test their speed near Fort Sumter during a Thursday afternoon practice for Sperry Top-Sider Charleston Race Week.

Switch One DesignArmstrong 728x90 - Wing FG Board Range - BOTTOMDoyle_SailWorld_728X90px_SY BOTTOM

Related Articles

Aussies hunt 'Ashes on Water' win
The BONDS Flying Roos are looking to bounce back with a vengeance in Portsmouth Fresh off a bruising weekend in New York, the BONDS Flying Roos are looking to bounce back with a vengeance as they take on long time rivals Great Britain in their home waters at the Emirates Great Britain Sail Grand Prix, held in Portsmouth.
Posted on 18 Jul
4 Ultim rocketships to contest Rolex Fastnet Race
The giant 32m long by 23m wide flying trimarans are taking part in the 100th anniversary edition While the 50ft flying catamarans competing at SailGP Portsmouth this weekend will be impressive, charging out of the opposite western end of the Solent will be giant 32m long by 23m wide flying Ultim trimarans taking part in the 100th anniversary edition.
Posted on 18 Jul
SailGP comes to Portsmouth!
We speak to the sailors ahead of the weekend The Emirates Great Britain Sail Grand Prix | Portsmouth takes place this weekend, with the 12 teams competing in F50 catamarans close to the waterfront, where a massive grandstand has been built for the spectators.
Posted on 18 Jul
SailGP: No practice racing at Portsmouth
The Practice Race was a fizzer, however the future of the SailGP fleet development was revealed. The scheduled Practice Day failed to fire at SailGP Portsmouth, after the forecast, admittedly light, breeze failed to male an appearance. The self propelled start marks were making a much better speed than the F50s.
Posted on 18 Jul
Elite Training at New Sailing Centre
Canash Beach, St Vincent, hosts international sailors The SVG Sailing Association held a successful High Performance Race Training Clinic, at the newly established High Performance Centre at Canash Beach, St Vincent. The four-day event ran from July 13th to 16th.
Posted on 18 Jul
McIntyre Mini Globe Race Leg 3 Preview
The race to South Africa starts from Vuda Marina Fiji on 26th July In a world-first sailing challenge, 15 solo sailors from eight countries are navigating identical 5.8-meter (19-foot) self-built plywood yachts around the globe— The fleet has enjoyed a five week stopover in Fiji at the end of Leg 2.
Posted on 18 Jul
Third time Finn World No.1 for Alessandro Marega
Maintaining the top spot in the Finn World Ranking List Italy's Alessandro Marega maintains the top spot in the Finn World Ranking List for the third consecutive release. He remains World No. 1 with an 80-point lead over France's Laurent Hay.
Posted on 18 Jul
World Sailing Nations Cup to make grand return
After a seven-year hiatus, World Sailing has officially opened the bid process for host cities After a seven-year hiatus, the World Sailing Nations Cup, the ultimate event to crown the world's top match-racing nations, is making its much-anticipated return.
Posted on 18 Jul
2025 WASZP Pre-Games in Weymouth Day 2
A classic British summer's day as sailors launched beneath a blanket of grey cloud and drizzle The second day of the WASZP Pre-Games served up a classic British summer's day as sailors launched beneath a blanket of grey cloud and with a hug of fresh drizzle.
Posted on 18 Jul
Moth take a big step forward at Garda Worlds
The just concluded Int Moth Worlds at Lake Garda, Italy were technically much more complex than NZ The just concluded Int Moth Worlds at Lake Garda, Italy were technically much more complex than the 2024 World Championship, held just six months ago in New Zealand.
Posted on 17 Jul