An interview with Angela Margolit on the Geechee Sailing Club's 47th St. Patrick's Regatta
by David Schmidt 17 Mar 08:00 PDT
March 21, 2026
Racecourse action at the Geechee Sailing Club's annual St. Patrick's Regatta © Carl Ericsson
Not every regatta enjoys the luck of the Irish, but then not every regatta endures long enough to reach its 47th edition. The Geechee Sailing Club (GSC), in beautiful Savannah, Georgia, seems to enjoy some of the former as this year marks the 47th time that the club will be organizing and running its annual St. Patrick's Regatta (March 21-22), which will be contested on the waters of the Wilmington River, Wassaw Sound, and the Atlantic Ocean.
The event is open to all keelboats carry at least 17 feet of waterline and have a PHRF rating between 40 and 300 (N.B., other yachts can sometimes participate, but their owners must first obtain the GSC's blessing). Saturday's fleet racing is broken into spinnaker, non-spinnaker, and Rhodes 19 classes (additional one design classes can be created if five or more identical designs enter), while Sunday's longer-course pursuit race involves spinnaker and non-spinnaker classes.
Four-leaf clovers are optional regatta gear, of course, but are never a bad idea, especially if one has podium aspirations.
I checked in with Angela Margolit, who serves as the regatta's event chair, to learn more about this early season keelboat regatta.
Can you please describe the GSC's annual St. Patrick's Regatta for anyone who has not previously participated?
This is a two-day weekend regatta, which takes place on the Wilmington River, with a big party on Saturday night.
On Saturday, we have at least three classes for the Fleet Races. On Sunday, we have the long-distance Pursuit Race, which is always exciting!
Forty-seven years (and counting) is an impressive number of editions for a regatta. What do you think makes this event popular, year on year?
This is the first major regatta for the year, so it kicks off the race season for the Savannah area. Since 2020 (yes, we held the regatta during Covid), we even have been featured on the local television stations.
Generally speaking, what kinds of conditions can sailors expect to encounter on the waters of the Wilmington River, Wassaw Sound, and the Atlantic Ocean in mid-to-late March?
There is always wind in March! If the waves are too high, we don't go very close to the ocean. Currents are a huge factor as our tidal range can be over ten feet.
If you could offer one piece of advice to visiting (and local) sailors, what would it be?
Know thy tide!
The NOR says that "courses will be around government and drop marks". What kinds of course shapes does the RC usually aim for? Also, do these shapes tend to change from day to day or race to race?
The Wilmington River is fairly narrow, so we normally do just windward-leewards. Due to the natural flow of the river, they can change shape depending on which course is selected. On Saturday, we try to do at least three races, and they very seldom are all the same.
I've read a lot of NORs in my life, but I'm not sure I've seen one before where the number of crew is dependent on the LOA of the vessel. Can you please tell where this idea comes from, and if the GSC has used this before at the St. Patrick's Day Regatta (or other events)?
This item has been in the NOR long before my time! But I understand from my predecessor that it was introduced as a safety concern. Every skipper abides by it without an issue.
Are there any bonus points available to teams that wear green? Also, how hard do most teams lean into the event's St. Patrick's Day billing? Are we talking about Leprechauns or four-leaf clovers on spinnakers, or are things a bit more subdued?
As you may know, Savannah has one of the largest St. Patrick's Day celebrations in the USA. This year, we expect over 300,000 tourists—even though March 17th is on a Tuesday.
And yes, some teams really go all out in their racing attire. Almost all the others don the official regatta shirt, the color and design of which changes every year.
What kind of evening entertainment do you and the other event organizers have planned, once each day's racing concludes?
On Saturday night, we meet at an Irish Pub where we have a bar, buffet, tricky tray, and—new this year—a silent auction of three high-end framed prints. It is a very festive atmosphere "pole barn" venue with music and photos from the day being displayed on a big screen.
This is also where we present the awards to the winners of the day's fleet races. Since several boats come from a long distance, they usually sail straight home after the pursuit race on Sunday. Winners are announced via email, then their awards are personally delivered.
Is there anything else about this year's GSC's St. Patrick's Day Regatta that you'd like to add, for the record?
This year we have a really unique Sportsmanship Award that anyone would be proud to display! Competitors will be encouraged to email the Race Officer with their nominations.