Charleston Race Week - 27th Edition of the "Regatta Unlike Any Other"
April 20, 2023 - Charleston, SC, USA - Charleston Race Week, this year to be held on April 20-23, is one of the world's foremost destination regattas. Charleston is a historic city with world-class restaurants, shopping, and attractions. It has been voted America's No. 1 small city for 10 years and counting.
Ten one-design classes along with ORC D will compete on three separate circles set on Charleston Harbor. Veteran regatta manager Taran Teague will once again serve as the overall principal race officer. Chip Till will handle PRO duties on Circle One (VX One, J/24, RS 21, J22/Inshore PHRF), Mark Foster will manage Circle Two (Melges 24, J/70) and Matt Hill will oversee Circle Three (J/88, J/105, Melges 32, Hobie 33). Bruce Bingman and Ray Redness return as principal race officers for the offshore courses being sailed by the ORC A, Pursuit Spinnaker A, Pursuit Spinnaker B and Pursuit Non-Spinnaker classes.
Melges 24 is a class that draws numerous pros to Charleston Race Week. Travis Weisleder, who has dominated the regatta of late, winning three straight championships, is not attending this year due to personal reasons but has chartered his boat to two-time Rolex Yachtswoman of the Year nominee Laura Grondin. She now bears the responsibility of skippering Lucky Dog to a fourth consecutive crown.
"I'm well aware the pressure is on. I've been asked to drive the boat that has won the last three Charleston Race Weeks and would like to continue that streak," Grondin said. "I've sailed against Travis for many years and Lucky Dog is a good boat that is always well prepared," she said. "John is doing everything possible to ensure the standard stays high, so we're going there to win."
For the Melges 24 Class, Charleston is the third event on the U.S. National Ranking Series (NRS) with 13 entries.
Competitors are invited at 8am each morning to join Scott Nixon / Quantum Sails and Shea Gibson / Sailflow Weather online for interactive forecasts, local knowledge, and expert tips: competitors get your questions ready and prepare for your day on the water!
Full story at charlestonraceweek.com