So in the Northern Hemisphere with Summer (!) upon us, there are some great sailing events to catch up with and participate in if you are lucky enough. Starting with Sailing Events in July in the US.
With over 2000 visiting ships, Kiel Week is billed as the biggest sailing event in the world. Held in the last full week in June (this year 22-30 June 2013) in Kiel, Germany. Kiel Week will see over 3 million visitors, not just a sailing event it is also a music festival too with stages all over the city.
Block Island is situated about 13 miles south of the Rhode Island coast in New England. It is protected by The Nature Conservancy and a popular Summer destination for holidaymakers and host to Block Island Race Week,
The Old Gaffers Festival is an annual event which takes place at Yarmouth on the Isle of Wight. This year it will be running from Friday 31st May 2013 until Sunday 2nd June 2013 and it will also be celebrating 50 years.
The Round the Island Race has been scheduled a little earlier this year on 1st June 2013. You still have a few days to enter, but standard entries will close at midnight on Saturday 11th May 2013.
Annapolis Sailboat Show Spring edition will be held from Friday 26th April through to Sunday 28th April 2013 and will cover a number of locations including the Annapolis City Dock, Ego Alley and Susan Campbell Park.
One thing we cannot accuse the sailing world of being is inactive! Here is a chronological list of some of the important sailing dates, sailing regattas and boat show taking place around the world:
January
Quantum Key West Race Week, Key West, Florida
Seattle Boat Show, Seattle, Washington
New York Boat Show, New York, New York
February
Mardis Gras Race Week, New Orleans, Louisiana
Washington’s Birthday Regatta, Coconut Grove, Florida
Miami International Boat Show, Miami, Florida
New England Boat Show, Boston, Massachusetts
March
The Trans-Monroe Regatta, The Lake Monroe Sailing Association, Sanford, Florida
Port of L.A. Harbor Cup, Los Angeles Yacht Club, San Pedro, California
The Islands Race, Newport Harbor Yacht Club & San Diego Yacht Club, Newport Beach, California
San Diego Sperry Top-Sider NOOD, San Diego Yacht Club, Mission Bay Yacht Club, Coronado Yacht Club, San Diego, California
Newport Beach to Cabo San Lucas International Yacht Race, Newport Harbor Yacht Club, Newport Beach, California
San Francisco Cup, St. Francis Yacht Club, San Francisco, California
April
Charleston Race Week, Charlston Ocean Racing Association, Charleston, Virginia
Newport Boat Show, Newport Beach, California
May
Figawi Race Weekend, Hyannis, Massachusetts
Whisleytown Regatta, Whiskeytown Sailing Club, Redding, California
June
Block Island Race Week, Storm Trysail Club, Block Island, Rhode Island
Lighthouse Charity Regatta, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
Long Beach Race Week, Long Beach Yacht Club & Alamitos Bay Yacht Club, Long Beach, California
July
Chicago to Mackinac Boat Race, Chicargo Yacht Club, Chicargo, Illinois
Larchmont Race Week, Larchmont Yacht Club, Larchmont, New York
The Youngstown Level Regatta, Youngstown Yacht Club, Youngstown, Ohio
August
Newport Bucket Regatta, Newport, Rhode Island
September
Whale of a Sail, Carlyle Sailing Association, Carlyle Lake, Carlyle, Illinois
October
Coloumbus Day Regatta, Biscayne Bay Miami, Florida
United States Sailboat Show, Annapolis, Maryland,
Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show, Fort Lauderdale, Florida
January
London Boat Show, Docklands, London
March
RYA Dinghy Show, Alexandra Palace, London
May
Old Gaffers Festival, Yarmouth, Isle of Wight
Cumberland Cup, Royal Thames Yacht Club, London
June
Round the Island Race, Cowes, Isle of Wight
July
West Highland Yachting Week, Oban, W Coast Scotland
All Wales Boat Show, Conwy and Deganwy Quay Marinas, Conwy, North Wales
August
Cowes Week, Cowes, Isle of Wight
Port of Dartmouth Royal Regatta, River Dart, Dartmouth, Devon
Fowey Royal Regatta, Fowey, Cornwall
Fastnet Race, Cowes, Isle of Wight
Clipper Round the World Race, Southampton, Hampshire
September
Southampton Boat Show, Mayflower Park, Southampton, Hampshire
June
Færderseilasen, Royal Norwegian Yacht Club, Oslo, Norway
Kiel Week, Kiel, Germany
Round Texel Race, Texel, Netherlands
July
Aegean Rally, The Hellenic Offshore Racing Club, Faliro Bay, Greece
Cork Week, Royal Cork Yacht Club, Cork, Ireland
Hangon Regatta, Hanko, Finland,
August
Lysekil Women’s Match, Lysekil, Sweden,
Tjörn Runt, Tjörn, Sweden
September
Kamer 2 Sailing Marathon, Kaag, Netherlands
October
Voiles de Saint-Tropez, Saint-Tropez, France
November
Vendee Globe, Les Sables d’Olonne, Vendee, France
ARC Race, Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Spain
January
Australia Day Regatta, Sydney Harbour, Sydney, Australia
Auckland Anniversary Day Regatta, Auckland, New Zealand
February
Melbourne Summer Boat Show, Melbourne, Australia
March
Port Esperance Regatta, Port Esperance Sailing Club, Dover, Tasmania
June
Adelaide Boat Show, Adelaide, Australia
Melbourne Boat Show, Melbourne, Australia
August
Sydney International Boat Show, Sydney, Australia
Darwin Boat and Outdoor Show, Darwin, Australia
September
Brisbane Boat Show, Brisbane, Australia
October
Balmain Regatta, Balmain Sailing Club, Balmain, New South Wales, Australia
December
Sail Melbourne, Sandringham Yacht Club, Melbourne, Australia
Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race, Sydney Harbour, Sydney, Australia
July
The Lake Ontario 300 Challenge, Port Credit Yacht Club, Mississauga, Ontario
August
Sail Canada Women’s Keelboat Championships, Royal Nova Scotia Yacht Squadron and Bedford Basin Yacht Club, Halifax Nova Scotia
September
Canada Cup, The Great Lakes
February
Heineken Regatta, St Maarten, Lesser Antilles
Jolly Harbour Valentine’s Regatta and Rum Festival, Antigua, Leeward Islands
March
St Maarten – St Marten Classic Yacht Regatta, St Maarten, Lesser Antilles
St Thomas International Rolex Regatta, St Thomas, US Virgin islands
April
Antigua Classics Yacht Regatta, Antigua, Leeward Islands
Antigua Sailing Week, Antigua, Leeward Islands
Les Voiles de St Barth, Leeward Islands
August
Carriacou Regatta, Carriacou, Grenadines
America’s Cup – various venues
Extreme 40’s – various venues
Louis Vuitton Trophy – various venues
Photo Credit Itinerant Tightwad via Compfight cc
Now in its 33rd year, the Heineken Regatta, one of the most famous regattas in the world, will be transforming the island of St. Maarten into an international sailing venue from 28th February to 3rd March 2013. This is the Caribbean’s biggest sailing event and is again celebrating top-notch sailing with musical events, parties and a lot of fun. The St. Maarten Heineken Regatta organisers and hundreds of volunteers will make the island stand out as a world-class boating destination with excellent facilities and events. “Serious Fun” – the slogan coined in 1982- will be the main draw as crews from across the globe man 200 boats of all shapes and sizes to compete in St. Maarten’s crystal-clear tropical waters.
The 5 days of exciting world-class racing features a variety of daily coastal racecourses, with between 1 and 3 courses each day, returning to a different marina in the small Caribbean island of St Maarten each evening. And when the sun sets and the competition ends, the party on the shore begins. That means four consecutive nights of festivities and great music during which Heineken Regatta sailors, tourists and island residents come together to celebrate.
The St. Maarten Heineken Regatta began in 1980 as a three-day event with just 12 boats. In 2007, a fourth racing day was added for spinnakers to compete on both windward and leeward courses and get an extra day of competing before the actual event; spinnakers now compete in the Gill Commodores Cup. Match-racing series were added in 2009, providing a fierce challenge for skilled sailors. Match racing involves sailing America’s Cup-style where two boats compete at a time. It’s a style of racing that’s catching on like wildfire worldwide and St. Maarten was one of the first regattas in the Caribbean to add it.
The best part about the St. Maarten Heineken Regatta is that anyone can join in – on sea or on land. You don’t need to be a super sailor as there are classes for many types of boat. You don’t even need to own a boat. Several bareboat companies on the island rent yachts for the week. In addition, there’s a crew board on the regatta website where sailors can sign up to sail on one of the race boats. The whole of St. Maarten – sailors, visitors and locals alike – are welcome to join in the parties where there are live entertainment and cold Heineken beer. Each year the event definitely lives up to its slogan of Serious Fun!
For information on the St. Maarten Heineken Regatta, contact:
St. Maarten Yacht Club
Website: www.heinekenregatta.com
Image Courtesy of sraggio
Jolly Harbour Valentine’s Regatta, Antigua, which takes places from February 14-16, 2014 is celebrating its 21st anniversary – and with some style!
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