Race week begins Wednesday
North American, Atlantic championships part of the schedule
The flotilla for heart kicks off the 30th annual Charlottetown Race Week, a keelboat regatta, on Wednesday.
People can go for sail or powerboat ride with local skippers and captains. There is no charge, but donations to the Heart and Stroke Foundation of P.E.I. will be accepted. Registration is from 5 to 6 p.m. at the Charlottetown Yacht Club (CYC) and the boats depart at 6:30. It is the seventh annual event.
The serious races take place daily from Thursday until Saturday in the Charlottetown Harbour and Hillsborough Bay.
“Charlottetown Race Week is seen as the premier regatta in the Atlantic region for a number of reasons,” said race week chairman Stephen Murray. “One reason is the timing; we usually have good sailing weather. In addition there is outstanding hospitality shown by the CYC, the integration of the event into the heart of Charlottetown - it’s only a short walk to all amenities - and our longstanding tradition.”
This year’s event will also include host the North American J29 and J-70 Atlantic championships for the first time. The championship, which will bring boats from Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Quebec to compete with local boats, will take place Thursday, Friday and Saturday.
The public can watch the races from the club, along the waterfront while in the harbour. Racing held outside the harbour can be seen from the Blockhouse Point lighthouse in Rocky Point.
Charlottetown Race Week’s regatta will be a large performance handicap racing fleet, which is a handicapping system used for yacht racing in North America. Various types of sailboats will compete in both white sail and spinnaker racing (colourful billowing sails), with more than 30 boats expected in total.