Its that time of year for most of us....WINTER ! and we have hauled our boats and stored them away. However for a certain special group of sailors, their sailing season has started to get into full swing. Our friends in Florida sent us this sailing report. If you have a hankering to keep sailing, the Punta Gorda fleet will be happy to oblige. Its just a short trip to FLA. Look them up. You'll be glad you did.

The Isles Yacht Club sponsors a Championship Sailboat Series. Registrants must sail one-design and be a member of Harbor 20 Fleet 6 and their boats and sails conform to the fleet yacht measurer’s requirements according to the fleets’s bylaws.

Fleet 6 encompasses several yacht clubs and sailing organizations in the immediate area of the Charlotte Harbor, Florida. The Charlotte Harbor is a gorgeous place to sail (Google it to see how desirable is its venue) and has the added plus of beginning its sailing season when much of the country is ending theirs. We sail from November 1st until March 3. Fleet 6 currently has a little over 20 yachts and we typically get about 15 on the starting line. And our professional level Race Committee team makes traveling here to race a real pleasure.

Our races encompass two mini-series: one from November 1 through the middle of January and one from January until the end of March with five race dates in each series and three races each race date. The two series are scored separately and receive awards for first through third places. Additionally, the two series are scored together for an overall 10 race day series. Recently our first race date was on November 1 and we had 11 boats come to the line. Our second race date was November 13 and there were 15 boats entered. It was supposed to be light air, but “Aeolus” had other ideas and we had some very interesting racing - winds up and down, lots of shifts and strong current. November 20th is our third race date and we are anticipating even more yachts out for races #7,8, and 9. Then there will be a December date and a January date to round out our 15 race Fall Series.

In addition to our IYC Championship Series, there are 6 special Regatta weekends scheduled around the harbor: The Hospice Cup, The Golden Conch Regatta, The Charlotte Harbor Regatta, The Valentine’s Day Massacre and the Charity Cup Regatta. Each of these benefits a worthy cause and will attract at least twenty Harbor 20s as well as other fleets. And on Sundays, the Punta Gorda Sailing Club (PGSC) runs a multi-fleet PHRF Spinnaker series which is usually dominated by the Harbor 20s. Boats come in from other areas of the country to sail in the Special Regattas and we have some colorful days on the water with fine competitive sailing. If one is very aggressive, one could tally nearly 70 races in our season.

Please take a look at the accompanying photos to share the fun. And if you wish to get involved in some 75 degree breezy winter sailing, contact Michael Mixson at  mmxsn1@gmail.com.