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The Punta Gorda Sailing Club
resumed a full racing schedule in February, after a
series of come-as-you-are and midweek specialty
races through the end of January, and has already
had two overnight cruises this year. The Platinum
Point Yacht Club held its annual Golden Conch
Regatta in January with some 23 boats entries,
including several boats from Ft. Myers hoping to
take advantage of the depleted Charlotte Harbor
fleets. With the boats competing in four classes, a
full series of three races were held over the
weekend in light winds. The well-attended social
events at the PPYC’s newly rebuilt and expanded
facility were enjoyed by an eager group of
participants glad to be back racing.
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The weekend of
March 5-6 finds the Royal Order of Ponce de
Leon Conquistador’s Regatta in upper
Charlotte Harbor. This event run out
of Fisherman’s Village in Punta Gorda, is
noted for its competitive but fun racing as
well as the partying at Harpoon Harry’s
Restaurant. Two races will be held on
the harbor on the Saturday, followed by a
reverse-start handicap race on Sunday
beginning at the markers immediately off of
Fisherman’s Village at 11:00 am. Under
this format, the boats leave the line in
reverse order |
| of handicap –
the slow boats first followed by the faster
boats in order – such that, if the
handicapping committee have got things right
and the boats and crew sail to their
abilities, all the boats should finish at
the same time. The first boat across
the line wins the coveted Golden Helmet for
the next year. This race should
provide a great spectacle in the upper
harbor as the course takes the boats up to
Marker 4 just before the Route 41 bridges. |
In April, the Isles Yacht Club
and the Punta Gorda Sailing Club are sponsoring the
second annual Leukemia Cup Regatta over the April
9-10 weekend. This is an open event with three
races scheduled in different classes with the
overall winner being the boat with the best record
and receiving the Leukemia Cup. Last year, the
inaugural event (that is inaugural for Charlotte
Harbor as over 45 regattas are regularly held
throughout the country in support of the Leukemia
and Lymphoma Society) raised just over $64,000.
This year, the organizers are including associated
tennis, golf and predictive log events to supplement
the sailing events, the social barbeques and
dinners, and the silent and live auctions with the
objective of exceeding last years total. Each
entrant is obliged to solicit sponsorship
contributions from relatives, friends and neighbors,
so please be generous when asked for your support.
Full details are available on the Punta Gorda
Sailing Club website:
www.pgscweb.com .
With all the current and
planned activities, the sailors of Punta Gorda are
now putting the effects of Hurricane Charley behind
them. The sailing scene is returning to its normal
pattern, which is what makes Charlotte Harbor, and
Punta Gorda in particular, such a great place to
live. 
Please
click here for additional information
on the Punta Gorda Sailing Club.
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suffered severe damage with the result
that a number of regular sailing regattas, as well
as club races and cruises, had to be postponed or
cancelled. But now that the home repairs are well
underway and boats are returning from the yards or
have been replaced courtesy of generous insurance
proceeds, the increase in number of boats sailing
and organized sailing activities is apparent. As I
sit on my lanai, waiting for the last parts for my
damaged mast and rigging to arrive, I see increasing
numbers of boats, and sailboats in particular,
passing by on their way to the Ponce Inlet. 
