Summerset Regatta sets sail this weekend
Grab your sunblock and head to the Fort Myers Beach Pier for a front row seat to the sailboat races!
It’s that time of year where the weather drops a few degrees, the beach becomes full, and The Caloosahatchee Marching and Chowder Society’s 53rd annual Summerset Regatta occurs. The event will be held on Oct. 5-7.
The Regatta will feature a series of Buoy Races, the Competitive Coastal Race and, for the more relaxed sailor, a Cruisers Coastal Race. The event begins with the Captain’s Meeting on Friday, starting at 6:30 p.m. at Bonita Bill’s Waterfront Cafe. The Buoy Races will start on Saturday at 10 a.m. On Sunday, the long-distance racing event takes place with the Cruisers Coastal Race at 9:30 a.m. and the Competitive Coastal Race at 10 a.m. After the races, a dinner and award ceremony will be held at Parrot Key on Fort Myers Beach.
“When you have a couple of boats sailing along next to each other, it turns into a race,” said Allen Fiske, vice commodore and organizer of Summerset, when asked how the Regatta came to fruition. An original classified ad in the newspaper asking for sailors interested in racing led to 53 years of competitive sailboating.
Fiske spoke about who the proceeds from the Regatta are donated to and as it turns out, it’s even lovelier than how the Summerset started. “Our club doesn’t make any profit. All the money that comes in, after we pay expenses, goes back to youth sailing programs up and down the coast.”
According to Fiske, the best way to interact with the Summerset Regatta is to be involved! If you are interested in participating in the event, visit summersetregatta.com.