One of the country’s fastest growing sailing competitions, Charleston Race Week presented by Seabrook Island, will include entrants from outside North America for the first time this year. Joe Woods and his crew from Torquay, England, will travel to South Carolina to compete aboard a Melges 32 at the event this spring (April 6-9). Along with three other teams who will travel from Canada for the regatta, Woods and company will add an international flair to the event.

“We’re gratified to know that word is spreading about the wonderful hospitality Charleston offers, and the high caliber of competition that underscores this unique event,” said Brad Van Liew, Event Director and the Executive Director of the South Carolina Maritime Heritage Foundation, the organization that is managing the regatta. “Having international competitors in the mix seems a fitting way for Charleston Race Week to enter its second decade of existence.” The event first took place in 1995.

Meteoric growth is becoming a hallmark of this early April regatta. Just three years ago, the event attracted fewer than 90 boats. In 2004, 94 boats competed, in 2005 that number surged to 143. For 2006, more than 150 entrants are expected to materialize. Among those boats will be entries from as far afield as Texas, Pennsylvania, Illinois, New York, New Hampshire, California, Massachusetts, Michigan, Ohio, and Tennessee.

Several years ago, explained Van Liew, the officers of the Charleston Ocean Racing Association began instituting a number of incentives as a means of ensuring increased participation in Race Week, particularly among boats from outside Charleston. Free dockage was offered for early registrants, as well as free trailer storage for out-of-town boats, and those policies continue today. In addition, registration fees are set at an affordable level to encourage a broad range of participation. The growth that has resulted in part from these measures has given Charleston Race Week a unique character.

“This regatta attracts some of the top competitors in the southeast,” added Van Liew, “and it can be very challenging on the water with the strong tides we have. But you’ll also find sailors here who are just out for some fun sailboat racing, no matter the outcome. We’ve got sailors of all stripes. You see that on the water as well as on shore at the great parties we orchestrate. It’s true southern hospitality at its best.”

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