2011 Charleston Race Week Reaches For New Heights

New Website, Early Registration Benefits, and Social Media Blitz Begin

CRW web logoCHARLESTON, SC (16 November 2010) -- The organizers of Charleston Race Week pride themselves on listening to their customers, as a result 2011 marks the earliest start ever to the South's biggest multi-class regatta. "CRW has rapidly evolved from a fun, regional event to one of the most anticipated international regattas on the racing calendar, and teams from across the US and Europe have asked us to get our ducks in a row earlier so they can schedule their 2011 sailing year," said Logistics Manager Danny Havens. Organizers responded by launching a redesigned CharlestonRaceWeek.com in October and opening up registration earlier than ever before. "Our early registration benefits have been a huge hit amongst competitors," said Havens. "Free rafted moorage to the first 35 registrants (limitations apply), free pre-event boat and trailer storage, heavily discounted hotel rooms from our partner, Charleston Harbor Resort & Marina, and our standard early registration discount have helped a lot of teams save money over the years, and we encourage everyone to sign up now to get the full treatment this year." The event runs from April 14th through April 17th for 2011, and registration can be found at http://www.charlestonraceweek.com/race-entry/race-registration/. The deadline for the special discount with Charleston Harbor Resort is December 31, 2010.

Big Championships On The Line For 2011

Enthusiastic One-Design Classes have helped Charleston Race Week explode in popularity in recent years, and 2011 will see the biggest participation yet in numerous fleets. "We've made 2011 Charleston Race Week the final event in 'The Road To Corpus Sailing Series' which leads up to the May 2011 Melges 24 World Championship in Texas," said US Melges 24 Class President Steve Kopf. "National and International teams alike are extremely excited to see the biggest M24 fleet ever in Charleston next April, and as a Charleston resident, so am I."

The Viper 640 Class and Melges 20 Class also expect substantial increases in their already large fleets, while larger classes like the Tripp 26, J/24, J/80 and J/105s all anticipate stronger turnouts for the 2011 event.

Legendary Charleston Hospitality On Site And Now On The Web

Competitors have been outspoken in their appreciation for the hospitality that Charleston Race Week delivers. "I don't think I've ever felt so welcome anywhere," said New Zealander and professional sailor Rodney Keenan, who crewed on the 52-footer Vincitore during her dominant 2010 performance in the IRC division. "Lots of places have nice weather and reliable, fun breeze like Charleston, but everyone's great attitude and awesome shoreside ambience is what really sets Charleston Race Week apart from the crowd." For 2011, organizers are working hard to spread that legendary hospitality to the web via social networking.

"We've been amazed at how much interest we receive from our Facebook and Twitter presence," said Community Relations Coordinator Rachel Stewart. "Our staff really enjoys updating all of our fans, providing a stream of interesting content and allowing our racers to become our best advertisers." Rachel's team plans to continue where they left off in 2010, posting news on lodging, dining, and entertainment in Charleston as well as all relevant sailing news. "We're also going to keep our extremely popular 'photo tagging' feature going for 2011, where we post official event photos to Facebook and encourage everyone to tag their friends and family," Stewart said. "It's been a massive hit." Charleston Race Week's page boasts over 1,400 fans, and can be found at http://www.facebook.com/CharlestonRaceWeek.

Charleston Race Week is an event of South Carolina Maritime Foundation (SCMF) and Charleston Ocean Racing Association (CORA).

About South Carolina Maritime Foundation

The South Carolina Maritime Foundation's mission is to create opportunities for life-changing experiences resulting in leaders for tomorrow's communities. Since beginning shipboard and land based educational programming in 2007, over 6,000 students have been served. With the support of local partnerships and events such as CRW, the South Carolina Maritime Foundation is able to generate funds to keep these exceptional programs in place. Click on www.scmaritime.org to find out more about South Carolina Maritime Foundation and the tall ship Spirit of South Carolina.

About Charleston Ocean Racing Association The Charleston Ocean Racing Association was formed in 1967 and races year round in Charleston's historic harbor and offshore waters. The primary goal of the Association is to promote sailing and to encourage good fellowship among yachtsmen, afloat and ashore. The nearly 300-member organization is a strong supporter of regional youth sailing programs and the development of new sailors.

In late 2005 CORA announced a joint partnership with SCMF to organize and manage the event. SCMF handles all land-based operations, administration and marketing while CORA performs race committee and water-related activities. For more information about CORA, please visit www.charlestonoceanracing.org

Charleston Race Week is sponsored by Charleston Harbor Resort & Marina, Gill North America, Pierside Boatworks, Charleston Yachting and Azalea Moving & Storage. Check out www.charlestonraceweek.com for more information, including on-line entry, Notice of Race, shoreside event schedules, and housing and logistical information.

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