Sperry Charleston Race Week Getting Cranked Up

CHARLESTON'S MEGA REGATTA ON TAP 286 BOATS AND 2,500 RACERS READY FOR ACTION

Tax day. For most of America, that’s a worry. For the 2,500 or so sailors participating in Sperry Charleston Race Week, not so much. In fact, for them, today was a breeze – literally. In 15-knot easterly winds, hundreds of sailors launched their boats at marinas, yacht clubs and boat yards around Charleston, while nearly 100 crews took to the water to enjoy some serious tune-up racing. They're all prepping for the tomorrow’s start of this annual mega regatta – the largest event of its kind in both North and South America.

The competition starts in earnest tomorrow (Friday, April 17), with the on-the-water action covered via livestreaming on the event's website (www.charlestonraceweek.com).Tomorrow’s broadcast will feature professional analysis from US Sailing Team member and multiple national champion John Casey, with color commentary by Sailing Anarchy Senior Editor Alan Block. You can watch it all beginning at 10:30 AM EST at this link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lyvYzBiYxUQ But for now, we'll let today's photos tell the story:

Charleston definitely isn’t short of landmarks! Here, Jamie Walker's Swan 56 Azura
(competing in the Pursuit Class) heads upwind under the Ravenel Bridge on a practice beat. - (Sperry Charleston Race Week/Sander van der Borch photo)

It may look like chaos, but this dance of top J/70s practicing spinnaker work is like a finely choreographed ballet at times. - (Sperry Charleston Race Week/Sander van der Borch photo)

Brazilians love J/boats, and Haroldo Solberg's team on board Viking heads upwind on a tuning run in 15 knots of northeast breeze. - (Sperry Charleston Race Week/Sander van der Borch photo)

Some 600 skippers and tacticians from every racing yacht in Charleston crammed
into the massive Charleston Harbor Pavilion this afternoon to hear opening remarks from Sperry Charleston Race Week Event Director Randy Draftz. You can watch the full briefing here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oelK3ad-oxg

Twin Melges 20s get ready for a practice race on Registration Day of Sperry Charleston Race Week.
This spring classic will serve as the Audi Melges 20 2015 US National Championship regatta.
(Sperry Charleston Race Week/Sander van der Borch photo)

This team’s got SOUL! Running five abreast is just an ordinary day for the incredibly tight fleet racing in the J/70 Class. - (Sperry Charleston Race Week/Sander van der Borch photo)

Olympic Laser sailor Mark Mendelblatt, right, hoists the mast of a Melges 20 before that class' National Championship at Sperry Charleston Race Week. -
(Sperry Charleston Race Week/Sander van der Borch photo)

Without polishing the hull to a mirror shine and ensuring perfect mast tune, you don’t stand a chance in the ultra-competitive one-design classes at Sperry Charleston Race Week. - (Sperry Charleston Race Week/Sander van der Borch photo)

La Casa de Sperry is a sanctuary of peace; here the Sperry team prepares for the
onslaught of footwear-seeking racers at Sperry Charleston Race Week. - (Sperry Charleston Race Week/Sander van der Borch photo)

For more information, please visit www.charlestonraceweek.com. You can also follow the event on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.

About Sperry Charleston Race Week
Sperry Charleston Race Week runs from April 16-19 this year and is open to all sailboats 19 to 80 feet in length. (The offshore classes accept boats from 24 to 80 feet, but only those capable of sailing offshore.) The event is owned and managed by Charleston Ocean Racing Association, and is supported by Sperry, the Charleston Harbor Resort & Marina, Vineyard Vines, Gosling’s Rum, and Quantum Sail Design Group. Additional sponsors include the Town of Mt. Pleasant, Gill, Coral Reef Sailing Apparel, and Torqeedo Outboards, along with Roper St. Francis Healthcare, Newport Shipyard, B&G/Simrad, West Marine, Optimum Time, Francisco Davila’s Signature Coffee, Dimension Polyant, Bainbridge, with additional support from US Sailing, Charleston Community Sailing, New England Ropes, Other Brother Entertainment, Clean Harbors, Stage Presence Event Rentals, College of Charleston Sailing Association, Zip2Water, Harken, Rancilio Coffee, Other Brother Entertainment, Charleston County, Clean Harbors, New England Ropes, OceanRacing.com, Charleston Yacht Club, Cricket Wireless, SailFlow.com, and Azalea Moving and Storage.

About Sperry
Sperry was founded in 1935 by avid sailor, inventor and intrepid explorer Paul Sperry. From the invention of the world’s first boat shoe to a full collection of sea-tested lifestyle products, Sperry equips all those who believe the best stories are written with their feet. Proud sponsor of the United States Sailing Team and numerous world-class regattas, including Charleston Race Week and Head of the Charles, Sperry is distributed around the world at independent and department stores in North America, Asia, Europe and Latin America, Sperry specialty retail stores and at Sperry.com. Sperry® is a division of Wolverine World Wide, Inc. one of the world’s leading marketers of branded casual, active lifestyle, work, outdoor sport, athletic, children’s and uniform footwear and apparel. The Company’s portfolio of highly recognized brands also includes: Merrell®, Hush Puppies®, Saucony®, Wolverine®, Keds®, Stride Rite®, Sebago®, Cushe®, Chaco®, Bates®, HYTEST®, and Soft Style®. The Company also is the global footwear licensee of the popular brands Cat® and Harley-Davidson®. The Company’s products are carried by leading retailers in the U.S. and globally in approximately 200 countries and territories. For additional information, please visit our website, www.wolverineworldwide.com.

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