Sailing Races In Punta Gorda

Henry While this latest storm caused me to be worried about my family just outside Chicago and my friends and relatives in the Vermont area ( TWC reported whiteouts in Chicago and changing rain , then snow, then back to rainy type conditions in the northeast ) the realization that I could do nothing about it but worry , led me to decide that I would become a spectator at the International Handicapped Sailing Regatta today in Charlotte Harbor , just across the river from Punta Gorda .
These 14 ' ( 2.4 meter ) crafts navigated by handicapped individuals sure made me forget any disability thoughts as I watched them maneuver their way through the races . Each boat has a power boat as a support to the sailing entry , so the entire flotilla consisted of about 50 vessels , inclusing 20 + competitors , their support crafts , together with the officials' boats.
Charlotte Harbor is a wonderful place to hold a race of this type , with the Peace River being over a mile wide and not susceptible to the surf from the Gulf . I learned that these races are part of the qualifying venues which select the participants for the 2012 Summer Olympics in London
and that these competitors need little or no assistance to sail their entries . The support boats are only there to help if an emergency occurs .
I remembered my adventures with the wind in my 16' fiberglass Old Town Camper Canoe several years ago and so have a real appreciation for their ( the participants ) skills .
I think the races wrap up this weekend , and I'm not sure where they go next , but with the major sponsorships that they have ( the leader is sponsored by Volvo , for example ) it is a sure thing that they'll be somewhere else thrilling the crowds . Someone once told me that watching Sailboat Racing is like watching paint dry....NOT SO !