Registration for 2018 CRW is now open. There is a early discount of 100.00 before Jan 31st. Last years CRW went flawless logistically for Vipers. With Thomas Loutrel securing dockage at the College of Charleston which I'm told we will have again makes it so easy to sail to and from the race course everyday. Currently there are only 2 Vipers signed up. Lets ramp this event up and get some for Vipers attend. This is a great venue in an amazing city with enthusiastic participants from all over the globe.
https://yachtscoring.com/emenu.cfm?eID=4494
I would be all up for CRW...but dont think my boat will be back from Perth in time.
It sounds like there is a tiny bit of momentum for Charleston in 2018. Would love to see the local Vipers registered there, and then get some GYA teams excited about the trip and maybe some guys from Hampton. It's a fun venue and the local guys have done a lot in the past couple of years to improve launching, hauling, Viper support boats, etc.
https://www.seahorsemagazine.com/current-issue/127-content/january-2018/569-treat-yourself
We need more folks to make the effort to come to Charleston RW. Got to get to 20 boats.
Hey Tom....Any easy storage for boats transiting north from Sarasota?
Hey Viper Fleet,
Sarah and I have had #188 for about a year now, and we are really loving the boat and the class. Between the two of us and Tom Loutrel on #221, we are the Charleston Viper fleet. Over the course of my Viper ownership I have talked to various Viper sailors, and heard comments from the hoist line to the keg line about the problems that the Viper fleet has collectively endured at Charleston Race Week. Those rumors and complaints are obviously true as we currently have 7 Vipers registered vs 23 VXOnes for 2018 CRW- a big gap IMO for boats that are pretty similar in a lot of ways. Over the past year I have heard about a class that was clearly not appreciated by the event organizers. I have heard about courses that force boats into the only rock in Charleston harbor. I have heard about dockage in the Patriots Point marina that was hazardous for boats without an engine due to a ripping current. I have heard about battling drunk rednecks and a ferocious current at Remley's Point public boat landing to launch and haul-out. All of these things are unacceptable. All of these things would make me not want to attend another Charleston Race Week in a Viper.
We want the fleet to know that you have a presence in Charleston now, and we are working to make CRW a better, funner, easier event for the Viper class. My gf and boat partner Sarah along with Tom have worked to make logistics at CRW a bit better for the Vipers and have secured the following logistical improvements:
Launch/Haul-out: Vipers will have near exclusive access to launch at Hobcaw Yacht Club. Hobcaw is up the Wando River, just south of the Wando Terminal, and is a 10 min drive from regatta site. It is on a protected creek with little current. The facility will be open to Vipers all day on 4/12 for rigging/launching and on the 15th for haul-out. The club does not have a hoist, so it is a ramp launch into a deepwater creek. (Hose is available). Trailers may be left on-site until the 15th. We will have (2) 20ish foot center consoles at the dock at the disposal of the fleet to tow your boat down to Patriots Point if there is no wind or an adverse current. We will also have these boats on the course during racing and they will be available to tow the fleet back to Hobcaw on Sunday to cut down travel time and help get on the road.
Dockage: dockage is available at the College of Charleston Sailing Center for $50. CofC is in the same marina as the regular regatta dockage, but is tucked up next to the aircraft carrier and shore so the current is generally light. It will be a raft-up type dockage, and there is still some current, but it is nothing like the outside docks. It is a fun pre and post racing scene at CofC as it is usually a concentration of the same class at the dock, and there is a lot more room on the facility than at the finger piers at the regular marina.
Racing: The Vipers are expected to sail on the outside circle by Ft. Sumter, not the inside course by the rock.This is the best place in Charleston harbor to sail IMO- it gets the breeze quickly and though the current can be strong, it is also fairly predictable, and the only real secret is get out of it or in it depending on which way your going.
Housing and Boat Storage: Tom Loutrel has offered to help with boat storage for people that are heading north from Sarasota or elsewhere who would like to leave their boat in Charleston until CRW. We also have some limited housing available on a first come basis. We are certainly happy to give recommendations for good places to stay, and things to do.
Charleston and the CRW scene are both a lot of fun. The nightly regatta events are well attended by sailors and local non-sailors alike. Aside from great sailing conditions, a weekend in Charleston can be a lot of things, from a relaxing weekend with the family on the beach, to fine dining and shopping, to needing to call an Uber to get you off King St before you miss dock call in the morning. Regardless of the reasons, we would love to see more Vipers at 2018 CRW, and are working to remediate logistical issues that have justifiably made the event difficult to deal with. Feel free to contact Tom, Sarah or I with any questions, and we will also be in Sarasota for Winter Cup.
Jon
Mary and I are very much looking forward to the southern hospitality.
Terminally Pretty is in 100%
Geoff
I love CRW.
It launched the class in many ways.
It is the "thinking person's regatta" with many tactical twists and turns.
Next year. Unfortunately this year is tough for the Mambo Kings because en route back from Perth.