Boaters hit town ready for racing

Before Charleston Race Week even started, Minnesota sailor David Crum declared it a wild success.

Fresh off the Florida circuit, he got into town this week to prepare his 40-foot Island Flyer for this weekend's races. All he needed was a good look at the harbor and a check of the calendar to figure out the sailing community here knows how to put on a show.

"It's a brilliant, brilliant venue — couldn't be more perfect," Crum said. "And the timing is perfect. It's still a little early to get things started further north."

That's just the way the folks who sponsor Charleston Race Week planned it. And it's further proof that the city has established itself as a sailing destination.

Race Week, which begins today with a captain's meeting and party at the Charleston Harbor Resort and Marina, is only the latest success in a long line of local sailing-related events.

Besides the annual Harbor Fest and the Charleston-to-Bermuda race, last weekend marked the return of the Fort Lauderdale-to-Charleston race. The tall ships come back in June, and the Around Alone is coming back in the form of the Velux Five Oceans in 2011.

"It's all really created a neat buzz," said Brad Van Liew, executive director of the South Carolina Maritime Foundation and event director for race week. "It's already safe to say we've become the sailing center of the Southeast."

Charleston Race Week has come into its own this year, drawing more entrants than Key West for the first time.

About 180 boats will race in the harbor and just offshore between Friday and Sunday. Not bad for an event only 13 years old, started in 1996 by the Charleston Ocean Racing Association, which co-sponsors the event with the South Carolina Maritime Foundation.

The key has been scheduling. The regatta season kicks off in January with Key West Race Week, perhaps the gold standard for these events. Sailors race in there from Fort Lauderdale, hit the Miami races, then begin the slow trek up the coast, hitting races all the way.

Charleston has found its niche on the calendar — after Florida but before the Annapolis and Newport races get going.

Crum's high opinion of Charleston Race Week is shared by many in the sailing community. This year's regatta has attracted boats from more than 20 states, Canada, Germany and Norway.

This is a far cry from the days of the 1994-95 BOC Challenge, when it was a scramble to gather dock space for sailors.

Nowadays, Charleston is using its harbor in ways that seemed unimaginable just 20 years ago. And it should pay dividends. Perrin Lawson, deputy director of the Charleston Area Convention and Visitors Bureau, calls Race Week a perfect lead-in to Harbor Fest in June, which is becoming a big draw itself.

"This is a great way to promote Charleston," Lawson said. "The harbor has been underutilized until recently. It's really good to put the focus on our nautical heritage. And these are the types of people you like to see come in here. It builds our visibility in the country."

Van Liew said this year Charleston Race Week has benefitted somewhat from the country's economic troubles. Key West is a premier event, but it is an expensive locale and relies heavily on professionals. Charleston's race allows the pro teams to come in, as well as local sailors who just want to compete. And it's cheaper here.

That bodes well for the future.

"I think we're poised to go off the launch pad when people start spending money," Van Liew said.

At the same time, Charleston is building a solid reputation among sailors. Crum is member of the crew on the Island Flyer from Wayzata, Minn., and it's the first time he has raced here.

He praises the idea of holding smaller races in the harbor while sending the big boats just offshore for a larger course. He said that set-up is going to make Charleston more popular on the circuit, especially among the smaller boats.

"It's just a great reminder for folks who don't have Charleston on their radar," Crum said.

Reach Brian Hicks at 937-5561 or bhicks@postandcourier.com.