Keep Sailing Fun

Hello fellow sailors -

The season is just about here and we have a lot planned for you.  There are more than twenty events on the On The Water calendar between now and the spring.  Seven Boat of the Year races, four more Tequila races this fall, four cruises, seven day sails, and Sugden Sunday Sailing out at Lake Avalon.  There is something on that list for every member whether you own a boat or not.

Racing starts us off.  Summerset kicks off the Boat of the Year season October 2–4, and 4 of our 7 BOTY races this year are big full sized regattas.  Each of those brings skippers meetings, an awards banquet, parties and 2 days of racing.  The Tequila B Series is also still running right through October 10, so there is no reason to wait for the season to start.

Cruising picks up after the holidays with four cruises between January and April.  Pink Shell, Panther Key, Marathon and Cayo Costa, and the dates are all set.  I am taking Marathon in March and we still need Cruise Directors for the other three, so please have a look at the cruising section below.

Day Sailing is the one I would point our newer members to first.  Seven Saturdays between October and April, and you don't need a boat and you don't need any experience.  A skipper takes a few members out for a few hours on the Gulf and that is the whole idea.  If you have been meaning to get out on the water and haven't managed it yet, start here!

Small Boats is back at Sugden, with the first Sunday Sailing event on December 6.  Bring the family, sail with a club skipper, and there is a barbecue included.

I want to thank all of our volunteers who make this possible.  Our fleet captains, cruise directors, race captains and race committee, and the members who show up early to set up and stay late to clean up, are the reason we have a calendar like this at all.  Thank you!  If you have been thinking about helping out, these are good people to work with, and we will train you.

Stay tuned, read your newsletters, visit the club website, and if you are interested in getting involved in any of these activities, please reach out to me via the email below.

Cheers,
Bob Andreini
Rear Commodore
RearCommodore@gulfcoastsailingclub.org

The 2026–2027 Racing Season

We have an exciting season coming up!  There are 7 Boat of the Year races on the schedule, including 4 big full sized regattas: Summerset, the MIYC Commodore's Cup, the Conquistador Regatta, and the NSYC Messmer Cup to close out the season.  Each one of these will have skippers meetings, an awards banquet, parties, 2 days of racing and a lot more!

Summerset kicks it all off October 2–4, which is only about four weeks out, so now is the time to get your boat and your crew sorted.

Be sure to get your PHRF ratings updated prior to racing.

One thing to watch on the calendar.  The Tequila B Series is still running and the October 3 race falls right in the middle of the Summerset weekend, so if you are doing Summerset you will want to plan around it.  September 12, September 26 and October 10 are all still open on the Tequila schedule.

If you want to race but don't have a boat, or you have a boat and you need crew, get yourself on the GCSC Crew Board.  It only works if people sign up, and the start of the season is exactly when to do it.

We are also always looking for Race Captains and Race Committee, and we will train you!  If you have been curious about what happens on the committee boat, this is a good year to find out.

I would like to thank Kathleen Cahill and Trudell Kolpack, who have worked hard to put this schedule together and coordinate with all the Southwest Florida sailing clubs.  There are five clubs on this calendar between CMCS, GCSC, MIYC, PGSC and NSYC, and getting them all lined up on one schedule is not easy.  They did a great job!

The 2027 Cruising Season

The 2027 cruising schedule is set and the dates are on the calendar.  Pink Shell in January, Panther Key in February, Marathon in March, and Cayo Costa in April.  These are the same four cruises we have done for years and they are a lot of fun.

For the cruisers in the club, this is an opportunity to help with the club and organize very fun events you are likely to participate in anyway!  We still need a Cruise Director for Pink Shell, Panther Key and Cayo Costa, or they are at risk of not happening.  I am taking Marathon in March.

We have lots of documentation and processes for organizing and running each one and I'll be happy to sit with anyone and show them how it's been done in the past.  You can follow the same playbook or come up with your own ideas and have fun, fun, fun!

This is a great way to meet people and get involved in the club.  Some of the events have a land side component to them such as Pink Shell and Marathon.  If you are not a boater, but want to help organize, there are definitely options to help plan.

Pink Shell is January 15, which is only four months out, and these take some lead time to put together.  If you are thinking about it, please let me know now rather than in December.

If there is a destination you'd like to see the club go to where you have some experience, please let me know and we can plan and organize the cruise.

If you are interested, just tap NEEDED in the schedule, or send an email to cruising@gulfcoastsailingclub.org.

Day Sailing is the easiest way to get out on the water with the club.  A skipper takes a few members out for the day, we head to the Gulf, and everybody gets a few hours of sailing with people who like the same things.  No racing and no rush.

This is open to everyone in the club.

You don't need to own a boat and you don't need any experience.  If you have never been on a sailboat and you have always wanted to try it, this is the event to come to.  Come out and find out whether you like it!

Boats head out to the Gulf around 10:00am and meet up out there.  Sometimes we do a raft up in Champney Bay and sometimes we just cruise for a few hours and come back in.  It is a good day either way!

The dates below are save the date only.  Registration is not open on the website yet and I will let you know in the newsletter as soon as it is.

Attention Skippers

Get your boat out on the water with other club members.  You don't need to register, but please send an email to daysailing@gulfcoastsailingclub.org and let us know which dates you can make and how many members you are able to host on your boat.  The more skippers we hear from early, the more members we can get out there.

Attention Members

If you would like to sail on a club member's boat, watch for the registration link in a coming newsletter and sign up when it opens.  If it is your first time out, say so when you register.  Our skippers are happy to have new sailors aboard and they will show you what to do.

Sugden Sunday Sailing by GCSC

Our first Sugden Sunday Sailing event of the season will occur on Sunday, December 6, 2026 between 12pm and 3pm.

The Sugden Sunday Events are held at the Collier County Sailing Center located in Sugden Regional Park on beautiful Lake Avalon, 4284 Avalon Drive, Naples.

• Everyone welcome!!! Bring family and friends.
• Best value in town for getting out on the water.
• Sail with experienced Club Skippers.
• New sailors, receive instructions from a club skipper.
• Enjoy a Barbecue (included).
• Socialize and enjoy the beautiful location.

Event Fees

Paid by credit card or cash at the event.

Registration will be required for this event.  It is not open on the website yet and we will let you know as soon as it is.

Skippers: all skippers must pass an on the water review before taking members out.

As your small boat fleet captain, I am always open for suggestions on how to improve our small boat sailing program. Please provide me with any comments and/or suggestions and ideas for increasing our on the water activities.

Thanks!!

Doug Foss
Small Boat Fleet Captain
630-464-0505
smallboats@gulfcoastsailingclub.org