Keep Sailing Fun

Bob Andreini

Hello fellow sailors -

The season is here and there are more than twenty events on the On The Water calendar between now and the spring.  Six Boat of the Year regattas, four more Tequila races, 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.

First, the news.  The Summerset Regatta has been cancelled this year.  It was not for lack of interest, we simply could not get a PRO.  The good part is that the next Summerset will be its 60th, and there are plans for a major event to celebrate it.  More on that in the racing section below.

Racing now opens with our own Reach Up the Beach on November 14, Naples to Fort Myers Beach, and there is a party being planned in downtown Fort Myers Beach.  This one is open to everyone, so even if you are not sailing up, drive up and join the party!  Before that we have four more Tequila races to keep the fun going, starting October 3.

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 set.  Peter Russo has taken Panther Key and I am taking Marathon, so we still need Cruise Directors for Pink Shell and Cayo Costa.  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.  The first one is October 17 and it is coming up fast, so see the day sailing section for how to get on it.

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.

We really need someone to take on the club website calendar.  It is a couple of hours a month taking the schedules for all our events and getting them set up on the website.  It is not complicated and I will train you, it just takes some time to get it in place.  This one makes a real difference for every member who goes looking for a date, so if you can help, please email me.

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

The Summerset Regatta has been cancelled this year.  Summerset is one of the longest standing and largest regattas in southwest Florida, and the decision had nothing to do with lack of interest.  We were not able to get a PRO.  The regatta is being rescheduled for next year, and that one will be its 60th, with plans for a major event to celebrate it.  That is one to put on your list now.

That makes Reach Up the Beach our season opener, and this is our event.  Saturday, November 14, Naples to Fort Myers Beach.  A party is being planned in downtown Fort Myers Beach, so get your marina or hotel reservations made now!  This one is open to everyone.  Even if you don't come up by boat, drive up and join the party!!  The racing committee is finalizing the details and we will get them to you as soon as we have them.

There are 6 Boat of the Year races on the schedule, including 3 big full sized regattas: 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!

We have added more Tequila races to keep the racing going this fall.  October 3, October 10, October 24 and November 7, all 1100 starts.  The Tequila series is not part of Boat of the Year and these races are not scored, they are just good fun on the water with your fellow club members.

Boat of the Year is moving to High Point scoring this season.  The short version is that it is fairer.  Under the old low point system, missing a race or a whole regatta could sink your season no matter how well you sailed everywhere else, and High Point scores you on the races you actually sail.  It also gives proper credit for a good result in a big fleet.  The Notice of Series and the Sailing Instructions for each regatta will lay out exactly how it works.

For registration, GCSC is going back to YachtScoring for the season since most of the fleet is already registered there.  Each regatta's Organizing Authority picks its own system, so for the events we don't host, check the Notice of Race.

Be sure to get your PHRF ratings updated prior to racing. Renew your certificate now and get out there racing! Have some fun!

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.

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!  Peter Russo has taken Panther Key in February and I am taking Marathon in March.  We still need a Cruise Director for Pink Shell and Cayo Costa, or they are at risk of not happening.

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 a little over three 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!

Our first day sail is Saturday, October 17

Day sailing registration is by email.  Send a note to daysailing@gulfcoastsailingclub.org and tell us which dates you want.  That is all it takes, for members and skippers both.

Attention Members

Email us the dates you would like to sail and we will get you on a boat.  Sign up for one date or sign up for all of them.  If it is your first time out, say so.  Our skippers are happy to have new sailors aboard and they will show you what to do.

Attention Skippers

Get your boat out on the water with other club members.  Email us the 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.

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 and it is not open yet, so we will let you know as soon as it is.  In the meantime, if you are interested in coming out on December 6, send a note to daysailing@gulfcoastsailingclub.org and we will keep you posted.

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