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Gulf Coast Sailing Club

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Gulf Coast Sailing Club

Racing Program

Racing at GCSC runs year round, from the casual Tequila races in the summer to the big Boat of the Year regattas between Marco Island, Naples, Fort Myers Beach and Punta Gorda.  All classes of boats race with PHRF ratings and you don't need to be a racer already to get involved.

1day to Tequila B4
6Boat of the Year races to go
3Full regattas at host yacht clubs
4Tequila races left
8Tequila races sailed
No boat? No problem.There are always skippers looking for crew.  Get yourself on the Crew Board and skippers meetings are open to all club members.
Lots of partiesSkippers meetings, regatta parties and awards banquets.  There's plenty to go to on land too, even if you're not racing that weekend!
Volunteers wantedWe're always looking for help with the race committees and with planning the events, and we will train you!
GCSC boats racing
2026–27 Race CalendarTap a race for registration, the regatta website or to email us
Next up: Tequila B4 · Saturday, Oct 3 · tomorrow

Boat of the Year

Southwest Florida’s season long racing series

Boat of the Year is the big one, the season long series for the best racing skippers in Southwest Florida.  It's sailed across the regattas run by GCSC and our sister clubs in Marco Island, Naples, Fort Myers Beach and Punta Gorda and if you want to see how you stack up against the fleet, this is how you do it.

This season we're moving to High Point scoring, which scores you on the races you actually sail and gives proper credit for a good result in a big fleet.  GCSC is back on YachtScoring since most of the fleet is already registered there, and for the events we don't host, check that regatta's Notice of Race.  Be sure to get your PHRF certificate renewed before you race!

Notice of Series
Boat of the Year awards
Summerset RegattaCancelled this year

Summerset Regatta

Caloosahatchee Marching & Chowder Society · Fort Myers Beach

Summerset is one of the longest standing and largest regattas in southwest Florida.  It's a full weekend off Fort Myers Beach with buoy races and a coastal distance race, and classes for spinnaker, non-spinnaker and true cruising boats.

  • Full weekend
  • Buoy races
  • Coastal distance race
  • Spinnaker, non-spinnaker & cruising classes

Cancelled for 2026, they weren't able to get a PRO.  Next year is the 60th Summerset and they're planning a major celebration, so put it on your list now.

Back in 2027Summerset website
Racing up the coastSeason Opener

Reach Up the Beach

Gulf Coast Sailing Club · Naples to Fort Myers Beach

It's a distance race up the coast from Naples to Fort Myers Beach and a party is being planned in downtown Fort Myers Beach when you get there, so get your marina or hotel reservations made now.

It's open to everyone.  Even if you don't come up by boat, drive up and join the party!!

  • Distance race
  • Party in Fort Myers Beach
  • Open to everyone
NovemberRegister by email
Regatta racing

MIYC Commodore Cup

Marco Island Yacht Club · Marco Island

The Commodore Cup is the first of our 3 big full sized regattas of the season.  It's buoy racing in the Gulf just west of Marco Island, with the race committee aiming for 4 or more races, and there are classes for spinnaker, non-spinnaker, true cruising and multihulls.  It starts with the skippers meeting at the club and wraps up with the awards dinner, so it's a full regatta with all the other stuff that goes with it, and the perpetual Commodores Cup goes to the winner of the biggest class!

  • 1 day of racing
  • Buoy races
  • 4 or more races
  • Monohulls & multihulls
  • Skippers meeting
  • Awards dinner
  • Dockage available
DecemberMIYC website
New Year Cup

New Year Cup

Gulf Coast Sailing Club

It kicks off the new year and it's the first Boat of the Year race of 2027.  It's buoy racing on triangle courses with short, fast races of about 20 minutes each, so good starts and sharp crew work really count, and racers come in from all over the area for it.

  • Triangle buoy courses
  • Short, fast races
  • Several races a day
  • Monohulls & multihulls
  • Visiting racers welcome
JanuaryEmail for details
Presidents Regatta

Presidents Regatta

Gulf Coast Sailing Club

Our second regatta of the new year and another one we host.  It's a pursuit race, slowest boats off first at 10:00, with a beat about 12 miles south down the coast to the Caxambas Pass mark and then downwind about 4.5 miles to the finish.

  • Pursuit start
  • Distance race
  • About 16 miles
  • Upwind & downwind legs
FebruaryEmail for details
Regatta racing

Conquistador Cup Regatta

Punta Gorda Sailing Club · Charlotte Harbor

Punta Gorda Sailing Club has been running the Conquistador every year since 1993.  It's a full weekend on Charlotte Harbor, with the skippers meeting and a welcome party Friday, buoy races and a dinner party Saturday, and a pursuit distance race Sunday before the awards.

If your boat isn't rated they'll give you a one day rating, so there's no reason not to go!

  • 3 days
  • Buoy & pursuit races
  • Welcome party
  • Dinner & awards
MarchRegatta website
The Naples Sailing & Yacht Club clubhouseRacing at the Messmer CupSeason Finale

NSYC Messmer Cup

Naples Sailing & Yacht Club

The Messmer Cup is the Naples Sailing & Yacht Club's regatta, held in honor of NSYC founding member and first commodore Jack Messmer, and it closes out the Boat of the Year season.  It's one of the 3 big full sized regattas on the schedule, with 2 days of racing, a skippers meeting, an awards banquet, parties and a lot more!

The regatta will be at the newly updated NSYC clubhouse, and dock space is being made available for racers coming in from out of town.

It's the last chance to move up in the Boat of the Year standings, and the awards are where the season wraps up.

  • 2 days of racing
  • Skippers meeting
  • Awards banquet
  • Parties
  • Boat of the Year finale
  • Dock space for visiting boats
MayNSYC websitePhotos

Tequila Series

Casual Saturday racing · open to all boats
Tequila racing

What's a Tequila race?

A Tequila race is a pursuit race.  Instead of everyone starting together, each boat gets its own start time based on its PHRF rating, slowest boats first, and the fastest boats have to chase everyone down.  The first boat across the finish line wins, so you always know exactly where you stand.

It's casual, it's fun and it's open to all boats.  They're not part of Boat of the Year and they're not scored, they're just good fun on the water with your fellow club members.  We run them to fill in between the Boat of the Year racing seasons, so there's racing all year round.  If you've never raced before, this is the place to start, and if you have, it's a great way to bring out new crew.

  • Pursuit startSlowest boats go first
  • Open to all boatsAny size, any rating
  • Not scoredJust for fun
  • Between seasonsRacing all year round
Email to join in

Other Races

Not part of Boat of the Year
Ladies Day racing

Ladies Day Regatta

Date to come

Run every year by Frank Brown, Ladies Day puts the women at the helm, with the men encouraged to come along as crew.  It's a pursuit race off Naples with sailing in the morning and a party afterward, and it's a great chance for our lady sailors to show their skills behind the helm.  And it's a lot of fun!

  • Women at the helm
  • Men welcome as crew
  • Pursuit race
  • Party after
Email for details
Golden Conch Regatta

Golden Conch Regatta

Platinum Point Yacht Club · Punta Gorda

January

Platinum Point Yacht Club's Golden Conch is open to all area racers and 2026 was the 42nd one.  It's a day of racing followed by the awards luncheon.

  • Day of racing
  • Awards luncheon
  • Open to all area racers
PPYC Racing & Regattas

Know of a race?

Tell us

If there's a race you think the club should be in, let us know and we'll get it on here.

racing@gulfcoastsailingclub.org

Crew & Race Committee

Want to race, no boat?If you want to race but don't have a boat, or you have a boat and need crew, get yourself on the GCSC Crew Board.  Skippers meetings are open to all club members.
Race CommitteeWe are always looking for Race Captains and Race Committee, and we will train you!  If you've been curious about what happens on the committee boat, this is a good year to find out.

Questions about racing?  Email racing@gulfcoastsailingclub.org.  Keep Sailing Fun!