In the mix with 275 other boats and many distinguished professional sailors from around the world, Charleston Race Week was a blast. You could say that our boat "Sugar Magnolia" didn't have a chance but our skipper David Hackney was certain to make an impact on the race course. A local knowledge of the Charleston weather patterns and tides was about all we had in our favor. Statistically, our 12 man amateur crew was overmatched against the big boys. We finished the first day of sailing on Friday in 11th place. The conditions were more favorable for our J-130 on Saturday and Sunday and we made some progress on our fleet. If you asked our crew they would exclaim that we won the party following the races. We drank and danced with our toes in the sand till the sun went down each night. The race director Randy Draftz was quoted in the Post and Courier estimating that the attendees consumed "260 gallons of Goslings Rum." I will admit that our crew staked a fair share in the feat. The weather was gorgeous and being out in Atlantic Ocean Friday, Saturday and Sunday and enjoying the sunsets over the city skyline was fantastic. If you have never experience a Patriots Point party of nearly 2000 drunken sailors you need to mark your calendars for next year's Charleston Race Week because it is sure to be a good time. I put up a few more photos on my blog.
