Charlotte Harbor Regatta ready to Set Sail February 3 -- Headquarters Fishermen's Village Punta Gorda

The Second Annual Charlotte Harbor Regatta is set to sail  February  3 – 6, 2011, in Charlotte Harbor, FL., which was recognized in 2004 by SAIL magazine as one of the top 10 greatest places to sail in the United States. The four-day event will include races in various boat classes, awards to the top three finishers in each class, and a variety of social mixers. Event organizers anticipate up to 100 participating boats and more than 150 sailors hailing from New England to Florida and California to the Outer Banks. Spectators will be able watch the action at harborside parks, such as Bayshore Park in Charlotte Harbor and Gilchrist Park in Punta Gorda and at several waterfront restaurants around the upper harbor.

“The world has taken notice of Charlotte Harbor,” said Brian Gleason, the Regatta’s chairman and editorial page editor of the Sun newspapers, “The buzz from last year’s inaugural regatta spread fast and this year’s registration numbers will reflect that. One of the new classes this year will be the 2.4mR design, which is a Paralympic class. They will be back with two additional classes in January 2012 when Charlotte Harbor hosts the International Association for Disabled Sailing World Championships, Jan. 7-15, 2012.”

Fishermen’s Village , is the host sponsor and headquarters for the Charlotte Harbor Regatta. It is the location of post-racing social events on Friday and Saturday. Regatta gear will also be on sale at Fishermen’s Village both days and evenings. A kickoff reception for the Regatta will be Thursday, Feb. 3, and an awards ceremony is scheduled for Sunday, Feb. 6, both at the Charlotte Harbor Yacht Club.

Several local sailing and boating organizations are involved in coordinating the event. They are Charlotte Harbor Community Sailing Center, Charlotte Harbor Yacht Club, Isles Yacht Club, Punta Gorda Boat Club, Punta Gorda Sailing Club and the Punta Gorda Boaters Alliance. Additional event sponsors are Charlotte County Community Services, Charlotte Harbor Visitor & Convention Bureau, Mosaic, Kitson & Partners, Microtel, Charlotte Regional Medical Center, Peace River Distributing and Sun Newspapers.

Registration and additional information for the Charlotte Harbor Regatta can be found on www.CharlotteHarborRegatta.com.  Also you can follow the Charlotte Harbor Regatta on Facebook and Twitter (twitter.com/charlotteharbor).