Labor Day Regatta Sarasota

09/06/2023

Sarasota Youth Sailing Sarasota Youth Sailing Program Alumni

Thommie Grit, Sailing Captain, has secured his place to read Sport and Exercise Psychology at the University of Essex!

Dutch by nationality, Thommie joined RHS from America in Year 12 to take advantage of our sailing provision alongside studying for A Levels in Mathematics, Physics and Psychology.

He enjoys all the competitive aspects of the sport as well as travelling across the world for competitions; these have included the World Sailing Youth World Championships, ILCA 6 Youth World Championships and the UKLA National Qualifiers.

“My highlight at RHS was my final sailing competition for the school in which we came away as the Team Racing National Champions. RHS has supported me with the right facilities to maintain and improve physically and the flexibility to travel to training and events across the country. I would particularly like to thank all the teachers and staff who have offered their personal time to help me catch up with lessons whilst I have been away at competitions.”

Thommie plans to continue with his competitive sailing alongside his university studies, working towards an Olympic campaign for 2028 and other competitions.

We wish him much success both on the water and with his studies!

University of Essex

Further results news can be found here: https://hubs.li/Q01_t2Rl0
If you are proud of your results and are happy to share your next steps we'd love to hear from you. Please email Sophy Walker in our marketing team ([email protected]).

09/06/2023

Thank you Jennifer as always for amazing photos from Sarasota Sailing Squadron 75th Labor Day Regatta.

Davis Island Youth Sailing Foundation
Manatee River Pram Fleet
Naples Community Sailing Center
St Petersburg Yacht Club Junior Sailing Team
Sarasota Yacht Club
Florida Yacht Club
Sarasota Youth Sailing
Sarasota Youth Sailing Program Alumni
Jennifer Joy Walker Photography

These images were taken on Saturday, September 2, 2023 at the Sarasota Sailing Squadron. They can be downloaded at no charge using the download icon on the LEFT of the screen. Also there is a green shopping cart for ordering images printed on paper, metal and canvas. Enjoy! -Jennifer

09/06/2023

City of Sarasota, Government Thank you so much, Vice Mayor Liz Alpert for the warm welcome Saturday morning for our sailors who traveled from Jacksonville, Tampa, St. Petersburg, Naples, Venice and Bradenton for our 75th Labor Day Regatta. Sarasota Sailing Squadron

09/06/2023

Thank you Ray Markham and Ted Weihe for your work to bring this movie to Sarasota. We hope lots of sailors will take advantage of a local showing of the 'Buddy Melges' film in October.

09/06/2023

Oh the places our sailors go!

09/06/2023

St Petersburg Yacht Club Junior Sailing Team This team, parents and coaches always come out in force! How lucky are we in this region to have such great clubs to sail with year after year.

09/06/2023

Davis Island Yacht Club ❤️ It's always a pleasure to see this team, the parents and coaches!

09/04/2023

As far as the eye can see we’ve got sailing on the bay!

09/04/2023

❤️ ⛵️

09/03/2023

What a joy to see these sailors!

09/02/2023

Breaking Wave Coffee is here!

09/01/2023

Sarasota Sailing Squadron member Tom Saunders, wife Amy and daughter Katherine volunteering behind the bar.
He and his sister came in 3rd on a sunfish in 1968 Labor Day Regatta!

09/01/2023

Sarasota Youth Sailing Sarasota Sailing Squadron Sarasota Youth Sailing Program Alumni
Celebrating our 75th Labor Day Regatta - we remember all the incredible sailors that have sailed with us on Sarasota Bay. Congratulations again, Ravi Parent, 2022 US Sailing Yachtsman of the Year.

08/31/2023

Participation Medals for Emerald and Green Fleet
1st-5th Green Fleet
1st-3rd Skipper and Crew C420
1st-3rd ILCA 4
1st-3rd ILCA 6
1st-3rd ILCA 7
1st-3rd Opti White
1st-3rd Opti Blue
1st-3rd Opti Red
1st-3rd Overall Opti RWB

08/31/2023

We hope this post finds all our sailors safe. We are moving forward with the 75th Labor Day Regatta.

We look forward to our first celebration of the new sailing season with you!

08/28/2023

Sailors-

Please be safe and prepare. We hope Thursday morning will show us all safe. We are thinking of you all from Jacksonville to Destin, Englewood, Venice, Sarasota, Bradenton, Clearwater, St Pete, Davis Island, and Dunedin.

08/22/2023

https://fb.watch/mAL-eGe9MK/
The RWB Starting line last year with 57 Optimists!

08/16/2023

08/11/2023

We have the Mote Marine Sarasota Bay Explorer boat back to take our parents around to the various courses on Saturday. Thank you Sarasota Bay Explorers

Thank you, Captain Jen! It was wonderful to see the races up close!

08/10/2023

It's what's for dinner! Harking back to the '40's when BBQ was the choice. Nancy's BBQ, our local Sarasota Magazine's Best BBQ 12 years running will be serving: pulled pork and chicken, baked Mac & Cheese, smoked Baked beans and creamy coleslaw.
😋

08/07/2023

Heading into the 75th Labor Day Regatta. We found this shirt Sarasota Herald-Tribune from the 39th Labor Day Regatta Sarasota
logo by Editorial cartoonist Ralph Smith

07/23/2023

LDR 2023. 75 years! This will be a special event as we have reached a milestones that is far beyond what our organization ever dreamed. Built by sailors for sailors. Please join us!

SARASOTA, FL - The Sarasota Sailing Squadron (SSS) will host the 75th Annual Labor Day Regatta September 2-3rd. The signature event for the SSS, the regatta draws hundreds of competitive sailors from across the U.S. and Canada.

07/11/2023

Registration is Open!

SARASOTA, FL - The Sarasota Sailing Squadron (SSS) will host the 75th Annual Labor Day Regatta September 2-3rd. The signature event for the SSS, the regatta draws hundreds of competitive sailors from across the U.S. and Canada.

06/20/2023

Labor Day Regatta shirts over the years. We can’t wait to see everyone in September!

12/05/2022

As we approach our 75th Annual Labor Day Regatta Sarasota we look back to the sailors and clubs who have continued their own tradition to participate in this great event. Please enjoy this story from Dawn Narramore, the historian for Davis Island Yacht Club recalling the participation of the big boats (PHRF) from Tampa Bay.

"....The idea of a Labor Day race was hatched during the late 1930’s. It was being held regularly by 1948 and starting in the early 1950’s Davis Island Yacht Club was sponsoring the annual Tampa to Sarasota Labor Day race. The format called for embarking on the Friday night before Labor Day from Tampa Bay, sailing down past Egmont Key, into the Gulf of Mexico and finishing around Big Pass near Sarasota.

During its heyday, over 50 boats would come from Sarasota, Venice and all around the Tampa Bay area to participate. Big boats competed in the FORA (Florida Ocean Racing Association Class) division and the smaller boats in the MORC (Midget Ocean Racing Club) division. In the early days, some of the DIYC contenders were Bobbie C. Davis on Chop-Chop, Earnest ‘Mac’ MacBryde on Caprice and H. Woolf, Jr. on Stiletto.

Many families of the competitors would join in the post-race festivities, driving down and staying along Lido Beach for the remainder of the long weekend. The Sarasota Sailing Squadron hosts their own one design Labor Day Regatta that weekend which was always well-attended by the distance racers as well as their family members. There are still some old salts out there that can tell stories about the race during the 1960’s-80’s. If you can catch one with a good memory and ply him or her with good rum, you might hear more about the cocktail parties, the dances and the infamous Bloody Mary parties hosted by Jane Glover.

‘Round about the mid 1980’s Big Pass became shallower and the deeper draft boats couldn’t get through. In 1985, the destination moved to Pass-a-Grille. The new format worked out splendidly for winners Alan Saunders on Witch Doctor in the MORC fleet, Mike Siedlecki on Hot Flash in the PHRF Spinnaker fleet and John Linton on Makira in the PHRF Non-spin fleet. Not so splendidly however, for Flank Speed, a Santa Cruz 50, who ran aground near the starting area.

Throughout the next several years, the destination for the Labor Day race has moved around from Pass-a-Grille to Treasure Island to Longboat Key. However in recent years since we’ve grown soft and timid and discovered that the logistics and time commitment of point-to-point distance racing can cause sleeplessness, general crankiness and marital strife, we stay in Hillsborough Bay.

This year, the Labor Day Night Race will be held on September 1st and kicks off our DIYC Boat of the Year series. The race will start and finish at DIYC. If we have good breeze and you are on one of the faster boats, you can be pleasantly snoozing in your own safe, warm bed by midnight dreaming of Lido Beach and Bloody Mary parties of yore."

09/24/2022

Bruce Watters Regatta - Sail fast, Green Fleet!