Festivals abound in the month of June. Locally, Harborfest and Seawall Festival celebrate the area's rich maritime heritage. One of Harborfest's premier events, a sailboat race, was regrettably dropped a few years ago. Fortunately some local sailors and Towne Bank took an interest in bringing a sailboat race event back to Portsmouth. In 2001, Towne Bank contacted Portsmouth Boat Club (PBC) and offered to sponsor a major race if PBC would organize and run the event. PBC answered the call and the HomeTowne Regatta was born. The event has been highly successful drawing up to 60 boats beginning in 2001 and through 2007. Due to its success, the race became a Chesapeake Bay Yacht Racing Association (CBYRA) sanctioned event in 2004. This annual event includes racing for all PHRF rated mono and multi-hull sailboats. A special non-spinnaker cruising class is open to all non-measured yachts. The race course starts at buoy R18 near Craney Island on the Elizabeth River, goes out to designated courses in the Hampton Roads and finishes back at R18. An after race party for skippers, crews and race sponsors is held to celebrate the race event. Awards in each class are presented at an Awards Ceremony on Saturday evening. Check out the entry details and photos of previous races below. Come join in the fun. Note: Although not affiliated with Harborfest or Seawall Festival, the race event coincides with the Saturday events of the two major festivals. | Contact: HomeTowne Regatta Committee (Larry Bryant) 5048 Bay Circle Suffolk, VA 23435 Phone: 757-484-4966 or 757-472-5969 Email: ldbwhisper@hotmail.com |
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