Congratulations to Americas Regatta winners

Great sailing on Tampa Bay by Sonar, SKUD and 2.4mR racers. See you on Charlotte Harbor. Results at http://www.spyc.org

Wild racing in Americas Regatta

St. Pete Yacht Club has results from the 2011 Americas Regatta. Click on "Regattas" and drag to "Results." Good luck racers and thanks race committee. We're watching closely.

Paul Callahan, Brad Johnson and Tom Brown train on Charlotte Harbor prior to St. Pete Yacht Club's Americas Regatta.

Dueling Dutch 2.4mR sailors splash in Charlotte Harbor

Amazing story about the Dueling Dutchmen in today's Charlotte Sun newspaper, www.sunnewspapers.net. Free trial to try out Sun E-Edition.

Andre Rademaker unloads Dutch team's 2.4mR container.

Ramp installation featured on local TV news

Installation of the 30-foot gangway Nov. 16, 2012 at Laishley.

Photojournalists Howie Grace of WINK-TV (CBS) and Steven Campion of WZVN (ABC) and WHDH (NBC) and independent local filmmaker Frank Cushing were on hand to document the installation of the 2012 IFDS Worlds gangway at Laishley Park Municipal Marina Nov. 16, 2012 in Punta Gorda, Florida. Floating docks are now open for training.

US Paralympic Sailing Team member Paul Callahan drove up from his Cape Coral, Fla., home for the ramp installation and was featured on the stations' evening news. His Sail To Prevail team will be training this Nov. 18-22 and providing feedback to the event organizers and race officials in his role as one of the 2012 IFDS Worlds assistant technical delegates, serving under IFDS Director and 2012 IFDS Worlds Technical Delegate Henry Sleutel.

CHR thanks Klint Keesling and his Keesling Construction team of Mike Curtis and Jeff Francoletti for the donation of the crane and crew for the installation.

Special thanks to ramp sponsors, Charlotte County, Michael Simmons and Charlotte Community Foundation. Congratulations 2012 IFDS Worlds Dock Team and co-chairs Roger Strube and Jack MacDonald on a job well done. Many thanks to dock team partners MasTec Engineering and Coral Ridge Condo Association.

The event program is thickening with sponsors, such as the Charlotte Sun, Fishermen's Village Resort & Marina, Weiler Engineering, the City of Punta Gorda, the Charlotte Harbor Visitors Bureau, Charlotte Regional Medical Center, Mosaic, Kitson & Partners, Port Charlotte/Punta Gorda/North Port Association of Realtors, Smuggler's Foundation, Isles Yacht Club, Punta Gorda Boat Club, Charlotte Harbor Yacht Club, Punta Gorda Sailing Club, Charlotte Harbor Community Sailing Center, Punta Gorda Boaters Alliance, Wilkins Frohlich, PA, LD Reeves & Associates, Punta Gorda Chamber of Commerce, Waste Management, Punta Gorda Isles Civic Association, Harbor Style magazine, King Fisher Fleets, Coral Reef Sailing Apparel, Shumway Marine, Punta Gorda TV, Centennial Bank, Pusser's Rum, Harken, Mark Bryant Racing, Daystar Communications, Dr. Mark Asperilla, Microtel, Dr. Roger Strube, Gill.

First boat arrives for IFDS Worlds

PUNTA GORDA, NOV. 9, 2011 — To Paralympic Games disabled sailing team hopefuls Ken Kelly and Brenda Hopkin of British Columbia, Charlotte Harbor represents their field of dreams, and a boat named Nick’s Karma represents their golden chance to make those dreams come true.

Kelly, 66, who is paralyzed from the chest down due to a 1976 gunshot wound, and Hopkin, 46, who had a leg amputated after a drunken driver crashed head-on into her car in 1985, are the first competitors in the 2012 IFDS World Championship disabled sailing regatta to arrive for training on Charlotte Harbor. 

The regatta is set for Jan. 7-15, 2012.

Kelly and Hopkin will be dueling against one other Canadian team vying to qualify for their country’s Paralympics team. The winner will compete in the 2012 Paralympics in Weymouth, England.

“The other Canadian team is no slacker,” Hopkin said Wednesday, as she washed her SCUD-18 race boat at a warehouse in Punta Gorda. “But Ken and I have a lot of desire, and we really want to represent Canada in the Paralympics."

It will be a longshot. Both had spent years racing with other teams that disbanded earlier this year. Normally, that would dash the hopes of Paralympic hopefuls. On their level, teams train by racing throughout the four years leading up to each Paralympics.

Kelly and Hopkin leased apartments in the Punta Gorda area in October. Their boat is to be hoisted into the water at the Charlotte Harbor Yacht Club today. They hope to sail daily to catch up with their competition.

“We’re trying to do in three months what normally takes four years,” Hopkin said.

Since he learned to sail in the late 1980s, Kelly has competed in world-class events in Australia, Greece, Denmark, England, Germany, China and the U.S.

“Racing became very addictive and became a huge part of my life satisfaction,” he said. “It takes you away from your wheelchair and puts you on the ocean.”

Both sailors knew each other from sailing in Victoria, British Columbia. They talked about mounting a last-ditch campaign for the Paralympics. However, they didn’t have a boat. That’s where Nick’s Karma comes in.

The boat was so named by its owner, disabled racer Sarah Skeels of New Hampshire, who bought it from the family of Nick Scandone.

Scandone was a disabled American yachtsman who won a gold medal in the boat in the 2008 games in Beijing, China. He died just four months after that victory, at age 43, of ALS (Lou Gehrig’s disease).

Skeels had to drop out of contention this year after her team split up. So she and her husband Brian offered to rent their boat to Kelly and Hopkin.

“This is a gold medal boat,” Hopkin said. “Things are falling into place.”

Since mid-October, the team has been sailing in Miami while waiting for the Charlotte Harbor Regatta organization to install floating docks. The docks enable disabled sailors to get into their boats. Wednesday, regatta volunteers began installing the docks after the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers issued a permit the same day, according to Brian Gleason, regatta chairman and the Sun’s editorial page editor.

-- GREG MARTIN, SUN NEWSPAPERS

An evening with Paul Callahan

2012 U.S. Paralympic sailing team member Paul Callahan will be the guest of honor at a fundraising dinner for the 2012 International Association for Disabled Sailing World Championships at 6 p.m., Nov. 12 at Charlotte Harbor Yacht Club.

U.S. Paralympic team member Paul Callahan (right) skippers his Sonar during the 2011 IFDS Worlds in Weymouth, England. Callahan and his team finished fifth, the highest finish among U.S. teams.

Callahan, a quadriplegic who served as captain of the U.S. team at the 2000 Paralympic Games in Sydney Australia, was recently named to the 2012 squad that will compete in Weymouth, England. Callahan was the top-performing U.S. sailor in the 2011 IFDS Worlds held in Weymouth in July and has been training on Charlotte Harbor for the 2012 event set for Jan. 7-15, 2012. He is the CEO of Sail to Prevail, a not-for-profit based in Newport, R.I., that provides sailing lessons and trips for more than 1,000 disabled youth annually.

Proceeds from the dinner will help fund the 2012 IFDS Worlds being organized by Charlotte Harbor Regatta Inc., a local not-for-profit organization that promotes sailing on Charlotte Harbor. The dinner begins at 6 p.m. with a cocktail hour and meet-and-greet with Callahan.

Tickets for the dinner are $60 and include two free well drink tickets. Only 150 tickets are available. Tickets are available at Charlotte Harbor Yacht Club and the Charlotte Sun office on Harborview Road in Charlotte Harbor. For information, contact Jack MacDonald at 941-235-1762 or carina01@embarqmail.com.

11/14/11 UPDATE: Photos below from this great event. Thanks to everyone who attended or donated. Special thanks to Jack MacDonald and Team Sail to Prevail.

Paul Callahan (right) talks with Canadian sailor Ken Kelly at Charlotte Harbor Yacht Club Nov. 12, 2011.

From left, CHR Director Roger Strube, Team Sail to Prevail member Brad Johnson, CHR Director Doug Shore and Team Sail to Prevail member Tom Brown swap stories.

 

World's Shortest Parade to launch 2012 IFDS Worlds

The 2012 IFDS Worlds will be launched in world-record fashion with the World's Shortest Parade through downtown Punta Gorda to the Laishley Park Municipal Marina, where regatta participants, officials, volunteers, community leaders and spectators will celebrate the accomplishments of our distinguished visitors with the 2012 IFDS Worlds Fair.

The sun sets over Charlotte Harbor and the Laishley Park Municipal Marina. 2012 IFDS Worlds host hotel Four Points by Sheraton is on the back left.

Charlotte Harbor 2012 IFDS Worlds preparations drawing notice internationally

Preparations in Charlotte Harbor for the 2012 IFDS Worlds are featured in the London-based International Association for Disabled Sailing's monthly bulletin.


The Paralympian, the official magazine of the International Paralympic Committee, has assigned a reporter to cover Charlotte Harbor Regatta Inc. volunteers' ongoing dock project, volunteer organizing and fundraising in the run-up to the event.

Press inquiries should be made to Brian Gleason at 941-206-1133 or IFDS2012@gmail.com. Click Here for more information about Charlotte Harbor travel.

Another Charlotte Harbor event for 2.4mR sailors

The 2011 2.4mR Pre-Worlds Championship will be held Dec. 8-10, 2011 at Charlotte Harbor Yacht Club in Charlotte Harbor, Fla.

The regatta is open to disabled and able-bodied members of the 2.4mR Class Association. The registration fee of $175 includes dinners and awards. Additional dinner tickets and the $25 class dues can be paid at time of registration. To read the notice of race and register for the event, click here. 

Paul Callahan, right, skippered his Sonar team to 5th place in the 2011 IFDS Worlds in Weymouth, England.

The 2011 2.4mR Pre-Worlds is one of a series of events that will take place on Charlotte Harbor in the coming months. The 2012 International Association for Disabled Sailing World Championships are scheduled for Jan. 7-15, 2012 at Laishley Park Municipal Marina in Punta Gorda, Fla. The 2012 Charlotte Harbor Regatta is set for Feb. 2-5, 2012. The IFDS Worlds (www.IFDSWorlds2012.com) is for disabled 2.4mR competitors, while the 2012CHR (www.charlotteharborregatta.com) is open to all 2.4mR sailors, along with 10 other one-design classes.

For more information about the 2.4mR Pre-Worlds, contact Martin Holland at 941-286-0722 or m.holland@charlotteharborregatta.com.

IFDS Worlds dock team celebrates construction milestone

The 2012 IFDS Worlds dock team converged once again on the Coral Ridge warehouse to celebrate another major milestone in the construction of 22 floating docks for the regatta in January 2012. With all 22 docks assembled, the next phases of the project include, attaching recycled fire hose to the sides as bumpers and installation at Laishley Park Municipal Marina in November.

Congratulations, dock team. Great work on an impressive achievement.

Hotel reservation reminder

If you are planning to stay in a hotel during the 2012 IFDS Worlds, please make sure to mention you are with the event to your hotel. We receive a rebate on hotel rooms that helps us defray event expenses.

Get your class dues paid prior to 2012 IFDS Worlds

The board of directors for the International Association for Disabled Sailing has asked that competitors planning to participate in the 2012 IFDS Worlds, set for Jan. 7-15, 2012 on Charlotte Harbor, Fla., make sure their class association dues are current. Below is the notice from the IFDS:

NOTICE TO COMPETITORS:

All sailors competing in IFDS events are reminded that they are expected to have paid class dues to the class involved. If they have questions, they should consult the relevant class web sites for information.

Floating dock splash test successful

After a weigh-in at the local truck stop, Charlotte Harbor Regatta volunteer Peter Welch drove his van and trailer across the Gilchrist Bridge to Charlotte Harbor where more volunteers awaited the arrival of the first of 22 floating docks to be built by CHR volunteers for the 2012 International Association for Disabled Sailing World Championships. Slowly but surely on a warm, humid July morning, the hoist at Charlotte Harbor Yacht Club lowered the 1,700-pound floating dock into the calm waters of the marina basin, completing a remarkable journey for the dock and the hard-working volunteers and generous supporters of Charlotte Harbor Regatta, Inc.

The successful float test was followed by a celebratory cookout at CHYC and set the stage for the construction of the remaining 21 docks at Coral Ridge Condo Association in Punta Gorda by the volunteer team led by Roger Strube and Jack MacDonald. MacDonald steered the committee through a month-long design and vendor bidding process, while Strube organized and led a two dozen-strong team of workers on the construction of the prototype dock. Before the week was out, the second dock was already under construction.

As noted in previous posts, the docks are being funded by a $50,000 grant from Charlotte County and a $10,000 donation from Michael Simmons, who, like Strube, is also providing warehouse space for the project. The project will continue throughout the summer and fall, along with planning and fund-raising for the prestigious 2012 IFDS Worlds, the first-ever world championship in any sport to be held in Charlotte County.

First IFDS dock ready to splash

Charlotte Harbor Regatta dock committee co-chairman Roger Strube, right, and CHR director Doug Shore display a banner provided by Charlotte County, which granted the organization $50,000 toward the construction of the docks for the 2012 IFDS Worlds.

The first of 22 8-by-16-foot floating docks being built by Charlotte Harbor Regatta Inc., volunteers will be launched and evaluated on Saturday, July 23 at Charlotte Harbor Yacht Club in Charlotte Harbor, Florida, site of the 2012 International Association for Disabled Sailing World Championships. The docks are being funded with a grant from Charlotte County and private donations, including a $10,000 donation from Punta Gorda winter resident Michael Simmons. They will be installed at Punta Gorda's Laishley Park Municipal Marina for the Jan. 7-15, 2012 IFDS Worlds. The docks also will be used for an earlier international event, the 2011 2.4mR Pre-Worlds, set for Dec. 8-10, 2011 at Charlotte Harbor Yacht Club. The 2.4mR design is one of the three Paralympic classes that will be participating in the 2012 IFDS Worlds. The dock committee, led by co-chairmen Jack MacDonald and Roger Strube, will be testing the nearly one-ton dock for a variety of safety and performance criteria.

Huge turnout in Weymouth for 2011 IFDs Worlds

The excitement is building in Weymouth, UK, as elite disabled sailors descend on the coastal city for the 2011 IFDS Worlds. Staged at the Olympic and Paralympic sailing venue, the 2011 IFDS Worlds boasts some eye-popping participation figures, as the organizers reported on the event website, www.IFDSWorlds2011.com. Many of the same competitors will bring their talents to Charlotte Harbor in January for the 2012 IFDS Worlds, Jan. 7-15, 2012.

Below is a report from Weymouth:

"163 sailors in 96 boats from 30 nations will gather at the Weymouth and Portland National Sailing Academy from Thursday (30 June) for the IDFS Disabled Sailing Combined World Championships 2011.
More than 160 of the World’s top Paralympic sailing talents are ready to stake their claim for supremacy on the London 2012 race course as the IFDS Disabled Sailing Combined World Championships 2011 get underway in Weymouth and Portland on Thursday (30 June)."

Disabled Clearwater sailor has sights set on 2012 IFDS Worlds

Many disabled sailors, including St. Pete's Jen French, Cape Coral's Paul Callahan and Estero's Mark Bryant, hope to take advantage of a "home field advantage" in the 2012 IFDS Worlds on Charlotte Harbor. Count Clearwater's Brad Kendall among them, too.

Kendall, a double-amputee following an airplane crash that killed his father and best friend, competes in the Sonar class. He racked up a 3rd place in the 2011 Miami OCRs in January. He was named US Sailing 2010 Paralympian of the Year. This Victoria Lim story, was originally published on the Bright House Sports Network website, and subsequently appeared on Scuttlebutt.

Looking forward to seeing Kendall on Charlotte Harbor.

King Fisher Fleet to provide spectator rides for IFDS Worlds

King Fisher Fleet, the premier fishing and sight-seeing charter boat operator on Charlotte Harbor, will be providing spectator boat rides for the 2012 IFDS Worlds, set for Jan. 7-15, 2012. The 90-minute, $16.95 trips will depart from Fishermen's Village Resort & Marina in Punta Gorda, Florida at noon on Jan. 10-Jan 15. The boat is wheelchair accessible. For information on trip times, contact King Fisher at 941-639-0969.

Lowe's wins bid for 2012 IFDS Worlds dock project

Lowe's Lumber of Port Charlotte won a competitive bid to supply parts and materials for Charlotte Harbor Regatta Inc.'s floating dock project in preparation for the 2012 IFDS Worlds, set for Jan. 7-15, 2012 at Laishley Park Municipal Marina.

Lowe's beat out seven respondents for the project bid, which was led by dock committee co-chairs Jack MacDonald and Roger Strube. Christine Agostini, commercial sales associate for Lowe's, handled the bid. In these photos (from left to right), Lowe's Jason Ayers, MacDonald, CHR Vice Chairman Martin Holland, Agostini, Strube and Lowe's Port Charlotte assistant store manager Pete Thompson commemorated the contract signing with a ceremonial photo-op in front of the store.

The $62,000 dock project is being funded in part by a $50,000 grant from Charlotte County's boater improvement fund and a $10,000 donation from local philanthropist Michael Simmons. For information about sponsorships and donations, go to www.IFDSWorlds2012.com and click on "Sponsors."

Volunteers needed for dock project

Charlotte Harbor Regatta Inc., host organization for the 2012 International Association for Disabled Sailing World Championships, is seeking volunteers to help construct floating docks for use in this prestigious international regatta. Work parties will be scheduled for July through October. For information, contact Jack MacDonald (carina01@embarqmail.com) or Roger Strube (rogerstrube@embarqmail.com).

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St. Pete disabled sailor Jen French featured in hometown paper

SKUD-18 Paralympian Jen French, who is in training to earn a spot on the US Paralympic sailing team and compete in the 2012 Paralympics in Weymouth, was featured in an article in the Cleveland Plain-Dealer. Check out the story here. Congratulations, Jen. Looking forward to see you and teammate J.P. Creignou again here on Charlotte Harbor for the 2012 IFDS Worlds.

Three great events, one awesome trip to Florida

Will you be in Weymouth for the 2011 IFDS Worlds? Start your planning for the 2012 IFDS Worlds on Charlotte Harbor and enjoy three great regattas in one awesome trip to Florida. Click the flyer below for details.

Charlotte awards IFDS dock project grant

The Charlotte County Commission approved a $50,000 boater improvement fund grant to Charlotte Harbor Regatta, Inc., for its dock-building project for the 2012 International Association for Disabled Sailing World Championships, set for Jan. 7-15, 2012 on Charlotte Harbor, Florida.

"We appreciate the confidence the commissioners have shown in our efforts to showcase Charlotte Harbor as one of the world's great sailing harbors," said Brian Gleason, event chairman of the 2012 IFDS Worlds and chairman of Charlotte Harbor Regatta Inc., the event's organizing authority. "Our board is committed to making the docks available for public use after the IFDS Worlds, providing access to our great harbor for boaters."

Become an IFDS Worlds Ambassador

Show everyone you support the inspiring athletes competing in the 2012 IFDS Worlds with an Ambassador shirt. Made from cool, dry, wrinkle-free microfiber, this collared Polo-style shirt is available in four colors and men's and women's styles. Go to www.ifdsworlds2012.com and click on Our Store to order online or by mail.

Online registration for 2012 IFDS Worlds now open

Online registration is now open for the 2012 International Association for Disabled Sailing World Championships set for Jan. 7-15, 2012 on Charlotte Harbor, Florida.

Online registration at the event website, www.IFDSWorlds2012.com, is powered by RegattaTech, the firm used for the 2011 Charlotte Harbor Regatta and the upcoming 2011 2.4mR Pre-Worlds at Charlotte Harbor Yacht Club.

"The easy-to-use registration page is great for competitors and the customer service from Chris Rousseau and his team is fast and reliable," said 2012 IFDS Worlds Event Chairman Brian Gleason.