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.