Pensacola Sailing: How we got to 2024!

Even with so much emphasis on American Magic creating a permanent home base in Pensacola, the local sailing community has a year-long series of regattas, raft ups, and water-related social events that has been going on since the early 1900’s.  Beginning annually on New Years Day with a raft up party, the winter schedule this year has seen a minimum of three regattas per month in the chilly times, which increases locally, regionally, and nationally throughout the spring and summer months.

Behind the backdrop of those public events, local sailors attended the winter meetings of the Gulf Yachting Association held this year in Biloxi, Mississippi, the US Sailing Leadership Forum in Savannah, Georgia, and hosted the US Safety at Sea training seminar held at Pensacola Yacht Club (PYC). Pensacola has emerged as a city that is not only proud of its maritime heritage, but is routinely included in discussions about the sport of sailing at the highest levels. Like the Pensacola Beach Yacht Club (PBYC) and the local Pensacola Navy Yacht Club (Navy YC), PYC hosts many local regattas throughout the year, which include cruising  and racing sailboats from 17-50 feet in length.  PYC also hosts a number of larger-scale regattas that are usually what is called One-Design events – where all the boats in a particular race are the same, which makes the competition and subsequent results more about the sailors’ tactics and boat handling than having a different and sometimes more advanced boat.

In 21024, PYC has hosted the A-Class Catamaran fleet for two large regattas including their North American Championship, and throughout the year will be hosting several one-design events, starts and finishes to open ocean races, and along with Beach YC and Navy YC – there are different types of sailing competitions almost every week of the warm months, and several large regional and national level events well into the Fall.

In a broad summary, simply put – the element that is Pensacola sailing is growing and showing significant levels of success on the race course as well. Several PYC and PBYC boats have been competing in the historic SORC – the Southern Ocean Racing Conference. This organization hosts offshore sailing races off south Florida to the Bahamas, and Pensacola has been part of the effort to increase the number of boats and sailors attending. PYC recently hosted the start of the bi-annual Pensacola – Isla Mujeres, Mexico, where PYC boats with mixed crews of PYC and PBYC took wins in 3 of the 4 fleets.

In the coming months, PYC will host the finish for the Gulfport-Pensacola open Gulf race, the West Florida Ocean Racing Circuit, multiple one-design, youth, and cruising events. One of the longest sailing traditions along the Gulf is the Sir Thomas Lipton Cup, which was inaugurated from a generous donation by Sir Thomas in 1920.  PYC won that first Gulf Yachting Championship, and recently won again in 2023. PYC will host teams and individuals from the 30 clubs of the Gulf Yachting Association (GYA) this fall, and then will travel to Newport RI for the New York Yacht Club (NYYC) US Amateur Sailing Championship, The Resolute Cup. There are approximately 1300 yacht and sailing clubs in the USA, and only 28 make the cut for that prestigious event which is held every two years. In October, PYC will again hit the road for a major sailing championship, this one on the West Coast.

Sir Thomas Lipton donated several significant awards across the world, and did one such for San Diego in 1913 .. which was 7 years before the one cherished along the Gulf.  This is the prize jewel of sail racing trophies on the west coast of the US, and PYC will be one of only 11 teams invited to compete. The sailing and sail racing brand of Pensacola is growing and is becoming more successful against competition in youth sailing, racing and cruising on larger monohill and multi hull boats, the interclub racing of the GYA, and at some of the pillars of traditional sail racing events from the Gulf to Newport, to San Diego.

During the summer, raft ups – where people congregate over a weekend in various anchorages to socialize and to experience the sailing lifestyle .. will happen for the Blue Angel Summer SHow at Little Sabine Bay, the Lost Bay Regatta weekend off the Point YC in Josephine, AL, and for the Blue Angel Homecoming Show in November.

During the summer, raft ups – where people congregate over a weekend in various anchorages to socialize and to experience the sailing lifestyle .. will happen for the Blue Angel Summer SHow at Little Sabine Bay, the Lost Bay Regatta weekend off the Point YC in Josephine, AL, and for the Blue Angel Homecoming Show in November.

Our own local fleets are getting more boats and people getting together, and along with the sailing tourists that vist Pensacola for regattas, the sport of sailing is very steadily contributing more to the local economic impact of the city, which means that we will continue to attract more of the people that want to be here to sail. Pensacola Bay, the Beach, quietwater Sound and Big Sabine/Portofing to the east, and Fort McRee and Grand Lagoon to the west are amazing areas to sail and to enjoy the water and coast area of northwest Florida, and offers plenty of options to sail and to explore the miles of undeveloped Gulf Island National seashore by sailboat.