A total of 158 entries in 18 classes set for Charleston Race Week at Patriots Point
by Charleston Race Week 11 Apr 13:09 NZST
April 10-13, 2025
Charleston Race Week © Priscilla Parker
Robin Team has skippered an entry at Charleston Race Week at least 15 times and done so quite successfully. The Lexington, North Carolina resident has been presented with the Palmetto Cup, awarded to winner of the most competitive handicap class, five times.
Team and his crew consisting of family and close friends, is returning to Charleston Race Week at Patriots Point following a five-year layoff because they missed the overall experience.
"We decided to come back this year because it's such a fun regatta," Team said. "We love the natural beauty of Charleston Harbor. We love the regatta parties, which are always exceptional. We love the atmosphere downtown and the overall vibe of the city."
Charleston is world-renowned for its culinary scene and the Teamwork sailors look forward to crew dinners at upscale restaurants. They love returning to favorite fine dining establishments and discovering new ones.
"This year we have picked out three restaurants we've never been to that come highly recommended," Team said.
Teamwork, a J/122 well known up and down the East Coast, is competing in ORC A class that is part of the Offshore Racing Circle. There are two other J/122 one-designs along with a J/111 and several other mid-sized boats in the eight-entry class.
"We think the competition will be exceptional. We expect all the boats to be well sailed and are looking forward to mixing it up with everybody," Team said.
Teamwork, which has enjoyed success at such other major events as Block Island Race Week and Key West Race Week, has a crew that has been together for close to two decades. Austin Team will be working the mast for his father, while North Sails professional Jonathan Bartlett is back aboard as tactician.
Brian Porter is another longtime Charleston Race Week competitor, reckoning he started coming around the time the renowned regatta was founded in 1996. Porter has been a stalwart of the Melges 24 class since its inception in 1993 and has many fond memories of winning on Charleston Harbor.
"I love the city and really enjoy coming here. Charleston is just a great place to stay with friendly folks, great restaurants and tremendous sailing," Porter said. "This venue on the water is spectacular. Obviously, it is a very difficult racecourse with the rivers and the current and the shifty winds. It's very tricky with all the different variables, but I enjoy the challenge."
A total of 158 boats in 18 classes competing across six courses will participate in the 29th edition of Charleston Race Week at Patriots Point, being held April 10-13. Racing gets under way Friday with robust conditions predicted.
Shea Gibson, official meteorologist for Charleston Race Week, expects a cold front combined with a low pressure system to produce 13 to 17 knot winds with gusts into the 20s for Day 1. Principal race officers on all circles to complete a full complement of races with Gibson's early forecast calling for 8 to 12 knot north-northwesterly winds on Saturday and similar breeze on Sunday.
As has been the case for many years now, J/70 is the largest class at Charleston Race Week 2025 with 29 boats. It is typically talent-laden with teams featuring some of the top professionals in the sport.
Brian Keane was preparing to hit the water for a practice session on Wednesday morning when he took time to talk about the intense competition in the class. Keane was runner-up in J/70 last year and figures to remain at the top of the fleet.
Skipper Peter Duncan led Relative Obscurity to the overall victory in the J/70 Winter Series, winning all three events in impressive fashion. Duncan sailed with the same crew that helped him capture the J/70 World Championship in 2017 — tactician Victor Diaz de Leon, Jud Smith and Willem Van Waay — and they are all coming to Charleston as well.
"Peter Duncan is certainly going to be one of the favorites. He's having a great year and has a phenomenal team," Keane said.
Keane noted that Bruno Pasquinelli and his Stampede team always seem to do well at Charleston Race Week, while Paul Green is expected to have four-time Olympian Stuart McNay aboard Progress as tactician.
Keane has competed in J/70 at Charleston Race Week every year since 2013 and came away as class winner a couple times. The Weston, Massachusetts resident has North pro Zeke Horowitz calling tactics as part of a relatively new team that is still coming together.
"We benefit from a lot of accumulated experience here in Charleston," said Keane, who has also won the regatta in J/105 and J/80 class. "My emphasis for practice is to focus on the cadence of the shifts and understand the current. Each year, the current can be different depending on how much rainfall there has been."
Porter figures to be among the top contenders in Melges 24 class, which has attracted 21 entries. The Wisconsin skipper knows all too well how the notorious current in Charleston Harbor can turn a hero into a zero within the same race.
"Things can change dramatically out there in certain conditions. There have been races I've been leading at the leeward mark and suddenly been passed by a bunch of boats," Porter said.
Porter has his two sons — RJ (jib trimmer) and Bri (spinnaker trimmer) and longtime crew Matt Woodworth (bow) — aboard Full Throttle this year. Their chemistry and cohesion is a significant strength.
"RJ has become an excellent tactician, while Matt and Brian are also fantastic at their jobs as well. There is no drama on our boat. It is very quiet and relaxed," said Porter, who foresees New Wave (Steve Liebel) and Sentinel (Geoff Fargo) as boats to beat.
Liebel has Evolution Sails pro Marty Kullman as tactician, while Fargo has former College of Charleston All-American Jackson Benvenutti in that role.
VX One is consistently one of the most competitive classes at Charleston Race Week and this year sets up to be no different with 15 boats on the starting line. Skipper Jack Jorgenson and his solid crew on SDR looks to repeat as champion after placing third or better in five of seven races a year ago.
Jorgenson will have former College of Charleston teammate Ryan Davidson working the middle and Mount Pleasant local Joann Fisher on the bow. This is the eighth time the Hermosa Beach native has competed in Charleston Race Week dating back to his undergraduate days.
"Last year, we were really fast, kept it super-simple and didn't make any major mistakes," Jorgenson said. "Having good boat speed throughout a wide wind range is always important here."
Canadian skipper Tej Trevor Parekh and his Bro Safari squad are back after placing second in 2024. "There are a lot of good boats in this fleet so it's always a battle," Jorgenson said.
North University entries skippered by professional sailmakers dominated the J/22 class at Charleston Race Week 2024, sweeping the top five places. Carolina Yacht Club member Granger Osborne finished sixth last spring and is now the pre-regatta favorite since there are no North U boats.
Granger points out that his team sailed without a spinnaker and therefore was at a disadvantage a year ago. This weekend he is racing with a crew of Laser sailors from the Porter-Gaud School in junior Walker Glenn and sophomore Thomas Weil.
Velocity is skippered by a very accomplished high school sailor named James Pine, who once won the United States Optimist Dinghy Association Team Trials and qualified for Laser Nationals. Charlotte Casey out of Lucy Beckham High in Mount Pleasant is another talented high school skipper and will have a strong team.
"I'm very excited because it's a really competitive class," Osborne said. "Being a Charleston local and knowing the currents and shifts will help. I think fleet management is going to be key to success."
Church Key, campaigned by Annapolis residents Chris and Liz Chadwick, returns to defend its title in J/88 class after placing first or second in five of six races in 2024. New York skipper William Purdy on Whirlwind was a close second last year and figures to challenge again. Exile (Andrew Graff, Chicago) and Deviation (Iris Vogel, New Rochelle, NY) finished fourth and fifth.
"This is a tough class and any of the boats that are here can win. We don't look at any one competitor. We have to go out there and sail our own race — try to get good starts, catch the first shift and hope it all goes well from there," said Chadwick, who skippered a J/80 at Charleston Race Week four times and crewed for Henry Filter aboard a J/70 on three other occasions.
"You cannot take that current for granted or else you will pay. You also must really pay close attention to the wind shifts and how it relates to the current. There are so many variables that are unique to sailing in Charleston."
Flat Stanley Racing is returning champ in Melges 32 class, which has 10 boats. Trey Sheehan skippers the Cleveland entry, while partner Terry McSweeney will be coaching the team this week. Brad Boston of the Doyle Boston loft in Ontario is aboard as tactician.
Ian Hill and his Sitella team placed second in Charleston last year and also placed second at the most recent Melges 32 World Championship. "It's a really strong fleet, so we've got to sail clean. You can't afford to make any mistakes," Sheehan said.
J/105 class has drawn 14 boats and RumFront looks to ascend to the top of the podium after placing third last season. Skipper William McKenzie has been competing in Charleston Race Week since he was 12 years old as crew for his father and namesake aboard the family Olson 30.
McKenzie, a Carolina Yacht Club member, has his core crew aboard with former College of Charleston sailor Katie Mallory in her sixth year as tactician. Spectacle, skippered by Mount Pleasant resident Joe Pitcavage, placed second here last year and is another top contender.
Madame (Justin Walling, Folly Beach, SC) and Skimmer (Miles Martschink/Ben Hagood) and Thunderstruck (Andrew Moor, Toronto) have posted impressive results in the past.
"This is probably the biggest fleet we've had at Charleston Race Week since we've been in the boat," McKenzie said. "There is a good mix of local and out-of-town teams. Hopefully, it will be a very competitive regatta."
College of Charleston not only has a bunch of its former sailors competing in the regatta, but also a large contingent of current competitors. The J/70 Sting Ray, J/105 Zephyr and Antrim 40 XL are fully crewed by College of Charleston offshore sailing team members.
"This is a great opportunity for our sailors to test their skills against top-notch competition," College of Charleston coach Ned Goss said.
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