The 100 Mile 'Round The Island Race is set for the weekend of Sept.17,18,19 in beautiful Fort Walton Beach,Fl. An exciting change for this year is the new event host, The Fort Walton Yacht Club located at 180 Ferry Road in Fort Walton Beach. This years event will continue the tradition of challenging competitive sailing and hearty revelry established over the previous twenty four years.
The RTI race is designed to be a test of endurance and skill for all multihull sailors. It will begin at 7a.m. on Saturday September 18, 2004 from a point in Choctawhatchee Bay north of the national Seashore Park ( Leeside Park) in Fort Walton Beach which is the same point as all previous races. The course is a complete circumnavigation of Santa Rosa Island, a distance of 100 miles. There are no logistical problems with trailers and ground crews as the race starts and finishes in the same location ! Last years event was a record setter in that the first boat back was Brian Lambert on a SuperCat 22 at 4:40 in the afternoon and most of the fleet finished in the very early evening hours!
Regattas are always fun for the sailors , but the RTI provides the spectators with two advantage they seldom have: a great place to watch from and the ability to tell whos ahead of whom. Vantage points on the Destin Bridge, Pensacola Pass, Navarre and Brooks Bridges allow family and friends to watch the racing as the sailors scream by.
This race is truly an open multihull event with designs from 16 to 36 feet in length participating in previous years events. Mast height in the Intercoastal Waterway is 45 feet so make your plans accordingly. The hottest in new designs as well as Tybee 500 teams, along with a strong contingent of Class racers and nationally recognized sailors team up to insure that the latest advances in the sport will be tested and performance envelopes pushed to the limits.
The new host, Fort Walton Yacht Club led by Fleet Captain and Regatta Chair Phyllis Seaton are hard at work to bring a new wrinkle this year. Thats the addition of the Yacht Club facilities which are open to all sailors and families as well as the professional race organization the Yacht Club is well known for. You can set up at Leeside as in previous years or at the Yacht Club in a leisurely atmosphere. The Friday night events such as the RTI Race seminar, late registration, seafood gumbo and beverages, and the Skippers Meeting will be held at the Yacht Club so make your plans accordingly.
If your an avid multihull enthusiast who would like to test yourself against top competition and arent too timid to enjoy one of the best weekends of sailing and comraderie then you owe it to yourself to be there!
Last edited by Mike2210; 08/15/04 08:54 PM.
