56-year-old Beaufort regatta tests sailors from up and down the coast. Here’s the dates

The 56th annual Lowcountry Regatta — one of the longest-running sailing races in the region — will attract racers from up and down the coast later this month.

The race, held on the Beaufort River and sponsored by the Beaufort Yacht and Sailing Club, is known for its challenging tides and currents and shifting winds, said Read Clarke, BYSC fleet captain.

It also draws a variety of boat designs from the classic Sunfish, the small, iconic sailing dinghy with a board-like hull and crab claw sail to larger Sea Island One-Designs with three-person crews.

“It’s a signature event,” Regatta chairman Davis Yoakum said.

Dates for the race — June 23-25 — were announced Sunday.

Usually, more than 100 sailboat crews compete including sailors from as far away as Florida, Georgia and North Carolina. The race is supported by the South Atlantic Racing Association.

Beginner sailors will race about a half-mile north of the McTeer Bridge.

More experienced sailors will trace 2 to 3 miles south of McTeer Bridge.

The public can get glimpses of the racing from Sands Beach in Port Royal and the downtown Beaufort area.

Beaufort has a long history of hosting an “open” sailboat racing regatta, with races held yearly since at least the 1940s. Beaufort Yacht and Sailing Club took over the race in 1967, when the club was founded.

Over the years, Yoakum says, sailing technology has changed, but one thing hasn’t: “You’re still at the mercy of the wind so to speak.”

Harnessing the wind is the common thread linking generations and sailors from all over the world.

“If you can sail in the Beaufort River,” Yoakam says, “you can sail in Spain.”

The race continues to be a way to keep the history of sailing alive in an age of immediacy while promoting sportsmanship, Yoakam adds.

Check https://www.byscnet.com/ for more information.