About
Greetings and welcome to the 55th Annual Summerset Regatta! This year’s regatta will be held on the weekend of October 2nd, 3rd & 4th, 2020.
Legend be told, fifty-five years ago, some local sailors placed a classified ad in the local newspapers looking for “Anyone interested in racing sailboats from Fort Myers Beach to Naples”. That first race led to an annual event that sailors in SW Florida looked forward to each year known as the Summerset Regatta, and the birth of the racing program for Caloosahatchee Marching and Chowder Society (CMCS). Today sailors from Charlotte Harbor to Marco Island join in the fun of racing and cruising. Yachts race in Saturday’s buoy races and Sunday’s distance races in the Gulf of Mexico off Fort Myers Beach.
The CMCS Summerset Regatta has a grand history as one of the oldest, continuous regattas in Southwest Florida. Over the years, we have raced and partied up and down the Gulf Coast. This year, the Regatta will hold the traditional buoy and distance races, as we have in years past, but the 2020 Regatta poses special challenges with COVID-19. There can be no planned social events and banquet awards dinner. The theme of the year is still to have fun on the water, but we are taking special precautions to keep everybody safe in these unique circumstances. There are still trophies, raffle prizes, lots of racing yachts, supportive cruising boats and sponsorships of all kinds working together to make a great regatta. Awards and Raffle Winners will be handled at the October Membership Meeting of CMCS, virus permitting!
Summerset has always been a collaborative effort, with the end goal of making contributions to youth sailing and marine activities in SW Florida. In recent years we have seen our programs grow enabling CMCS to contribute nearly $100,000, collectively over the years, to youth sailing programs throughout SW Florida. Locally, in the Fort Myers/Cape Coral area, we have instituted a Grant Fund with the Edison Sailing Center whereby we award grants to children to learn to sail and learn safe boating. We also help support the Ostego Bay Foundation and their education programs.
The 2020 Regatta’s off water events will be limited due to the Covid-19 situation. We will have a pick-up station at Bonita Bill’s for skippers to collect their Skipper’s Bags and all are welcome to visit or dine at the main Bonita Bill’s restaurant, but CMCS will not serve usual beer and pizza nor hold an official skipper’s meeting. We have negotiated reduced rates for dockage for Summerset racers and cruisers at Pink Shell, Salty Sam’s, and Moss Marine facilities. The proximity to restaurants and shopping promises convenience and opportunities for all participants and their families to enjoy during this fun-filled weekend.
We welcome everyone to our website (summersetregatta.com) for more information and hope you will join us
for the 55th Annual Summerset Regatta organized and hosted by the U.S. Sailing’s award-winning Caloosahatchee Marching and Chowder Society (CMCS). Please let the committee members know how we can make your visit to Fort Myers Beach & Summerset Regatta a really special event and we hope to see each one of you Oct. 2-4, 2020.
Best Regards,
Jim Slager
2020 Commodore
Caloosahatchee Marching and Chowder Society (CMCS)
Register to Race
Sign-up for the full series of races on Saturday Oct. 3rd and Sunday Oct. 4th
Register to Cruise
Join us to cruise to Fort Myers Beach, with the option to participate in the Sunday Cruisers Race