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Barefoot offers major racing circuit events each year, including the annual two-day "Barefoot Open Regatta" early in October. The club sponsors racing series for its PHRF and Portsmouth fleets from January through November with awards to skippers and crew for each series. Regular club races are held on Lake Lanier and include both buoy and long-distance (around the islands) racing. The club's sailing instructions (click race name hyperlink) detail the rules of racing with Barefoot. The Races are started using the staggered start system (pursuit race).  Consult the Pursuit Start Courses (Rev B) and Pursuit Handicap Table for details.

Visitors are invited to crew for races - just attend the skippers' meeting held 2 hours before each race to see which skippers need crew. 

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Annually, we award a "Racing Skipper of the Year".  To qualify, the skipper must have raced in at least 4 races of either BFSC series, at least 2 races of the other BFSC series, and must have served on Race committee at least once during the Dorton Cup Series. 

 

By season, the Barefoot races are:
 

WINTER

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Dean Holcomb Poker Run/Mad Hatter & Chili Cookoff - Come out and have fun in the annual Poker Run/ Mad Hatter on Monday, January 1, 2024, hosted by Barefoot Sailing Club. It will be Five-Card Stud with the first card being handed out at the Skipper’s Meeting.  The participants will round the prescribed marks grabbing a single envelope from each mark. Envelopes are to remain sealed until the post-race gathering at Branch House Tavern, where we'll gather to reveal poker hands and partake in the fiercely competitive Chili/Chowder/Stew/Soup Cook-off.

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SPRING

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Spring Race Series - Eight race series held in the spring/early summer. This year's series kicked off with a Blessing of the Fleet ceremony on Saturday, March 11, 2023.

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Around Alone Regatta (NOR-SIs) - The long time–honored tradition of the premier solo regatta, the Around Alone Regatta, it is usually held in the early spring on Lake Lanier. Come on out with the rest of the hardy singlehanders on a race from the Chattahoochee Bay area of the Lake, to Buford Dam and back!  The perpetual trophy is a framed Barefoot Burgee autographed by Robin Davie, 3 time solo circumnavigator.  Jonathan Steward (S/V Bill the Cat) won last year's race held Saturday, April 10, 2022. This year's race was held Sunday, June 4, 2023.

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Joan Holcomb Memorial Women Skippers Regatta - The regatta is held in memory of Joan Holcomb, BFSC’s 1994 and LLSC's 2002 Commodore.  For the races, a woman must helm the boat and make tactical decisions. Starting last year, we're now co-hosting the regatta with LLSC and we look forward to many more future JHM Women Skippers regattas with LLSC. 

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SUMMER

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"LARC After Dark" Moonlight Race Series (NOR-SIs) -  LARC sponsors a four evening race series each summer (May-August) as close to the full moon nights as possible for Saturday evening races. The series is intended to be a fun sail where sailors are out late enjoying fresh night breezes and the full moon. Traditionally, each of the LARC clubs has taken a turn hosting the pursuit start races, but for 2023, BFSC is hosting the series which kicked off Saturday, June 3, 2023.
 

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FALL

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Fall Series (NOR-SIs) -  Held each fall, this year's six race series kicked off August 5, 2023. Races are typically held at 1pm w/Skippers meeting at 11am in the parking lot of Pig Tales at Aqualand Marina.

Barefoot Open Regatta - This year marked our 49th(!) BFO. We celebrated at the University Yacht Club (UYC) over the October 13-15 weekend and are excited to announce that next year's 50th will again be hosted at UYC!

 

From the Friday night Skipper’s Meeting with pizza social, to the two full days of racing for all fleets, and the fantastic Saturday night party with Thunder Gypsy. All of this is on top of one of the best venues for lake racing, plus knowledgeable and experienced race committee and judges - a formula for a great weekend of sailing!  Open to all sailboats on Lake Lanier with a current PHRF or PCRF certificate.

 

Pro tip: Stay at the lake by staying on a boat or at a nearby hotel/vacation rental with friends for Friday through Sunday night. You're welcome.

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UYC Lanier Cup - Sponsored by the UYC Maritime Foundation and hosted by UYC, the Lanier Cup Regatta is eagerly anticipated by Lanier racers each November.  Teams from BFSC, LLSC and UYC fiercely compete for bragging rights to the prized "Lanier Cup." Barefoot Sailing Club captured the cup in both 2016 and 2017! This year the race was held Sunday, November 5th. Barefoot placed 2nd overall with Jeff Elam and Chris Webster (S/V Shameless) taking 3rd individually.
 

Dorton Cup Series - This closed regatta is for Barefoot Sailing Club skippers only.  Crew do not need to be Barefoot members.  The results of the Dorton Cup will be incorporated into the Skipper of the Year tally.  This year's race is scheduled for Sunday, November 12, 2023.

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Race times given are for the pre-race skipper's meeting, held in the parking lot of Aqualand's Pig Tales restaurant and Ship's Store.  For the races and regattas, we need volunteers willing to ride on the Race Committee boat. If you want to experience the thrill of watching the race up close, please contact the racing captains, Fred Kempner or Chico Wojna. Hope to see you out there!