When over 200 sailboats take off at the same time, it is quite a sight, according to Buccaneer Blast Regatta organizer Rosa Lamela.
“People need to see what it’s like to watch 200 kids launching. It really is breathtaking,” she said.
Observers will be able to see this sight at Rowell’s Waterfront Park in Key Largo on the weekend of Feb. 4-6, when the Buccaneer Blast Regatta, Presented by Red Hospitality & Leisure, takes place.
According to Lamela, this is the 13th year of the event for youth sailors. When it started in 2010, about 50 participants came from the Keys, Fort Lauderdale and Miami.
“Last year, we had 256 kids attend the event in spite of COVID, from all over — California, the Midwest, New England and a couple of teams from the Caribbean,” said Lamela.
She helps run the Buccaneer Blast Regatta through her role as executive director of the nonprofit Mark Sorensen Youth Sailing Program (MSYSP), a part of the Upper Keys Sailing Club. The mission of MSYSP is to make the sport of sailing affordable, accessible and inclusive to Upper Keys and South Dade children.
Lamela extols the virtues of sailing for kids.
“For children here in the Keys who grow up in the water, sailing will teach them to be safe and smart boaters,” she said. “When they’re out there by themselves, they have to figure things out on the fly and learn to be self-sufficient. They learn not to panic. And they feel connected to the environment.”
This year, for the first time, windsurfing will join Optimist- and Laser-class sailing for the competitive racing on Blackwater Sound. In addition, a welcome reception will be held on Friday, Feb. 4, with music, food and drinks, and a sunset cruise. And the Keys community is invited to watch the live near-shore racing and enter a raffle contest.
“I’d like to note that we’re working closely with the Coast Guard, FWC and emergency management services to make sure this is a safe event on the water, with 200 competitors and race committee boats,” said Lamela.
Tickets for competitors are $135 for two days, and each child will get a skipper bag, lunch and a regatta shirt. Proceeds from the event will be used to buy new sailboats for MSYSP.
Registration is open at regattanetwork.com/event/23523. More information on Buccaneer Blast and the Mark Sorensen Youth Sailing Program is at msysp.org. Rowell’s Waterfront Park is located at 104550 Overseas Highway, Key Largo, bayside.
