At 6:15 p.m. Oct. 27, the Punta Gorda Sailing Club’s Moonlight Regatta got underway in near perfect conditions. That means a fresh breeze, and excellent views of the full moon and the sunset. The worst case for this evening race would be light wind and fog! Several hundred miles east, Hurricane Sandy delivered too much wind and rain to the Bahamas.

Six boats of different speed potential start at the same time in this race from Marker #1 at the intersection of the Peace and Myakka rivers, run to Burnt Store and return. Their elapsed time is recorded and corrected using the PHRF handicapping formula, which compensates for factors like size, weight and sail area. This facilitates comparisons between new race boats and older family-oriented boats. Thus you can race the boat you already own or purchase one you can afford and join the fun!