Mardi Gras Regatta

2008-12-11T04:26:00.035-06:00

Click below to be taken to the new MGRW website:
Mardi Gras Race Week 2011

The Mardi Gras Regatta in New Orleans

2008-12-09T22:25:00.007-06:00

Need an outlet for your racing energy this winter? Headed back from KWRW? Then pack up your sailing gear and head down to New Orleans for the Mardi Gras Regatta 2009.

The New Orleans Yacht Club requests your presence for a weekend of bead tossing, hard core racing…and oh yeah-three days of partying New Orleans style.

With Mardi Gras culminating on Fat Tuesday, February 24, 2009, the best sailors will just not let the party end and will roll through their hangovers and rock the next weekend for some monster one-design sailing on February 27-28.

OD Classes expected:
- Finns (over 40 boats already committed)
- MOTHs (CA Moth Class)
- Melges
- J/30, J/22 & J/24
- Vanguard
- Laser
- Lightning
- Flying Scot (GYA Capdeville)
- Fish

Six boats will constitute a class, with daily and overall prizes awarded. Free keg of beer after each day of racing, live music nightly, Gumbo cook-off, beads, broads and more booze. Evening activities are planned for you to get the true “Mardi Gras” experience (in case you can’t make the real thing which is only three days before the races start). We welcome all classes of one design boats to participate in this regatta, so contact your friends and fellow sailors, shovel off the snow (for you Northern Snow Birds) and spend a week with us in New Orleans! A good day in the Deep South can be as high as 65 degrees! Too far to trailer a boat but just can’t miss the fun? Give us a call and we’ll do our best to find you boat to charter for the weekend.

- REGISTER NOW -
- NOR -
-WHO'S RACING OD -
- WHO'S RACING PHRF -

2008-03-02T16:14:00.004-06:00

MARDI GRAS REGATTA PHOTOS

A LOT More 2009 PHOTOS

MOTH Warm-Up Race PHOTOS

Tons of Opti shots then Finn PHOTOS

moptis

2008-03-02T11:38:00.001-06:00

2008-03-01T15:59:00.003-06:00

FUTURE MARDI GRAS REGATTA DATES*

2010 - February 17-21
2011 - March 9 - 13
2012 - February 22 - 26
2013 - February 13 - 17
2014 - March 5 - 9
2015 - February 18 - 22
2016 - February 10 - 14
2017 - February 29 - March 4
2018 - February 14 - 18
2019 - March 6 - 10
2020 - February 26 - March 2

* Wondering why the dates for Mardi Gras Regatta bounce around? Well, the Mardi Gras Regatta is set to coincide with Mardi Gras which is the last day before Ash Wednesday, the beginning of Lent. And Lent always starts 46 days before Easter and Fat Tuesday is always the day before Ash Wednesday. Easter can fall on any Sunday from March 23 to April 25 with the exact date to coincide with the first Sunday after the full moon following a Spring Equinox!

So there you have it.

The Venue

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New Orleans is located on the southern shores of the 633 square miles of Lake Pontchartrain which have given rise to some of the country's most talented sailors including two members of the current US Olympic team, John Dane (Stars) and Johnny Lovell (Tornado) as well as Ryan Finn (Mini) and Benz Faget (nearly everything).

With an average mean depth of 12 feet and what has been described as schitzophrenic winds, the lake is arguably one of the most challenging places to sail in the United States.

John Dane III, 56, and teammate Austin Sperry represented the US in the Star Class at the 2008 Olympic Games. "Growing up sailing on Lake Pontchartrain offered the ideal conditions to excel at this sport," says Dane, one of the older athletes to compete in the games. "The winds out on the lake are shifty and because the lake is so shallow, the water conditions can range from flat to rough and choppy, which all forces one to be adaptive. Tack onto this the fact that I was always being mentored by world champions in New Orleans, and Lake Pontchartrain and the Gulf Coast become ideal training grounds."

The Racing

2007-11-27T15:08:00.002-06:00

The Gulf South has quietly produced some of this country's strongest sailors, and many will be in attendance at this year's event. Post-Katrina, the Gulf Coast has also seen an expansion of its one-design fleets as many owners replace their lost boats with faster and the more practical trailerable boats.

With Key West Race Week culminating a short two weeks before the start of the Mardi Gras Regatta, why not transit that boat back through New Orleans and get in another few days of hard core racing.

Mardi Gras Regatta consists of a GYA Capdeville event as well as multiple classes of one-design racing.

GYA Capdevielle

One Design: Melges 32, Melges 24, Finn, MOTH, J-22, J-24, J-30, J-80, Lightning, Open Flying Scott, R-19, V15, Fish Boats, Sonars, Sunfish, Optimist, etc.

ALL CLASSES ARE WELCOME

* Minimum 6 boats required constituting a class except for Capdevielle

GYA Capdevielle – 5 Races will be scheduled in accordance with the Optional Alternate Format as described in Appendix G of the GYA Regulations for Sanctioned Events.

One Design Classes – To Be Announced at Skippers Meetings

The Party

2007-11-27T13:04:00.002-06:00

ARE YOU SERIOUS? What kind of question is that?

New Orleans knows how to throw a party and the New Orleans Yacht Club has never not "won" a regatta party. Whether it's free kegs immediately following the racing to the “Bloody Mary Mornings and Mardi Gras Mimosas” at the start of each race day to the Pirate's of Pontchartrain Mardi Gras Ball - this Mardi Gras Regatta will definitely make Bacchus (the God of Wine) proud!

Neverending events are planned around the serious racing and the food will be typically outstanding New Orleans fare. This includes a monster crawfish and crab boil as well as a gumbo cookoff held right out on the piers.

The Captain Morgan's Rum pirate booty women will be wandering the grounds throughout the weekend.

This WILL be a Mardi Gras Regatta for the ages.

Accomodations

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New Orleans' West End is nearly fully back online with many new and returning bars and restaurants and coupled with New Orleans Yacht Club and the nearby Southern Yacht Club - West End is the ideal location for a regatta of this size and magnitude.

Downtown & French Quarter Hotels (For the true New Orleans experience)

- Hotel Monteleone - 800.535.9595
- W Hotel - 504.523.2910
- The Hilton - 504.561.0500
- Sheraton - 504.525.2500
- Maison de Ville - 800.634.1600
- The Whitney (Wyndham) - 504.581.4222
- Hampton Inn Downtown - 504.529.9990

West End (walking distance to the marinas)

- The Rose Manor Inn - 504.282.8200

Metairie Hotels (Suburbia, but a bit closer to the yacht club)

- BestWestern Landmark Hotel – 504.888.9500
- Hampton Inn - 504.831.7676
- Courtyard by Marriott - 504.838.3800
- La Quinta - 800.531.5900
- Ramada Limited - 504.835.4141
- Doubletree/Marriott Hotel Lakeside - 504.836.5253

There will be limited “college style” free housing for competitors. Those interested should contact Macho Slavich by email: broachin@msn.com.

View Larger Map

Boat Storage

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While New Orleans still has a long road ahead in her recovery from Hurricane Katrina, West End is nearly fully back online. Municipal harbor is now completely devoid of foundered boats and debris. Many slips are available.

New Orleans Yacht Club has a limited number of dry storage spots available for use by participants and will be granted on a first come, first serve basis.

Race Committee is also currently working with the city and a security agency to provide dry storage in the large, vacant parking lot across from West End Park.

Other dry storage may be available adjacent to NOYC's dry storage on the cleared site of the New Orleans Power Squadron.

Getting Here

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View Larger Map

Who's Racing

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This information will be available shortly.

Contact & Important Numbers

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New Orleans Yacht Club - 504.283.2581
NOYC.org

Regatta Chair,
Regatta Co-Chair,
NOYC General Manager, Buzzy McFerrin - 504.283.2581

West Marine
827 Harrison Ave New Orleans, LA 70124 504.482.5090

Sea Chest Marine Distributors
7385 W Roadway St New Orleans, LA 70124 504.288.1250

Cat 5 Composites
6201 France Road New Orleans, LA 70126 504.382.4879

Emergency= 911

New Orleans Police Department
715 S Broad St New Orleans, LA 70119 504.658.5820

Orleans Parish Prison
2800 Gravier St. New Orleans, LA 70119 504.822.8000

24 Hour Unlimited Bail Bonds
1340 Poydras St New Orleans, LA 70130 504.412.1100

United Cab - 504.522.9771
Yellow-Checker Cabs - 504.525.3311

Rudy Smith Towing Service
425 N. Claiborne Ave New Orleans, LA 70112 504.522.8123
Impound Lot
24 Hour Restaurants

Rose Manor Inn
Bed & Breakfast located within walking distance of the venue.
7214 Pontchartrain Blvd, New Orleans, LA‎ - 504.282.8200‎

2007-11-22T10:37:00.003-06:00

New Orleans Yacht Club is now taking orders for the 2009 Mardi Gras Regatta t-shirt as seen below:

Sizes remaining: S, M, L & XXL

White cotton, long sleeve.

$20 + $5 Shipping US
$20 + $9 Shipping Europe, Canada & OZ.

Email: BUZZY [at] NOYC [dot] org or call Buzzy @ 504.283.2581 to place your order.

Please include:
NAME
SHIPPING ADDRESS
CONTACT NUMBER
SIZE
NAME ON THE CREDIT CARD
TYPE OF CREDIT CARD
ACCOUNT NUMBER
EXPIRATION DATE

or if you want to charge to GYA account (Gulf Yachting Association ONLY & in good standing):
MEMBER NAME
CLUB
VALID YC NUMBER

or call Buzzy @ 504.283.2581 to place your order.

NO RETURNS.

Thanks and hope to see you down in NOLA next year!