CAROLINA SAILING
Goin’ Back to Rockville Always fun, occasionally rowdy, a Low Country sailing tradition continues to evolve. By Dan Dickison
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razy. That’s a word some sailors might use to describe the action at the Rockville Regatta. Absurd might be the term that comes to mind for by-the-book race managers, but quirky is a more benign and probably more accurate descriptor for this two-day affair that serves as the summer season ender for sailors across the Carolina Low Country. To make sense of those adjectives, all you need to know about this regatta is that it attracts nearly 10 times as many powerboats as it does sailboats, and everyone shares a small stretch of Bohicket Creek. Racers, residents and revelers, each in their own way turn out to celebrate a tradition that stretches back 123 years. On shore, this event is mostly tranquil as members and guests of the host Sea Island Yacht Club renew their friendships throughout a weekend of racing and visiting, but on the water, tight quarters and countless alcohol-fueled revelers aboard 200-plus powerboats add a potentially volatile element. When mixed with the action of a 40-boat regatta, things can go south in a hurry. The event’s organizers are well aware of this, which is why they coordinate efforts with five separate branches of law enforcement to ensure that their signature event does not get out of hand. The Rockville Regatta wasn’t always such a boisterous scene on the water. It began as a simple challenge from one Sea Islander to another. At stake in this two-boat contest were bragging rights and a bit of regional pride—John Sosnowski was from Wadmalaw Island where Rockville
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August 2013
SOUTHWINDS
Competitors skirt their boats along the massive spectator fleet that shares the river at the annual Rockville Regatta. Photo by Jeff Dennis.
sits, and Jenkins Mikell lived just across the North Edisto River on Edisto Island. No records exist from that seminal affair, but local lore indicates that it drew a few observers. Over time, the contest took up residence on the social calendar. Each year in August, spectators and well-wishers made their pilgrimage to this sleepy hamlet nearly 25 miles from Charleston. In those initial decades, the proceedings were marked by gentility. Onlookers customarily dressed up for the occasion. Some went out on the water aboard craft festooned with garlands and banners while others watched from the shoreline and up on the verandahs of the houses that compose much of the village. The Races at Rockville, as the regatta was known during that era, were always festive and somewhat formal. Up until the latter half of the 20th century, no racing took place on Sundays, but in the past three decades, things have changed, particularly among the spectator fleet. This armada has taken on a raucous aspect—think spring break and Lollapalooza, with a touch of Big Time Wrestling audience demeanor thrown in. “It’s definitely quite a party out there,” offers Grayson Carter, alluding to the spectator fleet that each year seems barely contained by the line of buoys that club members set out to distinguish the racing area from the mosh pit. Carter has a lot invested in this event. He’s not only the yacht club’s commodore, but also the owner of three of the Sea Island One Design sailboats that compete. And, like a lot of the folks racing or helping to manage the event, he grew up going to the Rockville Regatta, so the event holds special significance for him. “There are a number of regattas around Charleston, but there’s really nothing quite like our event. As one of the oldest sailing regattas in the country, it’s important historically, and then there’s all that hullaballoo across the river. You don’t see that in too many places.” The regatta is also special for Paul Andrews, a past commodore and another local who grew up racing at the event. These days, Andrews is in charge of the marks, as well as the club’s safety boats. He and his fellow club leaders realized long ago that they’ve got little control over what takes place on the other side of their line of buoys. “Whatever happens on that side of the river is in the hands of law enforcement, the Department of Natural Resources www.southwindsmagazine.com