The Coral Bay Yacht Club’s annual fundraising flotilla will be held at Johnson’s Bay on Saturday from 12 to 4 p.m.
Boat owners from St. John and beyond are encouraged to grab a few friends and sail or motor from the dinghy dock in Coral Bay at noon over to Johnson’s Bay. Funds raised at this year’s event will be used to assist the Coral Bay fire station, the Kids and the Sea (KATS) sailing program, and scholarships for education.
Johnson’s Bay, located across from the Calabash Boom Housing Community, is also easily accessible by car. Admission is $20. There will be a cash bar, and hamburgers, veggie burgers, and hotdogs will be available for $5. Singer Lauren Jones Magnie will invite others to join her for a turn at an open mic.
The admission fee includes a free sailing lesson aboard a small sailing vessel as well as a chance to win a half-day boat trip with Flyaway Charters which includes lunch for six at the Lime Out, the popular floating taco bar.
During the day, youngsters involved with the KATS program– which is based at Johnson’s Bay–will demonstrate their sailing skills. The KATS program began on St. John in 1988 following the tragic drowning of several boy scouts on a boating excursion to an off-island cay.
This past season, the KATS program taught rowing and seamanship skills to 24 youngsters from St. John and continued instruction for more advanced sailors, in spite of losing much of their equipment during Hurricane Irma.
Graduates of that program have gone on to sail on Optimists, Lasers, 420’s, and IC 24’s. Several KATS alumni recently competed in the St. Thomas International Opti Regatta hosted by the St. Thomas Yacht Club in June. Many KATS graduates have gone on to race competitively on college teams and have moved into careers in the marine industry.
This is the 22nd year that the Coral Bay Yacht Club has held a fundraising regatta. In addition, they sponsor the Thanksgiving Regatta and co-host the Commodore’s Cup.
