The Southeast coast is busy through the month of January! Racing, museums, and feasts: you can find them from the Florida Keys to the Carolina’s.
Racing
As even a casual sailor knows, all you need for a sailboat race is a second sailboat off your beam. Now imagine hundreds of world-class racers gathering in a setting as unique as Key West, Florida, and you have the makings for one of the most popular sailboat racing events in the country. From January 15th through the 20th, racing sailboats and sailing enthusiasts will convene in Key West for the 30th anniversary of Quantum Key West Race Week.
The week consists of races between both national and international teams of large ocean racers along with a wide variety of smaller One Design classes. The racing can also be enjoyed even if you don’t own a boat; charters are available for the week and individual boats are always looking for experienced crew. The event is based at the Waterfront Brewery on the Bight for all shoreside activities. keywestraceweek.com
Maritime museums
January is a great month to go inside and enjoy the rich history maritime museums offer. Savannah’s award-winning maritime museum Ships of the Sea celebrates the past era of Atlantic sea trade and travel. A new exhibit opens January 13th and runs through April 2nd: Low Country Callings: Goin’ With The Flow, A Narrative of Savannah’s Maritime Community in Portraiture, by artist Carol Lasell Miller. Additional information is available at shipsofthesea.org.
North Carolina’s Maritime Museum in Beaufort holds a two-day course in wooden boatbuilding on January 28th and 29th. In this two-day, hands-on course, students explore the art of boatbuilding from start to finish, including design, setup, steam bending, and different methods of creating the backbone of small boats. Information and registration is at ncmaritimemuseumbeaufort.com.
Looking for a maritime museum in your area? Go to southernboating.com/maritime-museums to read about 19 other maritime museums around the country and world.
A feast in the Florida Keys
If you don’t get enough to eat and drink over the holidays, make your way south to continue the feast this month, since January is becoming food and wine month in the Florida Keys. Begin with Uncorked: The Key Largo and Islamorada Food and Wine Festival on January 5th. The fun runs for 11 days at various restaurants and special venues. Attendees can participate in cooking and wine-paring classes with top chefs and sommeliers. The festival is capped off by a Grand Tasting event at the Postcard Inn Beach Resort & Marina on Islamorada on Saturday, January 14th. For all the details go to floridakeysuncorked.com. Other events include:
Brew on the Bay Craft Beer Festival: January 6-7, Rowell’s Waterfront Park on Key Largo; keylargobrewonthebay.com
Florida Keys Seafood Festival: January 14-15, Bayside Park in Key West; fkcfa.org/seafood-festival1
Key West Food and Wine Festival: January 25-29, 30 events at a variety of locations; keywestfoodandwinefestival.com
By Bob Arrington, Southern Boating Magazine January 2017
