Derby Dames Race for the Roses
May 2, 2026
Western Carolina Sailing Club, Anderson, SC
Welcome to the 4th running of WOW's Derby Dames Race for the Roses!
Shake out your sails, fortify your crew, dust off your best Kentucky Derby hat, and come join us for this budding event.
The roses are blooming. The ponies are running. The sails are filling.
Let’s go outside and play!
THERE ARE NO FEES FOR THIS EVENT
ELIGIBILITY AND ENTRY:
- The regatta is open to all sailboats. Entrants should pre-register online no later than Wednesday, April 29th on the event page of the WCSC website calendar.
- Since this is a pursuit start race, we need to know before the day of the event what boats are racing in order to calculate a start time and have the competitors’ packets ready.
- If a boat shows up to race without having pre-registered online by April 29th she will be allowed to race; however, she will be assigned the rating of the pre-registered boat that is next fastest to her. If a boat shows up that is faster than the fastest pre-registered boat, she will have 15 points subtracted from her PHRF rating and her delay times will be lengthened accordingly.
RULES:
The regatta will be governed by The Racing Rules of Sailing (RRS) 2025-2028 and prescriptions of US Sailing, this notice, and the Sailing Instructions.
CLASSES AND FLEETS:
- Dinghy Class - boats 14 feet long or less: Examples include Sunfish, Force 5's, Lasers, Terras, Open Bics, and 420s.
- Three dinghies are needed to constitute a class.
- There will be one fleet, Dame at the helm, single or double handed.
- Distance Class - all other sailboats:
- There will be three fleets including All-Dames boats, Dame at the Helm, and Dame as Crew (any capacity from sail trimmer to drink mixologist to heavy-air rail equalizer).
- There will be two courses, both using government marks.
- The Dinghy class will be given a shorter course and the Distance Class will be given a longer course.
FLEET INSTRUCTIONS:
- For the All-Dames fleet, each racing sailboat must have a female at the helm and all female crew throughout the duration of the race.
- For the Dame at the Helm fleet, each racing sailboat must have a female at the helm throughout the duration of the race.
- For the Dame as Crew fleet, each racing sailboat must have a female participating on the boat throughout the duration of the race.
SCHEDULE OF EVENTS, SATURDAY MAY 2:
- 0900 - Final Registration/ Check-In
- 1000 - Registration/ Check-In Ends
- 1015 - Competitors’ Meeting on the porch
- 1200 – Expected start of delay time clock
- Party will be as soon as possible after racing ends, we will ring the bell when party starts - Heavy Hors D'oeuvres, Mint Julips, Sodas, and Water Provided. BYOB other drinks.
- Kentucky Derby post time set at approx 6:57pm EDT
AWARDS AND OTHER ACCOLADES:
- 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place in each fleet for Dinghy class and Distance class.
- Budding Regatta Roses: First time at the helm or first regatta
- Recognition of Family Teams
- Recognition of all Junior Dames (ages 8-18)
- Most Fabulous Hats
- Derby (roses, horses, etc.)
- Nautical: (boats, marine life, etc.)
- WOW Spirit: (women and girls sailing, competence, confidence, and camaraderie)
Volunteer help always welcome for food, supplies, set up, cleanup, and all things in-between. AND it's a good chance to collect some Fair Share hours.
Menu Sign Up
Shoreside Volunteers
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New to pursuit start racing at WCSC or new to the Derby Dames race for the Roses? Click on the Step-By-Step Guide below for the whole enchilada, from Pre-Registartion to Party:
A Step-by-Step Beginners Guide to the Derby Dames Race for the Roses
For details about what you need to know about entering and sailing the race, click on NOR-SIs below:
NOR-SIs
For information about the possible courses to be sailed and the buoys that describe the courses, click on Buoy and Course List below:
Buoy_and_Course_List
To see the different possible courses drawn on a map of the lake including distances and compass bearings, click on Lake Map below:
Lake Map
To brush up on the basic right-of-way rules between boats, click on S.A.I.L Tips below:
S.A.I.L. Tips
For photo albums of previous events, please click on the WOW Regatta 2023 and 2024 links below:
WOW Regatta 2025
WOW Regatta 2024
WOW Regatta 2023
Questions about the Event? Email WOW, wcsc.wow@gmail.com
Questions about Registration? Email Allison, allisonf.home@gmail.com
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Where's the pre-registration button???
Go to the event page, scroll waaay down to "Number of People Who Will Attend"
Under that you will find some choices-
* Pre-register a boat to race: Select this if you are entering a boat to race. One party pass is included.
* Party Pass: Select this for your guests (and yourself if you are not entering a boat) who plan to stay for the party. This is so we know how much food (and how many mint juleps) we will need to prepare.