Sailing

The 19th edition of the annual Rags To Riches Regatta returns to Grayton Beach on July 4, 2015 in celebration of American Independence Day. The small catamaran race is a tradition among SoWal sailors, families, friends, and Grayton Beach lovers.

Read about the history of the race >

Race registration begins at 8 A.M. on the beach at the mani Grayton Beach access behind the Red Bar with a Captains' meeting at 11 A.M. and the race beginning soon after that.

A Local Fourth of July Weekend Tradition Finds Its Sea Legs

“Whenever two sailboats are on the water at the same time,” says Charlie Thornton, “it’s a race.  The captains may not admit it, but each wants to go faster than the other.”

Some things never change.

Last Fourth of July local sailors gathered for the legendary Rags to Riches Regatta, a Hobie Cat Race with a course between Grayton Beach and Seagrove. Seventeen captains showed up with their crew and 16-foot Hobies to negotiate the famously rowdy Gulf.

If you haven’t made your way over to Destin to spend some time on the harbor, you are missing out! The Destin Harbor is home to a thriving charter fishing fleet, a place for all kind of fun on the water, and a feast for the senses where some of Florida’s best seafood is served up daily.

This year's Rags To Riches Regatta takes place on Grayton Beach on Sunday, July 1, with registration at 8AM. It's a colorful and action-packed SoWalcom-sponsored tradition residents and visitors love to take part in and make memories.

“Everyone in Grayton Beach thought of themselves as poor,” Charlie Thornton recalls, “and they went by ‘rags.’  The folks in Seagrove were all better off, so they went by ‘riches.’  So that year we called it the Rags to Riches Regatta.  The next year we sailed from Seagrove to Grayton, and would call it Riches to Rags."

The 2010 edition of Rags To Riches Regatta was a thrilling success. Rough seas calmed and winds were perfect. The water was clean and clear except for a bit of froth from Hurricane Alex's passing through the southern reaches of the Gulf of Mexico.