Ocean Regattas are becoming rarer each year.  Beach access is diminishing and the additional effort for chase boats and shore personnel exceeds the dwindling membership resources of many fleets.  In central Florida, the two or three that remain are coasting on their inertia.  Because they've been held in the past, they're still going.  If one ends, there's no other group waiting to organize a successor.   JPOR is the oldest continuously held beach regatta, at 33.  It is therefore good to acknowledge that this year almost all the organizers, including but not limited to Dave Ingram, Brian Karr, Chuck Harndon and Mark Herendeen would all have been scooting around the beach cats on boogie boards when it was a young regatta 30 years ago (if they had been around.)  Let's hope this new generation can keep this ocean regatta going. 

Participation was down in 2006.  Only about 20 catamaran teams showed up.  This probably reflects the continuing drag of the last two years of hurricanes and declining economic prospects in Florida.  High gas prices didn't help, either.  Teams from south Florida and the panhandle were conspicuous in their absence.  [A note to the missing sailors:  you're more than welcome next year!]

Racing conditions aren't always perfect for JPOR, but usually they are.  This year, they were nearly perfect for a late spring ocean regatta.  A southeast breeze started at dawn and remained the whole day.  For the first race, just after noon, the wind was about 10 knots.  By the late afternoon, the wind was more westerly, and gusty.  It provided many items for the oops file.  No rain threatened until after the races on Sunday.  These conditions are perfect for a beach regatta.