Don’t miss Community Sailing Race Week Sept. 27 through Oct. 1, 2023!

Community Sailing New Orleans will hold the second annual Community Sailing Race Week Sept. 27-Oct. 1, 2023 on Lake Pontchartrain. The event will raise vital funding for the public-access sailing center, the first of its kind in Louisiana. Community Sailing New Orleans provides — free and reduced cost — programs for disadvantaged youth, military veterans, Special Olympians and other communities with mental and physical challenges, as well as anyone who wants to discover the joy of being on the water.

Community Sailing Race Week is a true community celebration, featuring a series of events so everyone can get to know the sailing center and learn more about its Sailing for All mission.

The Race Week — co-sponsored by Southern Yacht Club (SYC), New Orleans Yacht Club (NOYC) and Corinthian Sailing Association of Lake Pontchartrain (CSA) — will support the sailing center’s social-impact programs, including those that work with youth development, military veterans and communities with physical and mental challenges.

When: Sept. 27-Oct. 1 with races scheduled on Wednesday night, Friday evening, Saturday morning and Sunday morning. Awards ceremonies will follow the races, with a closing ceremony and party at 3 p.m. at Community Sailing New Orleans, 101 N. Roadway St., at West End.

Media Opportunity: Students from Community Sailing New Orleans’ programs will participate in races on Sunday, Oct. 1, at 10 a.m. Media are welcome to attend and photograph the on-water action. A spectator boat will provide family, friends, sponsors and media with a spectacular view of the racing on Lake Pontchartrain.

Why: Community Sailing Center was purposefully designed to provide accessible, free or low-cost educational and recreational opportunities on Lake Pontchartrain for people of all ages, backgrounds and abilities. CSNO’s mission — Sailing for All — is clear in all aspects of the center’s programing, including, as a core mission, serving the low- and moderate-income communities in metro New Orleans by providing access to an environmental asset that has been historically inaccessible to those large segments of the population.