Master and Commander

The battles under sail along the Gulfshore today don't match the treacherous days of Adm. Lord Nelson and Capt. John Paul Jones-but they are fiercely competitive, even though lives are no longer at stake.

Quasi-combat, in the form of racing sailing vessels, occurs many weekends each month, with modern sailors matching wits, hulls and crews in bloodless bat-

tles at Naples, Marco Island, Fort Myers Beach, Punta Gorda and Pine Island.

"It's the challenge of handling wind, water and vessel-it never gets boring," says Naples' Peter Gagne, who skippers the Argo. "The same race course changes every day, according to the tide and weather."

There are two types of racing-one-design and offshore. One-design racing is done in boats usually less than 20 feet in length, all of which are the same type or design. They're raced around small triangle courses in calmer inshore waters near Matlacha and Useppa islands, in Naples Bay or on the Caloosahatchee River. "With our group, it's about the camaraderie," says Ken Moe, a Sunfish racer at Matlacha.

Sunfish boats are only 14 feet in length, yet the determined look in the eyes of Sunfish racers is every bit as daunting as that of the ocean racers I've seen over the last 35 years. At Matlacha, I regularly get my hat handed to me in Sunfish races by a 100-pound woman half my age who only started racing the little devils a few years ago. Talk about ego deflation.

The hefty racers in this sport are the offshore boats. They're in the 24- to 50-foot range, have crews of three to 15 people and compete in distance or triangle races. The largest of these can cost as much as $500,000; many go for more than $100,000, and some of the smaller ones are $50,000.

Most triangle races are off Fort Myers Beach and Naples. The boats usually sail two or three times around a five- to eight-mile course, taking several hours to finish, depending on the wind. Races can be exhausting for a crew because there are so many sail changes and the boats are in close proximity throughout the race.

For the more adventurous, distance races go to various ports, such as Fort Myers Beach, Marco Island, Naples, Key West, Punta Gorda, Captiva Island and Sarasota. Because these races take all day and sometimes last overnight, the ability to focus on sail trim and steering is an important asset. And for many, the romance of it is irresistible. "It's an opportunity to get out there on the water and see all these beautiful boats sailing," says Fort Myers' Debra George, who races offshore in the crew of the 36-foot Windy City.

Most of the large offshore sailing fleets in our area began in the 1970s. The Cape Coral Sailing Club started in 1975, followed by the Gulf Coast Sailing Club in Naples in '76; the most famous of the bunch, the improbably named Caloosahatchee Marching and Chowder Society, got underway in 1971. Today about 500 vessels make up these and other fleets.

The most prestigious race takes place on Labor Day weekend, when about 60 of the best sailing skippers on the coast meet at the Summerset Regatta. Celebrating its 40th anniversary this year, the event has both a distance race-from Fort Myers Beach to Naples-and a triangle race off Naples. Offshore racers plan all year for this. No quarter is given and every advantage is taken as they struggle to take the prize in their division and win the overall championship. Afterward, the racers will party ashore, their watery exploits growing in direct proportion to the amount of rum consumed. Many of the skippers and crew members are women and are every bit as determined and skilled as their male adversaries, with sea stories just as hilarious.

But the most interesting, frustrating and sometimes scary part about the Summerset Regatta is the weather. A typical late-August or early-September day begins with an eight- to 10-knot land breeze; a dead calm midday is often followed by a beautiful sea breeze in the early afternoon, ending with a thunderstorm in the late afternoon. Add in the potential uncertainties brought on by tropical storms in the Caribbean, and you'd better be prepared for a serious challenge-all in the incredible heat of the summer sun. The Summerset Regatta is a test of endurance and skill that can strain the abilities of the best skipper and crew.

You won't receive money or international fame if you win the Summerset Regatta. But you do get a trophy and bragging rights at all the sailor watering holes along Florida's west coast. And, of course, you have the satisfaction of knowing you defeated the best.

Adm. Lord Nelson would have understood completely.

Maritime writer and lecturer Robert N. Macomber won the Summerset Regatta in 1972 and several times since. Visit his Web site at www.robertmacomber.com.