By By GREG KATSKI
Community Editor
BELHAVEN — Boaters beware: Pirates on the Pungo will begin pillaging and plundering the tributaries of the Pungo River earlier than expected this summer.
The annual regatta, usually held in mid-July, has been moved up to May 21-23. Sailboat skippers hope the move will bring calmer weather to the Pungo River.
“I think moving it forward is probably a good thing, particularly in light of the weather,” said Brett Auer, commodore of the Belhaven Yacht Club and organizer of the race.
In years past, the regatta had been dampened by summer storms and held back by inconsistent winds.
Auer said race registration is up from 2009, which bodes well for the regatta’s sole benefactor — the Pungo District Hospital Foundation.
The foundation is comprised of dedicated volunteers who donate countless hours of time to support Pungo District Hospital, which is a nonprofit heath-care facility. It has helped fund equipment upgrades, ongoing nurse and staff training, refurnishing of the hospital’s patient rooms and student scholarships, according to Arden Root, executive director of the foundation.
Root said fundraisers like the regatta are inherently important to the survival of the hospital, especially in the current economy.
“Just like any nonprofit organization, our revenues have been down,” she said. “It’s been difficult.”
The regatta has brought the foundation an average of $15,000 each over the past three years. The race’s high-water mark was $17,041, set in 2007.
“It’s varied in the last couple of years,” Root said. “But we’re still getting real good participation from sailors and the community.”
The centerpiece of the weekend is, of course, the race. The registered sailboats are divided up into three classes: PHRF, cruising and dinghy.
PHRF is a rating system of sailboats based on a particular design of a boat and based on the number of races and how it performs against other boats. It’s a handicap to make sure a lot of boats can race one another other.
Keel sailboats, which are 21 feet or longer, will make up the PHRF and cruising classes.
Straying from the format of past regattas, this year’s Pirates on the Pungo will feature a staggered start. Sailboats will be given a handicap before each race, with the slowest boats starting first based on individual times.
“The boats should converge at the finish,” Auer said. “It should make for a lot of fun.”
The boats will launch from various sites on the Pungo River, Pungo Creek and Pantego Creek. The regatta will be followed by a “happy hour” at River Forest Manor from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m., with the Buccaneer Bash dinner and dance starting at 6 p.m. The 360 Degrees band and Island Time Entertainment will perform until 11 p.m.
The weekend will wrap up with awards and trophy presentations in the PHRF and dinghy classes at 2 p.m. Sunday.
Rick Brass, events organizer, said the weekend’s co-sponsors, the Belhaven Yacht Club and River Rat Yacht Club, want to put more of an emphasis on other happenings throughout the three-day event, besides the race.
Organizers are offering shoreside passes, which include two breakfasts, a happy hour and admission to the Buccaneer Bash for $35 each. Tickets may be purchased online at www.piratesonpungo.org or by contacting Brass at 946-2244.
Over the years, Brass said, he’s noticed that a lot of sailors are only so serious about racing, but a lot more serious about having a good time.
“They come out for the beach music, cocktail hours and camaraderie,” he said.