The first race of the Punta Gorda Sailing Club’s Fall Series had to dodge some showers ringing the Harbor, but started and finished with only a sprinkle or two in shifty 10-knot winds.

Hank Killion piloted his J/24 “Sea Dragon” to a win in the spinnaker class, while Bill Curtis took the non-spinnaker bullet aboard his Morgan 24.

Mike Buscher’s Hunter 42 “Serendipity” started the series the way he finished the Summer Series, with a win over Tony Millan’s Erickson 35 “Tribe.”

The Fall Series resumes Sept. 12. Full results from the Summer Series will appear in next week’s WaterLine.

Leukemia Cup

Members of the Isles Yacht Club have done an incredible job to raise money for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society with their annual participation in the worldwide Leukemia Cup Regatta. In 2011, Skip Mansfield will join a long succession of dedicated race chairmen.

He’ll get help from individual captains and crews who have embarked on fundraising campaigns in advance of the local March race. I’ll let Wendy Filler of the Punta Gorda Sailing Club share the story of Team Fancy Free:

“I have been given a wonderful opportunity to get a jump start on our fundraising for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society in the upcoming regatta in March. I will be racing along with an outstanding captain and crew onboard Fancy Free once again. This is a cause that has touched myself and our crew in a way I cannot even describe. Please take a moment to look at our website and visit often to monitor our progress: www.sun.lcr.llsevent.org/fancyfree.”

Good luck to Skip and his race committee, and to Team Fancy Free and all the others who participate in this worthwhile benefit event.

Hog Island Clean-up

The PGSC is coordinating a clean-up of Hog Island as part of the Ocean Conservancy’s International Coastal Cleanup Day Sept. 25. This is the 25th annual Coastal Cleanup during which millions of pounds of litter and debris has been collected from inland roadsides, coastal areas, lakes and rivers around the world.

If you’ve ever seen photos of the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, you know the impact even one discarded bag, can or bottle can have on our waterways. For more information, go to www.PGSCWeb.com.

Regatta program

At its recent meeting, the board of directors of the Charlotte Harbor Regatta approved a new fundraising program for the event, scheduled for Feb. 3-6, 2011. Following up on the success of the Founding Patron hat and shirt sale to support the 2010 regatta, the board will be producing a limited-edition glossy program for the 2011 regatta.

Ad rates will be determined soon and regatta directors will begin calling on individual and business supporters of this collaborative event, which promotes youth and adult sailing on Charlotte Harbor. For information about the program, call Brian Gleason at 941-206-1133 or e-mail me at gleason@charlotteharborregatta.com.

We welcome your sailing news and photos. Please submit items to Brian at gleason@sun-herald.com or call him at 941-206-1133.