Most mornings this fall, the first warning signal will sound over Hillsborough Bay at 11:00, just south of the island. Between Saturday, October 24 and Saturday, November 14, races are scheduled on 13 of those 22 days. That stretch runs from a club Halloween race through a Star Class continental championship and builds to the A-Class Catamaran World Championship. The racing happens off the southern end of Davis Islands, and the world championship catamarans will be stored and launched from the beach beside the island's public beach.
This post lays out those weeks in order, because one event leads straight into the next. It also covers what else is going on around the island while the regattas run.
The racing calendar, week by week
Davis Island Yacht Club, at 1315 Severn Ave., publishes its fall regatta schedule on its regattas page. For the Star championship, the dates below come from the event's amended Notice of Race, version 2026-09-25. The club's general list still shows slightly earlier dates, and the newer document is the one to plan around.
| Dates (2026) | Event | What's on the water |
|---|---|---|
| Sat., Oct. 24 | Halloween BOTY Regatta | Club racing |
| Oct. 25–30 | Star Class North American Championship | Racing Oct. 27–30, two races a day |
| Nov. 4–6 | A Cat Admiral's Cup | Racing Nov. 5 and 6 |
| Sat., Nov. 7 | Sailing Sisters Regatta | Club racing |
| Nov. 7–14 | A Class Catamaran World Championship | Practice Nov. 8, racing Nov. 9–13, Nov. 14 held as an alternate day |
| Sat., Nov. 21 | Egmont BOTY Race | Club racing |
| Fri., Nov. 27 | Old Shoe/New Shoe Regatta | Club racing |
| Dec. 5–6 | J/70 Series #1 | Keelboat series |
| Sun., Dec. 13 | Keelboat BOTY Regatta | Club racing |
For both championships, the first warning signal on racing days is set for 11:00. That means the most activity on the bay will come from late morning into the afternoon. Early mornings should look like an ordinary weekday on the water.
The Stars come first, on a bay with a long racing history
According to the amended Notice of Race, the Star North American Championship racecourse is in Upper Hillsborough Bay, just south of the yacht club. The schedule sets two races a day on October 27, 28, 29 and 30. The club's Star championship page lists check-in and boat inspection on October 25. A practice race and the opening ceremony follow on October 26, a Taste of Tampa buffet is set for the evening of October 29, and awards are scheduled after racing on October 30.
The event packet tells the story of how racing on this water began. When D.P. Davis developed the islands, he formed a Davis Islands Yacht Club, and in 1925 and 1926 it sponsored powerboat regattas. One racing class was known as "The Tampa Babies," made up of mahogany runabouts with 725-cubic-inch engines. That first club stopped operating when the land boom collapsed. The packet's account continues from there with the line "the idea didn't die." A century later, the same stretch of water is hosting a North American championship one week and a world championship two weeks after that.
Then the catamarans arrive, and they set up beside the public beach
The A-Class Catamaran events overlap with daily island life more than any other part of the season. The club's World Championship page says the boats will launch from Davis Island Yacht Club Point Beach, at the end of the road through the club. It also says the club and the public beach next to it will be used for boat storage and launching. Trailers and containers will be parked near the launch area. Expect the area around the island's southern beach to be busier than usual from the Admiral's Cup on November 4 through the end of the Worlds.
Here is how the fleet builds:
- Admiral's Cup, November 4–6. Arrival and check-in are on November 4, with 11:00 first warnings on November 5 and 6. Registration on Regatta Network showed 47 sailors in mid-October 2026, 41 in the Classic division and 6 in the Open.
- Practice and opening, Sunday, November 8. The practice race starts at 13:00, followed by an 18:00 opening ceremony and a 19:00 competitors' meeting.
- World Championship racing, November 9–13. Two races are scheduled each day, and Saturday, November 14 is held as an alternate day.
- Awards banquet and closing ceremony, November 14.
The Worlds fleet is the larger of the two. In mid-October 2026, Regatta Network's World Championship registration showed 79 sailors, with 61 in the Classic division and 18 in the Open. Registered entrants include Randy Smyth sailing USA 303, Steven Brewin sailing AUS 4 and Jacek Noetzel sailing POL 1. Under the Notice of Race, the organizer may still accept entries received after October 1 at its discretion, so the final count could shift.
The Notice of Race calls for windward-leeward courses with windward and leeward gates on Hillsborough Bay south of Davis Islands. On those courses the fleet sails back and forth across the same stretch of water. The club describes the bay's winds as generally northeasterly at about 8 to 15 knots, with occasional shifts.
Tampa is not the first U.S. host for this championship. The International A-Division Catamaran Association's event history lists earlier Worlds in Houston in 2022 and Islamorada in 2012. Neither of those was in Tampa. Some of the social program is for registered competitors and guests. The Notice of Race lists a $247.25 social fee that covers club use, regatta dinners and post-race food. For details on any event, check with the club directly.
What the rest of the island's waterfront looks like right now
The regattas start the same autumn that Marjorie Park Marina, at 97 Columbia Drive, comes back into full service. The City of Tampa's advisories page says the marina has been back online since September 2026, with recreational and diesel fuel pumps and pumpout stations all operating. Boaters on the island who wait for a calm day to go out should know that weekday racing south of the island adds traffic on some of the best days.
The beach is a different story. In early October, the city's page carried a water quality advisory for Davis Islands Beach after testing found high levels of fecal bacteria. The advisory was set to stay in place until at least the next round of results in mid-October. These advisories change with each round of testing. The city's dog parks page lists Davis Islands Dog Park & Dog Beach at 1002 Severn St. Before an outing there, check the Hillsborough County listings on the Florida Healthy Beaches site.
Seaplane Basin has a longer timeline. The city's Seaplane Basin Mooring Field project is still in design, with a planned construction start of March 31, 2027 and a planned finish of January 31, 2028. This fall's racing won't run into any construction there.
Back up the island on race days
At about 11:00, the activity moves offshore, and the Village along East Davis Boulevard is a short trip from the club. DI Coffee Bar at 214 East Davis Boulevard hosts live music on Fridays. On October 30, the final day of the Star championship, that means music in the Village while the awards are presented at the club. Plum Tree is across the street at 215 E Davis Blvd and takes online orders. Duckweed Davis Island at 302 E Davis Blvd lists hours from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m.
There may be a new address on the block before long. In June 2025, WhatNow Tampa reported plan-review paperwork for Little Palm Cafe at 205 E Davis Blvd. The cafe's own website still says it is opening soon.
After the Worlds, the season shifts to keelboats and lights
The pace slows after November 14 but doesn't stop. The Egmont BOTY Race on November 21 and the Old Shoe/New Shoe Regatta the day after Thanksgiving fill out November. In December, the first J/70 series weekend is December 5–6, followed by the Keelboat BOTY Regatta on December 13.
The last big water event of the year begins right off the island. The Tampa Riverwalk Holiday Lighted Boat Parade is set for Saturday, December 19, 2026 at 6:15 p.m. and starts near the lighthouse off Davis Islands. Organizers say boat registration and VIP ticket details are still to come.
Living on Davis Islands means having seasons like this one just off the shore, and that's something I like to talk through with people deciding where they want to spend their days. If you're thinking about a home near the water and want to know how the marina, the club and the Village fit into daily life, Kristen Arseneau would be glad to walk you through it. Let's Connect.
