The Star Class North American Championship is racing on Upper Hillsborough Bay, just south of Davis Island Yacht Club. Racing began Tuesday, Oct. 27, and runs through Friday, Oct. 30, and the first warning signal sounds at 11:00 each morning. Five days after the Star fleet finishes, the A-Class catamarans arrive at the same club for their Pre-Worlds. Their World Championship follows directly and runs to Nov. 14.
The island has three weeks of back-to-back championship sailing. Every event is run from the club at 1315 Severn Avenue, and every course is laid on the bay south of the island. The A-Cat Worlds that closes the run is the class's first world championship in the United States since Houston hosted it in 2022.
One calendar, end to end
Here are the championship dates, drawn from the event notices and Davis Island Yacht Club's racing page. Where they differ, the table follows the official race schedules.
| Dates | Event | What happens on the water |
|---|---|---|
| Oct. 25 to 26 | Star North Americans check-in and ceremony | Check-in and practice, with the opening ceremony on Oct. 26 |
| Oct. 27 to 30 | Star North Americans racing | Two races a day, 11:00 first warning |
| Nov. 4 to 6 | A-Class Admiral's Cup, Pre-Worlds | 11:00 first warnings on Nov. 5 and 6 |
| Nov. 7 | Sailing Sisters Regatta, plus A-Cat Worlds arrival | Worlds registration and boat prep run 9:00 to 17:00 |
| Nov. 8 | A-Cat Worlds practice and opening ceremony | Practice racing at 13:00, ceremony at 18:00 |
| Nov. 9 to 13 | A-Class World Championship racing | 11:00 first warning each day |
| Nov. 14 | Alternate racing day, awards and closing | 11:00 first warning if racing is needed |
Between Oct. 27 and Nov. 13, championship racing is scheduled on 11 of the 18 days. Every one of those days starts at the same hour, so for most of three weeks the late-morning and early-afternoon water south of the island is a racecourse. The only real break is the five days from Oct. 31 to Nov. 4, between the last Star race and the first A-Cat warning signal.
The Star fleet is the opening act
The Star championship is the smaller of the two. The Star Class North American Championship site named DIYC as host a year ago, in a post dated Oct. 29, 2025. The live entry list shows 19 teams from the United States, Canada and Germany. George Szabo, the 2009 Star World Champion, is among them.
The Star Notice of Race places the course in Upper Hillsborough Bay, just south of the club. The schedule sets two races a day from Oct. 27 through Oct. 30, with a Taste of Tampa dinner on Oct. 29. The Notice of Race says invitations to the social events are for skippers and crew.
The A-Cat fleet is several times larger
The A-Class World Championship brings a much bigger fleet. The Regatta Network registration list for the Worlds shows 79 registrants, and Sail-World's preview puts the split at 61 Classic boats and 18 Open boats. Registrations can still change before the event. Sail-World's Oct. 17 preview lists entrants from 11 national associations: the United States, Canada, Spain, Australia, Brazil, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Poland, Argentina, New Zealand, France and Italy.
The same preview names entrants with serious records.
- Andrew Landenberger, a multiple Olympic medalist and three-time A-Cat World Champion
- Steven Brewin, a three-time World Champion
- Ravi Parent, the 2022 Open World Champion
- Jacek Noetzel, the defending Classic champion
Ravi Parent's 2022 title connects to the reason this fall stands out. The International A-Class Catamaran Association's event list names Davis Island Yacht Club in Tampa as the 2026 Worlds venue. The previous U.S. Worlds was at Houston, from April 29 to May 6, 2022. The class has not held its world championship in this country for four years, and this one is on the bay south of Davis Islands.
The Pre-Worlds adds to that. The Admiral's Cup on Regatta Network showed 47 registrants, with 41 Classic and six Open, for racing on Nov. 5 and 6. Much of the Worlds fleet will therefore be on Davis Islands for most of two weeks.
The Worlds Notice of Race calls for two races a day and 12 races in total, with the venue at DIYC and the racing area on Hillsborough Bay south of the island. In its description of early-November conditions, DIYC expects northeasterly winds of about 8 to 15 knots on Hillsborough Bay, daytime highs in the mid-to-high 70s and water around 70 degrees.
Where the footprint lands on Severn Avenue
The Worlds logistics are concentrated at the island's south end. According to the club's championship page:
- A-Class boats launch from DIYC's Point Beach, at the end of the road that runs past the clubhouse.
- The club and the adjacent public beach will hold boat storage and launching areas, with trailers and containers placed near the launch.
- Competitor vehicles will park outside the club gates during the regatta, with temporary access for launching preparation and haul-out.
- Regatta headquarters is the Regatta Room, on the ground level of the clubhouse, facing the bay.
DIYC's own arrival schedule shows when that footprint fills up. Competitors arrive and prepare boats from 9:00 to 17:00 on Saturday, Nov. 7. Registration continues on Sunday, Nov. 8, with practice racing at 13:00 and the opening ceremony that evening. The club also lists the Sailing Sisters Regatta for Nov. 7, so that Saturday has a separate regatta on the water while the Worlds fleet is setting up.
The evening program for the Worlds includes A Night at the Car Museum dinner on Nov. 10 and a Taste of Tampa dinner on Nov. 11. The A-Cat Notice of Race sells a social package to competitors and their guests. These are regatta events and are not listed as public ones.
The racing is the only major change on the water this fall. The City of Tampa's Davis Islands Seaplane Basin dock and boardwalk project is still in design, with planned work from March 31, 2027 to January 31, 2028. On the north end of the island, Tampa General Hospital's Taneja Surgical, Neuroscience & Transplant Tower topped out on April 6, 2026, and is targeted to open in early 2028.
After the Worlds, the calendar goes back to club racing
Once the A-Cat awards are presented on Nov. 14, the DIYC calendar returns to its regular season.
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| Nov. 21 | Egmont BOTY Race |
| Nov. 27 | Old Shoe/New Shoe Regatta |
| Dec. 5 to 6 | J/70 Series #1 |
| Dec. 13 | Keelboat BOTY Regatta |
| Jan. 9 to 10, 2027 | J/70 Series #2 |
The last big event of the year on this water is not a race. The Friends of the Riverwalk's Holiday Lighted Boat Parade is on Saturday, Dec. 19, 2026. It starts at 6:15 p.m. near the Lighthouse off Davis Islands, then passes Sparkman Wharf, Harbour Island and the Tampa Convention Center on its way up the Hillsborough River. Charley Belcher is the 2026 grand marshal.
For Davis Islands homeowners deciding whether to time a sale around the island's busiest stretch on the water, or to list during the quieter weeks after it, The Davenport Group can explain how waterfront demand shifts through the season. Request a Confidential Home Valuation, and we will walk through what your property could command this winter.
