Have you heard of the Wirth Munroe Yacht Race? Well, we’ll see a little bit of history behind it. This race was inaugurated in 1957 by the members of the South Florida Station of the Cruising Club of America. As far as this international organization is concerned, it was established in 1921. Their race was from Miami to Palm Beach. What about the name? They named it after the well-known yacht designer.
We have to take a look at the past of Wirth Monroe as well. He definitely has sailing roots. His father, Ralph Munroe also was a yacht designer. His father was instrumental in the establishment of the Biscayne Bay Yacht Club. He was appointed as the Commodore of the club. He had the honor of serving that title for 22 long years.
As far as the Wirth Munroe Yacht Race is concerned, we are talking about a 50 nm race - it's not an easy feat to achieve, and certainly no Bareboat Charter in Split! Dick Bertram was one of the major figures. This race was considered as a preparatory race for the Southern Ocean Racing Conference (SORC). This association was launched in the 40s. Over the decades, it became one of the most famous yachting events. International champions flocked to Florida for the races.
As far as the history goes, Palm Beach’s Sailfish Club of Florida took over the position of a co-organizer. Cruising club of America also became part of it. Now that the event has completed 59 years, more clubs are planning to contribute to help grow the event.
You may have heard about the ‘Race to the buffet’, which is known for providing the best post-race dinners to the sailors. Considering the enormous local interest, the IRC boats will have a buoy racing off of Palm Beach.
As far as SORC is concerned, the organization has lost its glory. Today, it has been converted into a non-profit organization. Today, volunteers are behind this organization. Without them, it won’t survive.