Yep, I'm a Past Fleet Captain at our local Yacht Club.
We've had an Annual Wooden Boat race that's always been well attended.
It's for the old wooden luggers and trawlers (some 50-75 years old),
usually about 12-14 boats at our club, from 30' to 65' in length..
Since mostly the same boats race every year, we've been able to
handicap them pretty closely. We use our Committee Boat for the start
and modified sailing rules including the use of shapes and signals,
just like a sailing start. And we use a staggered start from directly
in front of our Clubhouse. It's usually a 10-20 mile race with the
finish line set up wherever the Club's rendevous happens to be that
weekend. So if our handicapping is right, they should all get to the
finish line at the same time. What a sight to see all those old putt
putts approaching the finish at the same time, engines screaming,
smoke stacks billowing, and in at least one case, on fire lol! There's
always a fleet of spectator boats (many of them racing sailboats)
waiting and cheering, as those same wooden boats are usually
spectating *them*.
It started out years ago as strictly a lark and a fun race but the
competition has seriously heated up over the years.

Unfortunately, our club is currently in transition from being boating
oriented to being strictly a social organization and the boat owners
are rapidly dropping out so I doubt our Club racing will continue much
longer (sailboat racing included). But some of those old Wooden Boat
Races over the years have been highlights of my years there.

Rick

On Sat, 23 Feb 08, k_mac wrote:
This year my wife and I will be fleet captains for our boat club, in
charge of this summer's rendezvous(s?). I would like to introduce
some different activities from those we've done in the past. In the
past we've chipped floating golf balls into a floating ring; we've
gone on dinghy cruises; held volleyball tournaments, etc. So, I would
like to ask the members of the group with boat club rendezvous
experience about the activities you have participated in the past.
Any and all suggestions would be much appreciated. They CAN include
games involving alcohol, but it is not necessary since it figures
prominently in many of the things we do.

TIA

Keith