Mobile Yacht Club Charity Regatta Oct. 9-11 to Benefit USA Health Children’s and Women’s Hospital

MOBILE, Ala. — The 2026 Mobile Yacht Club Charity Regatta will benefit USA Health Children’s and Women’s Hospital, with a packed schedule of sailing, family entertainment and fundraising activities spanning three days on Mobile Bay.

Friday, Oct. 9: Registration and Auction Night

According to an MYC flyer, the weekend-long event begins at 6 p.m. Friday, Oct. 9, with regatta registration. From 6 to 10 p.m., attendees can take part in a silent auction, a draw down event and the Calcutta Auction, a traditional sailing auction in which bidders wager on which boat will win. Food and beverages will be available.

A mandatory skippers’ meeting to review race rules and conditions will take place at 7:45 p.m.

Saturday, Oct. 10: Family Fun and the Duck Derby

Saturday afternoon shifts the focus to family-friendly entertainment beginning at 3 p.m., with live music, snow cones and an inflatable slide for children.

The highlight of the day is the Rubber Duck Races at 4:30 p.m., where numbered rubber ducks are released into the water to “race” across the course. The Rubber Duck Derby Award Presentation follows at 6:30 p.m.

Sunday, Oct. 11: Race Day

The main sailing race gets underway at 1 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 11. Awards and Calcutta prizes will be presented after the race. Live music will run from 4 to 7 p.m., and food plates will be available beginning at noon.

How to Get Involved

Registration for the regatta costs $60, which covers entry into the weekend’s racing. Ducks for the Rubber Duck Derby are $5 each or five for $20, letting even non-sailors take part. Those who simply want to support the cause can also bid in the silent or Calcutta auctions or attend the evening social events.

A Tradition on Mobile Bay

The Mobile Yacht Club, founded in 1842, is one of the oldest yacht clubs in the United States, and its regatta has long been a fixture of the autumn social and sailing calendar on the Alabama coast. Mobile Bay’s sheltered waters and temperate October weather make it a well-suited setting for a weekend of racing and fundraising, and the club’s members have spent more than a century fostering sailing as both a sport and a community tradition.

Why the Hospital Benefits

USA Health Children’s and Women’s Hospital is the only free-standing women’s and children’s hospital in the region and the regional leader in pediatric and maternal care, serving families in Mobile and across south Alabama, southwest Alabama and the Gulf Coast.

Proceeds from the regatta support its work delivering specialized care to some of the community’s most vulnerable patients — newborns, children and expectant mothers.

A Cause on the Water

By anchoring the regatta to this institution, the Mobile Yacht Club connects a long-standing sailing tradition to a tangible local benefit. With registration opening Friday evening, family fun Saturday and the main race Sunday afternoon, the 2026 Mobile Yacht Club Charity Regatta offers something for sailors and spectators alike — and whether participants compete in the race, bid in the auctions or simply sponsor a rubber duck, every contribution supports care for the region’s youngest patients.