Despite the rough weather Friday, sailors are taking to the water today through the weekend to compete in a Melbourne based regatta.

And the epicenter of the race is a riverside park that's undergone a big revitalization.

This weekend, 67 sailors will launch from Riverview Park as part of the 2023 Bluster on the Bay regatta. 

While the spot is the perfect place to start the race now, but before the city took over the property from Brevard County in 2014, residents say it was rundown and crime-ridden.

But things have changed, and one person planning to take advantage of the revitalized park is Mark Herendeen, who is participating in the regatta.

Despite being a Realtor, most days Herendeen says he would rather be on the water than dry land.

He's considered himself a sailor since he was 7 years old, when his dad taught him the tricks of the trade, and he still remembers the thrill of sailing the small wooden boats they built.

"It was just something we could do together, made the boat by himself, helped rig it," Heren​deen said.

After getting away from sailing when he joined the Boy Scouts, Herendeen returned to nautical life as an adult.

He sailed in college at Florida State and competed in several long-distance races in the Atlantic Ocean.

The challenge of the sport is what he loves, Herendeen said, even though it can be grueling, exhausting and challenging.

"Why do you climb Everest?" he asked. "Because it's there."

Herendeen is participating in the 2023 Bluster on the Bay at Melbourne's Riverview Park.

Sixty seven sailors from the U-S and Canada are competing.

​The 15 acre park is an ideal place to launch catamarans, and Herendeen said he is happy to see it in a condition that allows sailors to do just that.

"So when people look at everyone coming, you've got a great park and community, the downtown south expansion has come a long way," Herendeen said.

Melbourne Police statistics show criminal activity at the park has been cut in half since the city took over.

Officials say a majority of the 99 calls for service in 2022 — like trespass warnings — were resolved without arrests.

Thanks to state grants, a playground has also been put in a new Florida Department of Environmental Protection grant is paying for another playground for children aged 2 to 5.

Locals say the park has become a hub — somewhere to enjoy the scenery and a place for sailors like Heren​deen to launch their boats.

Herendeen said he hopes says the Bluster on the Bay racers will stick around to enjoy everything the area has to offer.

"Hoping they will really take in downtown, the shops and restaurants, and some places we may not of found yet," he said.

City officials say the future is bright for the park, which can fit 200 motorized boats, making it a water destination that brings people and events to the coastal community.

"Really put Melbourne on the map as a small boat area for sailing and racing," Herendeen said. "And hope they come back year in and year out — maybe some people will make it a home or a vacation spot."

Bluster on the Bay runs today though Sunday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Riverview Park, 2400 Riverview Drive in Melbourne.