A racing yacht anchored off the Ligurian coast

The Midnight Regatta

Nine knots of wind, one dead owner, no way back to shore.

The Velamina was built to win the regatta and the owner was built to remind everyone of it. When he is found at the helm with the sails still full, the crew, the rival skipper and the guests below deck all have a story — and the tide will not let anyone leave until morning.

Players10–14

Evening3.5 hours

HostingIntermediate

Written forAdults, 16+

The story

The Midnight Regatta plays in three acts with a dinner break the script plans for. Times below assume a 7pm start; every kit includes a version for a later table.

Act I7:00 pm

Boarding

Guests arrive by tender and are assigned their berths. A champagne toast goes wrong the moment the owner announces the sale of the boat.

Act II7:50 pm

The Helm

The owner is found dead at the wheel. A storm warning forces everyone below, where the crew's loyalties split along lines nobody knew existed.

Act III9:00 pm

Making Port

With the marina lights in sight, the host runs the final interrogation and the culprit is offered the chance to jump ship before the truth is read.

The cast

Six to 14 roles are written; the kit scales down by folding the smallest parts into the host. Each character arrives with a public face and a private problem.

The skipper

Captain Elias Rourke

Has sailed this coast for thirty years and never lost a race he cared about.

The rival owner

Marchesa Livia Falco

Came to buy the boat. Stayed to watch it sink.

The boatbuilder

Nico Bernard

Knows every plank of the Velamina, and which ones were replaced cheaply.

The owner's secretary

Celia Ward

Keeps the accounts, the schedule, and a suitcase packed by the door.

Clues & evidence

Four of the nine clues

A chart with a course plotted in the wrong hand
A broken racing trophy wrapped in a sail bag
A ship-to-shore telegram sent at 11:40 pm
A brass key that fits nothing on board

Props unique to this kit

A nautical chart with a rendezvous marked in red grease pencil
A life ring stencilled with a different boat's name
A signed bill of sale with the date altered

The host kit

The full running order, the invitation to send, prop build sheets, every player’s script act by act, and the sealed solution.

Read the free sample first — the guide, the invitation, one prop and the opening act — then unlock the rest with payment.

Preview the host kit →

In every kit

A full host script with cue cards and a sealed solution in the back
Character booklets for every guest, with secrets printed in three acts
Nine physical clues, wax seals, evidence tags and a scene-setting prop list
Printable invitations, place cards, a dinner menu and a matching playlist
A set of musical theatrics: cue strings for the host's announcements and the final round of reveals
A 20-minute host briefing call with one of our writers before your party

Practicalities

Unlocked on the page to print the moment payment clears. Everything is laid out for A4 and US Letter, so a home printer or a local print shop can run it off in an afternoon.

Dinner is not included — but every kit has a menu the story actually supports, and a vegetarian version of it.

Not sure it fits?

Write to hello@thedeadlysocial.com with your guest count and the room you have. We will recommend the right kit, or tell you honestly that another one suits better.

Also from the library

Another evening.

Last Call at the Vesper

The champagne is cold. The piano player is not.

8–12 players$32

Ashes at Bellwether Hall

The will is read at midnight. Nobody waits that long.

8–12 players$30

The Côte d'Azur Affair

A villa, a film star, and a script with one scene too many.

10–16 players$36