On September 16-17, San Diego Yacht Club (SDYC) hosted the 2017 Finn Pacific Coast Championship. With 22 Finns racing, this event became the largest Finn regatta (aside from Nationals or Olympic Regattas) in North America in years. In September 2018, SDYC will host the Finn North American Masters Championship on the same waters that Finn sailors raced on this past weekend.
Saturday’s racing started in an overcast sky and a light 6-8 knots of wind, mostly out of south, and remained light throughout the day. Race Committee (led by Alli Bell) did a great job running 4 races on Saturday while still allowing time for the fleet to get back to the dock early for the Saturday night dinner party. On Sunday, the RC was able to raise the “O” flag with wind over 10 knots which allows unlimited pumping downwind, something that the veteran Finn sailors took advantage of. Sunday was breezier, starting with winds in the 8-10 knot range and ending in around 12-14+ knots by the last race.
This year’s Finn PCC featured the largest San Diego Yacht Club Finn fleet in years, with a record of 12 boats. According to Mike Dorgan, SDYC’s Vice Commodore and Finn PCC Event Chair, “A lot of the new SYDC Finn fleet sailors posted some good scores this weekend including an overall podium finish. They were very excited (after the regatta) about spending more time in the boat and learning to sail more effectively downwind. What’s nice about the Finn fleet is that it is open to all levels. It doesn’t matter what level of sailing you are used to (world class, national, or local) you always have someone to race against which makes it a lot of fun.”
That being said, the competition at the top of the fleet was mainly between the top 3 sailors this weekend: Henry Sprague, Rob Coutts, and Gregg Morton. Sprague is a longtime Finn sailor from Long Beach, CA who was defending his 2016 Finn PCC title. Coutts, also with a massive history in the Finn class, was defending his second place title.
After 7 races (with one throw-away score) Sprague successfully secured the top spot on the podium, winning by 6 points. Coutts finished second again with Morton in third.
Coutts, who won 3 of the regatta’s 7 races, commented on the weekend’s racing. “San Diego Yacht Club ran an amazing regatta. Most sailors prefer a max of 3 races a day and the last day was perfect in that regard. I was able to stay on top if I maintained good starts which enabled me to find good lanes. I have also been helping Henry tune his boat and this has improved my own boat speed as Henry is very quick in the lower wind range. I look forward to the event next year.”
Morton also shared how he felt the weekend went. “It was a fun weekend with light, shifty, ‘challenging’ conditions on Saturday. Sunday looked like more of the same, but the breeze picked up through the day and we had some great powered up hiking to finish the regatta. A lot of fun with a strong fleet...Henry pretty much dominated the fleet, not having to sail the last race.”
Henry Sprague felt a spiritual drive behind his dominating win over the weekend. “As we get older it’s fitting that a win now and then perks up the spirits. It’s like a divine force comes out of nature to guide your path. I noticed a feeling of relaxation, determination, humor, and excitement in our California Finn sailors that bodes well for upcoming events.”
Other positive competitor remarks about the weekend came from Doug Carey who mentioned how much fun it was sailing in a big Finn fleet. In fact, it was the largest Finn fleet Carey has ever sailed against. Additionally, Bill Dubbs commented that not only the Finn is a blast to sail, but the fleet camaraderie and social events were a big part of the fun.
Dorgan thanks the competitors, SDYC staff and especially Race Committee for doing a great job and running all 7 scheduled races throughout the weekend.
The top five finishers were: 1) Henry Sprague 2) Rob Coutts 3) Gregg Morton 4) James Lawson and 5) Doug Carey.