Today was an exciting last day of the 2017 Etchells North American Championship hosted by San Diego Yacht Club (SDYC) and Etchells Fleet 13. Twenty-nine teams completed the last two races in Coronado Roads, culminating in a new North American Champion after eight total races.
The first day of the 2017 Etchells North American Championship was a true textbook definition of champagne sailing. The talent of the twenty-nine boat fleet was apparent as competitors took to the waters for the first part of the three day long battle for the title of Etchells North American Champion.
Race Committee ran three races in Coronado Roads in sunny, warm weather complete with the San Diego skyline as a stunning backdrop to the day. Racing was slightly delayed at the start of the day as the wind picked up. After one general recall, the wind remained about 10-12 knots, and racing continued uninterrupted.
For the first time ever, this fall the San Diego Yacht Club (SDYC) will host the both the Moth and A-Cat North American Championships back-to-back. The events will feature high-speed sailing on South San Diego Bay, off the beaches of Coronado at Crown Cove, in one person International Moth Dinghies and A-Cat Catamarans.
The Moth North American Championship will occur first, with three full days of sailing from September 29-October 1. When looking at both registration lists, competitors will travel from as far as New Jersey, Florida, and Canada to race in these high-performance events.
Matthew Knowles from Newport, Rhode Island, has participated in six Moth North American Championships and plans to attend this year's event in San Diego. “San Diego is the new hot spot for Moth sailing in the US. Matt Struble has done a great job growing the fleet, and we are thrilled to be racing North Americans in San Diego this fall. It is hard to think of a better spot to race some of the fastest boats around.”
A few weeks ago, we competed in the 29er World Championships at Alamitos Bay Yacht Club in Long Beach. The conditions were all over the place. We got everything from 20+ knots and large chop to days with only 3-5 knots and flat water.
During the Worlds, we had 3 days of qualifiers and 3 days of final races. In the qualifiers, we got one windy day where it got a little too much for us being the youngest and most likely the lightest team out there, so we had to head in early. The next two days, fortunately for us, were lighter with the wind not exceeding 10 knots. In those two days of lighter winds, we excelled and got a couple of top 20 finishes. With that we worked our way into the Silver fleet, which to us was a huge accomplishment.