The Etchells Fleet, one of San Diego’s most active and competitive fleets, has been gearing up this month in preparation for their biggest series in California, the 2022 Etchells West Coast Spring Series. Made up of four individual regattas spanning March to May, the series is known for its challenging racing amongst skilled sailors. Hosted by San Diego Yacht Club, the local fleet, Etchells Fleet 13 - San Diego, invites members and associates of the International Etchells Class to join them for the following regatta dates:
Pacific Coast Championship: March 5-6, 2022
Helly Hansen Sailing World Regatta Series (Bill Bennett Memorial): March 25-27, 2022
Midwinters West: April 8-10, 2022
Orca Bowl: May 14-15, 2022
The Helly Hansen Sailing World Regatta Series, formally known as the NOOD (National Offshore One Design) Regatta, returns to San Diego on March 25-27, 2022. Helly Hansen Sailing World Regatta Series - San Diego is hosted by San Diego Yacht Club and Coronado Yacht Club and invites the following fleets to compete in South San Diego Bay and Coronado Roads: 29er, 505, F18, I14, Beneteau 36.7, Beneteau 40.7, Etchells, J/70, J1/05, J/120, Ultimate 20, and Viper 640.
US Sailing Announces the Shortlist for 2021 Rolex Yachtsman and Yachtswoman of the Year Awards
Five men and four women have been shortlisted for US Sailing’s 2021 Rolex Yachtsman and Yachtswoman of the Year awards.
Erik Shampain (SDYC) – 2021 was a year to remember for Shampain as his teams dominated major events across multiple classes and disciplines. Winning the J/70 Pre-Worlds event and then finishing 2nd at the Worlds Championship, Shampain’s teams also won the Etchells Midwinters West, finished second in the Midwinters East, and finished 3rd at the North American Championship. Additionally, Shampain was part of the Melges 24 National Championship team, the winning Congressional Cup team, a 3rd place Ficker Cup team, and placed 3rd in the Transpac Race.
The Open Orange Bowl 2021 took place in Miami Florida through the end of 2021. Racing in the 29er fleet, I sailed in the Open Orange Bowl with my crew Peter Joslin. It was an overall light air regatta with the big Miami chop. The clouds and temperature affected the wind and waves a lot through the regatta, as we learned from a local coach there.
This year I sailed an Optimist for the first time at the 2021 Miami orange Bowl regatta at the coral reef yacht club. Overall my experience was wonderful, every day we would wake up at sunrise and walk to the Coral reef yacht club, get rigged, and head out on the water around 8:30. The conditions for the regatta were pretty light, the high for the wind was about 7-9 knots in the late afternoon. On the first day we had flight selection but because there wasn't very much wind we only got one race done so our flight selection carried on to the second day of racing. On wednesday we were put into our flights and we started to begin our racing. On the last day of racing oly gold and silver fleet got one race done while bronze didn't get any. After we came off the water they held the awards and then we checked out our boats. Overall I had an amazing time at the 2021 Miami Orange Bowl and I hope I get to compete in it again.
Experiencing my first national level laser event was incredible. Competing in the Orange Bowl was an eye-opener for the level of competition there. Whether it was learning starting positioning, lanes upwind, picking the correct shifts to sail on, or sailing super high to not get rolled on the reach. These are just some of the sequential lessons I gained from the Orange Bowl.