Etchells Fleet 13

The third event of the Etchells West Coast Spring Series (WCSS) was the Etchells Pacific Coast Championship (PCC) which was sailed the weekend of April 9_10.  The weekend forecast called for intermittent rain squalls with winds of 15 to 20 knots and gusts up to 25+ knots so as competitors prepared for the weekend they very concerned that they might be in for some brutal weather conditions. On Saturday morning Etchells arrived to the start line on Coronado Roads and were surprised to find a mild south breeze and semi cloudy skies.

The Saturday of the February ODW turned out to be a very long and challenging day on the race course for Etchells sailors who witnessed one of the most outstanding performances that has occurred in recent years.  

By:  Mike Terry

        USA 1263

        Fleet 13 Secretary

Weather reports for Saturday morning for the January 2016 ODW called for high winds and rain. Sailors arrived to the start area for the 1st race of the New Year only to find no wind and calm seas. A strong storm front sitting off the coast to the north was stalled, preventing the sea breeze from filling in. Numerous small puffs worked their way down the course and finally after 45 minutes the wind filled in steady enough for the PRO to get a race off in 6 knots from 268 degrees.

To Fleet 13 Members,

What a great weekend we had!  Starting with the Kris Kringle Regatta on Saturday morning - it looked for a while as if it might be a light wind day, but sure enough, around noon the westerly filled in and then it was game on! Congratulation to Andy La Dow and crew Jake La Dow and Max Hutchinson on MoFo (USA 985) for a flawless regatta – winning with three bullets – done skillfully by owning the pin end at the start of each race, heading left for the channel with an outgoing tide and extending thereafter to win, wire to wire.  Top Corinthian honors for the day go to Frederic Lafitte and family on Hustle and Flow (USA 1281) for second place overall, after parachuting in from Seattle for the weekend. Third place went to Ben Mitchell as guest skipper on Elizabeth (USA 1000) with crew members Brad Rodi and Patrick Powell. Fourth place went to skipper JJ Fetter and crew on Sputnik (USA 1044) while fifth place went to skipper Mike Terry and crew on Blue Fin (USA 1263).

The International Etchells Class Fleet 13 - San Diego in conjunction with the San Diego Yacht Club invites all Etchells Fleet members in good standing to participate in the 2nd Annual West Coast Spring Series. The series will encompass four regattas sailed in the Coronado Roads off Point Loma during the Spring of 2016, hosted by San Diego Yacht Club. Participants will enjoy top competition, ideal spring sailing conditions and the SDYC world class facilities.