Jesberg Wins Etchells Orca Bowl, Busch/Madden Win Etchells West Coast Spring Series
The Orca Bowl wrapped up the 2025 Etchells West Coast Spring Series on April 26-27 with a 5-race regatta sailed by 33 teams on the ocean course off of Point Loma in San Diego, CA.
PRO Bruce Golison described Sunday's racing. "Today's conditions were perfect San Diego sailing conditions. 8 to 12 knots from the west. This made for really close racing."
Jeff Johnson, SDYC Waterfront Director added to the conditions report. "ORCA - Day 2 conditions were better than yesterday... scattered showers in the morning with a nice SW to West when filling in and mostly sunny. Wind speed 8 to 12 kn direction 250 to 280. Only one of the three races Sunday needed a U flag start penalty to calm the fleet... And the start was clear. Fleets were always compressed at the finish for the top 10-15 boats."
The regatta came down to the last race of the day. The standings ended up with 3 teams tied for first, and three more within 2 points off the lead. Don Jesberg (Viva) won the final race of the day to secure 1st place in the regatta winning the tiebreaker over Argyle Campbell (Rock On) and Greg Reynolds (Side Piece). All three teams finished with 19 points after their throwout. Viva's 2nd in Race 1 and win in Race 5 broke the tie. Impressively, Jesberg sailed with Alden Grimes and John Bonds as a Corinthian team in a stacked lineup of internationally competitive teams.
Don Jesberg shared how he and his Corinthian team succeeded in this year's Orca Bowl and throughout the series.
"Fight for every place, every leg - that's good because ORCA scores were 19, 19, 19, 20, 21, 21. Two points between the top six boats! Effort counts every race, all the way around the race course.
It is also super important to me to have the same crew through the whole series. My guys Alden Grimes and John Bonds were just great as crew and had us dialed through all the different conditions.
I just want to say thank you to the San Diego Yacht Club for hosting a wonderful West Coast Spring Series. It's been great coming down from San Francisco each month to enjoy a weekend in the sun. We brought a little rain for you yesterday — hope you appreciated that!
It's really exciting to see the buildup to next year's Worlds here, and we truly appreciate all the hospitality — from allowing us to keep our boats here to welcoming us to race with you. It means a lot, not just to us, but to all the sailors coming from as far away as Australia, the East Coast, the South, and beyond. Thank you very much."
In true Orca Bowl tradition, Saturday night featured a wonderful BBQ bringing together all competitors and their families for an evening of great food, laughter, and connection.
Mark Strube and Chris Snow crewed for Dale Gordon (Flash Gordon) and shared their experience at the Orca Bowl.
"Fun day out there today! What was the best part? Honestly, having that extra layer of clothes — I actually warmed up! I was pretty cold at first; it was definitely a bit chilly out there. The best part of the day was our starts — we had some really good ones. Even though we kind of went backwards as the day went on, it was still a great time. It rained a bit, it was windy, and we got a little cold at times, but overall, it was just a nice day of sailing."
Orca Bowl Standings:
USA 1429 - Viva - Don Jesberg
USA 1509 - Rock On - Argyle Campbell
USA 919 - Side Piece - Greg Reynolds
Corinthian Standings:
USA 1429 - Viva - Don Jesberg
USA 1452 - Team Shred - Oliver Toole
USA 1229 - Capricorn - Brad Rodi/ Ethan Doyle