Lifted holds Etchells West Coast Spring Series lead after Pacific Coast Championship
by San Diego Yacht Club 2 May 00:31 BST
April 29-30, 2023
2023 Etchells Pacific Coast Championship © Mark Albertazzi
The Etchells West Coast Spring Series (WCSS) concluded its second regatta in the Series: the Pacific Coast Championship. Team Lifted took the win again this weekend, April 29-30, keeping their spot at the top of the overall Series scoresheet. Lifted, skippered by Jim Cunningham with crew Steve Hunt, Erik Shampain, and Olympia Barelli, finished three of the five races with a bullet - a success attributed to time spent on the water practicing. Team Lifted won the regatta after four races.
"Yesterday we talked a lot about shifting gears, transitioning, and taking advantage of the time you have on the water to keep practicing and keep trying to get better. We do a number of practice starts before every race," explained Cunningham.
Cunningham continued, "We had some solid starts. We always like to start at the favored end of the line and go straight for 3-5 minutes. Since we did have good starts, we were able to do that. We were able to stay on the long tack and the favored tack for longer. Thats our strategy and we accomplished that."
Will La Dow, Andy La Dow, and Randall Hause on Second Wind finished second overall, and at the top of the Corinthian teams. In third place was Bruce Nelson, Chuck Sinks, Eric Heim, and Carrie Wiley on Rhino.
Similar to the Midwinters West a few weeks prior, Team Lifted offered a debrief at the end of the day on Saturday, where they encouraged their fellow fleet members to get out on the water before the first race and practice starts.
There are two remaining Etchells West Coast Spring Series events, including the Bill Bennett Cup on May 13-14, and the Orca Bowl / National Championship on May 19-21.
2023 Etchells Pacific Coast Championship results available here.