Louise clinches the Bill Bennett Cup with a bullet in the last race

2023 Etchells Bill Bennett Cup © Mark Albertazzi

This weekend, the Etchells fleet sailed the Bill Bennett Cup, the third regatta in the Etchells West Coast Spring Series. Team Louise (Tom Carruthers, Bill Hardesty, Jeff Reynolds) finished first in the regatta, winning a 10-point tie with The Martian (Marvin Beckmann, Ezra Culver, Eddie Adams). Reposada (Steve Wright, Joe Erskine, Joe Markee) was the winning Corinthian team.

The skill level in the Etchells fleet is always strong, and this regatta was no different. Both teams saw scores all over the board and only finished one point ahead of Chris Busch's Happy Ending, and Greg Reynold's Side Piece. The final scoresheet is proof of the tight competition in the fleet.

2023 Etchells Bill Bennett Cup - photo © Mark Albertazzi

It was cold and overcast in San Diego for the majority of the weekend. Saturday's racing started with a 3-hour delay due to no wind. Around 1425 the breeze picked up to it's highest average of 8 knots. Sunday saw lumpy seas, which made for good driving and power.

On Saturday, the Race Committee was able to get two of the three planned races in. There were six teams that finished the day with totals under 10 points.

Happy Ending's Chris Busch explained the final day:

"On Sunday, Greg Reynolds on Side Piece drew first blood followed by Marvin Beckmann on The Martian and Tom Carruthers on Louise. Louise was over at the start and had a massive comeback to salvage a keeper.

2023 Etchells Bill Bennett Cup - photo © Mark Albertazzi

Bruce Nelson won race four with a pin start and better pressure on the left. Louise was second and Side Piece was third. For the final race for the regatta, it was extremely close between the top four boats. A throwout would factor in once this race was completed and it was essentially "who beat who" for the title. The left side of the race course had paid dividends all weekend and in a no-guts, no-glory play. Happy Ending fought and won the pin and the left side of the course but on the first beat, leader Xavier Shied on Pelikaan came out of the right followed closely by Louise and Happy Ending. There was no change on the first run, but up the second beat, the left side of the course was once again favored, helping Louise pass Pelikaan and helping The Martian get by Happy Ending. The final run with no changes in the top five gave Louise the final bullet and the win for the series."

2023 Etchells Bill Bennett Cup - photo © Mark Albertazzi

After the racing, the fleet enjoyed a BBQ in the SDYC Pavilion. Chris Busch provided a debrief with Marvin Beckmann, talking about Beckmann's win in the first race and Busch's win in the second. Busch shared their set up and technique for getting max power. Leslie Bennett and Bill Bennett's sister, Cathy Hervey, were also in attendance! At the Awards Party on Sunday, Leslie presented coveted Etchells quilts to the winning team, Louise, along with the Bill Bennett Trophy.

Overall Results:

The final regatta of the Series is the Orca Bowl / National Championship on May 19-21.