2025 Etchells North American Championship at San Diego Yacht Club - Day 1
by San Diego Yacht Club 17 May 2025 08:44 BST
May 16-18, 2025
2025 Etchells North American Championship day 1 © San Diego Yacht Club
Day one of the Etchells North American Championship started off under an AP flag with mostly cloudy skies. After an almost 90 minute delay, Race 1 got under way at 12:55 with a course bearing of 235 with 1.2 nm legs. Wind was 6-9 kts and trending left.
Race 1 finished right where the 2024 North Americans ended, with John Dane in first place, fitting of their boat name "Here We Go Again". Dane is competing in this regatta with past Etchells World Champion Bill Hardesty and Star World Champion Eric Doyle.
After Dane won Race 1, the rest of the day belonged to the boat New Order, skippered by Anatole Masfen from New Zealand who won Races 2 and 3, finishing with 6 total points, well ahead of the rest of the fleet. For Race 2 the legs were extended to 1.25nm with winds at a shifty 8-10 kts trending right this time. Masfen and the boat's owner Simon Cooke shared their thoughts on leading the regatta. "You don't get a day like that often. We had some good starts and good speed, and we seemed to pick a few shifts. We just need to get great lanes and not get in trouble. We had the 4-1-1. But it's a bit like a golf tournament, everyone sees the leaders on the first day, but usually they've fallen away to nowhere by Day 4."
After a quick race committee turn around for Race 3 the wind started stronger with 10 kts and right trending, but quickly lightened and trended right. Legs three and four were shortened on this final race of the day.
Brian Ledbetter grew up sailing in San Diego and returned once again for this Championship, crewing on Luke Lawrence boat Bayou Hustler from Louisiana. "Today was tricky, but very typical San Diego. We were able to get into single digits the first 2 races, but it didn't go our way the first beat of the 3rd race and were deep, but worked our way back up to a 16. Long way to go."
The top Corinthian team of the day was Ethan Doyle and the Capricorn team, in 10th overall.
Friday evening the sailors congregated at San Diego Yacht Club for a North Sails debrief of the day on the water and will be back on the race course Saturday for Day 2.
San Diego Yacht Club would like to thank the Etchells North American Championship sponsors - Cutwater Spirits, North Sails, Maui Brewing, Vakaros and Sailors for the Sea - for making this event possible.