A YACHTING CUP TO REMEMBER
A YACHTING CUP TO REMEMBER
Getting Back On The Water Has Never Been So Great

Tell us about the conditions of the race/event.
Saturday started out with light to medium southerly breeze that shifted a bit to the right (West) through the day, but stayed on the lighter side. The fleets from the offshore course sailed a long “race to the barn” that was a windward leeward course followed by an upwind beat to channel marker SD 1 with the finish line back into the bay, close to SDYC. Sunday was a different story. A rough sea state and more breeze filled in throughout the day. The pressure started a bit less than expected, but came up as the day went on with reports of wind speed in the low 20’s. The combo and the breeze made for a serious day on the water for all teams. There was a bit of attrition across the board as teams struggled with the rough conditions.How did this year's race differ from 2019? More or less competitors, more OD? Or more PHRF?
The fleet this year was on the smaller side with 46 boats, but a significant increase from the 30-boat fleet in 2020. We had strong One Design racing in the J/105, Beneteau 36.7, and 40.7. We also had strong fleets in the 40’ PHRF group–the racing was extremely competitive.Who stood out during the weekend of racing?
We have a couple of North Sails clients that stood out during the event. The infamous Pyewacket, featuring a complete 3Di Raw sail inventory, came 1st in PHRF A while Blue Blazes finished 2nd in PHRF A. The RP 50 features 3Di 760 Endurance sails. Finally, J OK, a J/105, were the overall regatta winners with North Sails headsails, Li6 and Mi5, onboard.In your opinion, what was the main highlight of the regatta weekend?
The race to the barn on Saturday was a highlight, but the conditions that the fleets had to deal with on Sunday for sure would be the overall highlight. Having some shoreside activities after racing on Saturday was also very well received; not to mention some drinks and live music (with guest Patrick Murray!) The entire weekend felt like things are starting to get close to how they were pre-Covid.
Who should everyone keep an eye on this season?
The Beneteau 40.7 Lugano is a boat to keep a close eye on. They won their class easily, with North Sails duo John and Mark Baxter on board. They will be even faster when John gets the 3Di sails on the boat–look out! The Farr 40 Dark Star was coming on strong on Sunday in the rough conditions, but had dug too big of a hole on Saturday to get to the top of the leaderboard. If they get going sooner, they’ll be serious contenders. The Thomas 35 Echo was crewed by a majority of the SDYC junior sailors. For sure, they’re getting better all the time with more experience on the big boats. It was great to see them out there doing well and having fun. They had a bit of a hard time in the rough conditions on Sunday, but really well done by team Echo–keep an eye out for them.Why should clients on the west coast choose North Sails?
North Sails hosted a webinar previewing the event providing knowledgeable intel on what was expected on the racecourse. Those who logged on got tips about the trends on the racing area lately with a few hot tips on the left and a bit of insight on the breeze being a fair bit higher than forecast.What’s next on the horizon for racers?
For the most part, the southern California sailing scene is going to be going into “offshore” mode. We have the California offshore race week coming. This is a relatively new event that has combined three races: Spinnaker cup (SF-Monterey) Coastal Cup (Monterey -Santa Barbara) and the So Cal 300 (Santa Barbra - SD by way of the cortez bank offshore buoy). This is one of the last chances for teams to warm up for the Premier offshore event on the west coast Transpac, starting Mid-July.
