U.S. fastest growing Finn fleet hosts a Trifecta of Regattas at San Diego Yacht Club
by Casey Allocco 17 Aug 2018 07:40 PDT
15-16, 20-23 September & 5-7 October 2018
2017 Finn Pacific Coast Championship © Jeff Johnson
This Fall, the San Diego Yacht Club will be hosting a trifecta of Finn Fleet Regattas including the Finn Pacific Coast Championship (PCC), Finn Masters North American Championship and the San Diego Olympic Classes Regatta (SDOCR). SDYC is home to the most active and fastest growing Finn Fleet in the country with plenty of opportunities to compete with some of the best Finn sailors in the United States.
The series of regattas known as the 'Finn Trifecta' begins in September with the Finn Pacific Coast Championship (PCC) on September 15-16, 2018. About 30 Finns will race in the Coronado Roads to compete for the perpetual trophy, most recently won by Henry Sprague in both 2016 and 2017, who will return to defend his titles. One week later, from September 20-23, 2018, the fleet competes in the Finn Masters North American Championship on the same race course. Many will be sailing in both races. Lastly, the inaugural San Diego Olympic Classes Regatta (SDOCR) will feature a Finn Fleet on October 5-7, 2018 providing an opportunity for sailors to train and sail in this international, high-performance classes.
SDYC Commodore and Finn sailor Michael Dorgan has been working hard for the past couple of years to grow the Finn Fleet at the Club. "SDYC is very excited to hold the Finn Trifecta regattas this fall. As Commodore this year, the momentum of the growth of the Finn Fleet is very satisfying. We often have sailors new to Finns or new to racing and no matter what level of competition you are looking for, Finns have it. I'm looking forward to competing with the fleet and enjoying the success of its growth in all three regattas."
The Finn is a One-Design, single-handed Olympic Class sailboat having participated in the Olympics since the 1952 Games. The boat is a great design for many levels, from the weekend sailing enthusiast to the Olympic competitor, offering the ability to compete in the class for many years and build your skill set as well as camaraderie with other Finn sailors from around the world. It is only appropriate that the San Diego Yacht Club is hosting an Olympic Classes event since over the years SDYC has produced a large number of sailing Olympians and Olympic Medalists. In the last Olympic Games in Brazil, local San Diegan Caleb Paine won the only U.S. Olympic Medal in the sailing competition, bringing home the bronze medal in the Finn class.