Peter Feldman captures 2023 Championship of Champions Title

From left: Steve Landeau, Peter Feldman, and Gary Boell at the Championship of Champions awards ceremony © Chuck LeMahieu / US Sailing

After two days of light-air racing, the 48th Championship of Champions presented by Risk Strategies was won by Peter Feldman, a national champion in the DragonFlite 95 class.

Feldman, who has years of experience in the realm of radio-controlled sailing, won the Jack Brown Trophy taking the honor home with a total of 27 points over 16 races. The event was sailed October 21-22 at the Corinthian Sailing Club of Dallas in radio-controlled DragonFlite 95s.

"I think my experience in the boat was definitely a strong point - I was fast, so if I had a bad start, I was able to get back with the fleet really well, and that's all about time in the boat," said Feldman. "Conditions were super light for this venue, but we had a great racecourse, a great direction for wind, and a great viewing platform for racing."

Second and third place were determined through a tie-break with both sailors on 40 points. Steve Landeau, representing the radio-controlled DragonForce 65, won the tiebreak coming in second. Gary Boell, representing the radio-controlled International One Metre, rounded out the podium in third.

Twelve sailors from across the country, several trying their hand at the DragonFlite 95 for the first time, competed on White Rock Lake, at Corinthian Sailing Club's sailing venue. The event took full advantage of the DragonFlite's ability to sail in lighter-than-normal conditions, as the breeze stayed in the single digits both Saturday and Sunday. The sailing club's experience with RC boat racing shone through, adjusting the course as needed and running a total of 16 races.

Para Sailing world champion and US Sailing Adult Director Betsy Alison was one of 12 competitors that took to the water this weekend. "Lots of people are skeptical, wondering 'is RC boat racing real racing?' I thought long and hard before committing to racing a boat I have never sailed before, but I figured that this is a part of the fastest part of one design sailing that I've never tried before and it is totally legit," said Alison in an interview after Sunday's racing.

"The RC boat was really challenging for me in a new way, but I will say, you do it a little bit and you're addicted - if a little bit is good, more must be better! This regatta was some of the most fun I've had at a sailing event in a very long time."

The Championship of Champions is the most unique regatta in US Sailing's roster of championships. Champion sailors from a wide range of one design classes fleet race against each other in a boat that is often unknown to many and is typically held on a body of water with challenging conditions.

To be eligible to sail, entrants must be a 2022-2023 one-design class U.S. National Champion, North American Champion, or World Champion helmsperson, for crew, during the qualifying period of August 8, 2022 through September 4, 2023.

"We are thrilled to have hosted this event," said Corinthian Sailing Club's Commodore Griffin Orr. "It's the third time we've hosted the Championship of Champions, and the first time the championship has been hosted in remote control boats! It was great as our venue is well suited to the boats. I would like to give a huge shoutout to all the volunteers, who did a great job showing that this family club can host a world-class event!"

US Sailing would like to thank event host Corinthian Sailing Club, as well as sponsors Gowrie Group, a division of Risk Strategies, Gill Marine, and Goslings for their support of this event.