2025 California Dreamin' Series now accepting RFIs

California Dreamin' Series © Long Beach Yacht Club

Applications are now open for match racing skippers wishing to compete in the 2025 California Dreamin' Series. This long-standing series features events at four prominent clubs on the West Coast, beginning with San Diego YC in J/22s on January 25-26, Balboa YC in GovCup 22s on February 15-16, St. Francis YC in J/22s on March 8-9 and the final regatta at Long Beach YC in Catalina 37s on April 5-6. See the Notice of Series here.

Skippers may request invitations to individual stops by submitting the Request for Invitation. The OA's Invitation Committee will review requests received by December 1, 2024 and start issuing invitations until each event is full.

Priority will be given to skippers opting for three of the four events, but there are often spots available to those who can only make one or two. While a skipper may win CDS by competing in only the first three events, the top skipper who also competes in Long Beach will earn a coveted invitation to the 2026 Ficker Cup, which lends their team a chance to qualify for the 2026 Grade 1 Congressional Cup.

The California Dreamin' Series events are traditionally the nation's first match racing regattas of the year and serve an important role in the development of up-and-coming match racers, with several having moved on to national competition. According to CDS Committee Member Bruce Stone, "CDS has incubated scores of skippers and crew into this specialized game and sharpened everyone's skills for regular fleet racing. The event is also much sought after by race committee volunteers and umpires as the action is non-stop and everyone involved must be focused so we can complete a full-round-robin each day - with 8 teams competing, that's 28 matches on Saturday and the same on Sunday, weather permitting. The clubs provide great vantage points for observing their racing."