2026 Etchells Pacific Coast Championship at San Diego Yacht Club
by Melanie Aalbers 26 Feb 11:25 AEDT
February 21-22, 2026
2026 Etchells Pacific Coast Championship © Mark Albertazzi
The 2026 Pacific Coast Championship was decided on a tiebreaker after three boats finished tied with 13 points each following five races.
The second event of the West Coast Spring Series 42 boats, including teams from the United States, Australia, Norway, and Bermuda, as programs continue preparation for the 2026 Etchells World Championship at San Diego Yacht Club.
Friday's practice racing was light and transitional. The breeze started building on Saturday which allowed three races to be completed. By Sunday, steadier pressure set up a decisive final day.
Skip Dieball described the weekend's progression stating, "Friday we had our Practice Day. It was pretty light and kind of tricky sailing. Saturday the breeze came in wonderfully. We got three great races in - lots of tight racing. And today was epic. It was really off the hook. And the racing was so tight. Frankly it came down to the last beat. Any one of the three boats could have won on the last beat and it was super exciting." On the final approach, Dieball added, "We thought we were going to have a piece of Austin's team there at the end, but they crossed us and took home the top prize, but we're really proud and happy to be second place."
Rod Hagebols credited both the venue and the fleet: "I'd really like to thank San Diego Yacht Club and all the volunteers for putting on such an amazing event. Lots of moving pieces and the race committee and the volunteers did a great job making us feel welcome and to do another great event here at the club." He added, "We're really excited that we had so many boats out there this weekend and it's fantastic to see the intensity and the comradeship as well. We really loved racing out there this weekend. The conditions were perfect, like couldn't get any better. Love San Diego Yacht Club. Love San Diego. Love San Diego people. Thank you."
Australia's Magpie matched the leaders on points and secured third. James Mayo said, "First, on behalf of Team Magpie and our coaches, I just want to thank all the volunteers, race committee, and the club for putting on this wonderful event here. We've made the trip over from Australia and we absolutely loved being here. We loved the racing. It was tight. I didn't quite know until half an hour ago. Three boats that tied on equal points. So that's wonderful racing." He continued, "We've had a lot of changes. We've got a brand new boat. We had a fill-in skipper for this event. So we've had a lot of changes and we're super excited to come back again next month and the month after and then start throwing the dice to the Worlds." Ben Lamb added, "Team Magpie absolutely loved coming to SDYC. The hospitality and comradery is unmatched. We enjoyed the racing. A lot of moving parts. A brand new boat, our fill-in helmsman Peter Merrington did an excellent job. We're excited to be back here again and make the most of this beautiful venue."
As breeze built across the weekend, sail selection and rig adjustments became increasingly important. In Saturday's debrief led by Eric Doyle sailors discussed the need to stay adaptable as conditions evolved. "It was a classic San Diego setup," Doyle said, emphasizing that with pressure moving and angles changing "you had to stay flexible."
Don Jesberg said, "Here we are in the middle of February and it's sunny and warm. Two days of great sailing as we ramp up to the World Championships in May. We had more boats show up from different countries. We had Norway, we had Bermuda, we had Australia, and it's wonderful to see 40 plus boats out on the line racing competitively. You can see world champions in first place and in 15th place. That's how competitive the fleet is."
PRO Bruce Golison summarized the weekend stating, "We had a good regatta. We got all five races in. And today was a good day. We had an amazing regatta with a three-way tie for first and it came down to the tiebreaker and you can't get better than that."
The West Coast Spring Series continues with Midwinters West, March 27-29, 2026, again on Coronado Roads off San Diego Yacht Club, followed by the Orca Bowl / Pre-Worlds on April 25-26 and the 2026 Etchells World Championship in May.
Overall Results:
1st – Bayou Hustler (USA 1454) – Austin Sperry / Rod Hagebols, Noel Drennan, John Kostecki
2nd – Stark Raving Mad (USA 1477) – Jim Madden / Skip Dieball, Jeff Reynolds, Jeff Eber
3rd – Magpie (AUS 1526) – James Mayo / Peter Merrington, Ben Lamb
Corinthian Division
1st – Viva (USA 1429) – Don Jesberg, John Bonds, Jeff Wayne
2nd – Second Wind (USA 985) – Will La Dow, Jake La Dow, Alex Curtiss, Paula Schmid
3rd – Team Shred (USA 1452) – Oliver Toole, Mateo Vargas, Kara Voss, Justin Doane