Raygun Wins Midwinters West as 50 Etchells Face Full Range of San Diego Conditions
by Melanie Aalbers 1 Apr 16:41 PDT
March 27-29, 2026
Etchells Midwinters West at San Diego Yacht Club © Mark Albertazzi
The Etchells Midwinters West delivered a full spectrum of San Diego conditions to a 50-boat international fleet, with shifting breeze, building pressure, and a decisive current component shaping racing across the weekend.
In anticipation of the 2026 Etchells World Championship, Race Committee moved further south into the Pacific giving the West Coast Spring Series competitors a preview of the Worlds race course area. This course shift introduced deeper water, stronger coastal current, and a more complex track that rewarded positioning and adaptability over static setup. PRO Jeff Johnson discussed the change stating "Getting out to sea and away from Point Loma avoids the resulting land effects on the wind and sea state. It may seem like it wouldn't make much of a difference, but the difference results in more equal conditions across the racecourse. And the SW to NW wind direction puts the weather mark in more "coastal current" which tacticians should dial into their strategy during a Worlds level event."
While racing was tight, it was Raygun, USA 1527, sailed by Austin Sperry, John Kostecki, and Noel Drennan, who maintained the lead throughout most of the weekend scoring 1st in 2 out of 7 races and placing in the top 8 for the remaining races. Stark Raving Mad, USA 1477, and Magpie, AUS 1526, were close contenders for second place with Stark Raving Mad narrowly edging out Magpie by just one point.
For the Series, there are two teams that have a chance to win it all. Series scoring takes the three best regatta finishes and excludes one. Stark Raving Mad leads the series with 6 points, while Raygun stands with 45 (43-1-1). If Raygun finishes top 3 in the Orca Bowl, they will win the series excluding their DNC 43. Otherwise it will go to Stark Raving Mad (whose max series points are 6). Meanwhile, 14 teams have a shot at the series podium going into the final event.
Overall Results: (top three, full results here)
1st - Raygun (USA 1527) - Austin Sperry, John Kostecki, Noel Drennan
2nd - Stark Raving Mad (USA 1477) - Skip Dieball, Jeff Eiber, Jeff Reynolds
3rd - Magpie (AUS 1526) - James Mayo,Caleb Paine, Ben Lamb
Corinthian Division:
1st - No Dramas (GBR 1490) - Andrew Lawson, Billy Russell, Graham Vails
2nd - Second Wind (USA 985) - Will La Dow, Jake La Dow, Alex Curtiss, Paula Schmid
3rd - Viva (USA 1429) - Don Jesberg, John Bonds, Alden Grimes
West Coast Spring Series Current Standings:
1st - Stark Raving Mad (USA 1477) - Skip Dieball, Jeff Eiber, Jeff Reynolds
2nd - Buschido (USA 969) - Chris Busch, Ben Mitchell, Patrick Powell
3rd - Second Wind (USA 985, corinthian) - Will La Dow, Jake La Dow, Alex Curtiss, Paula Schmid
* Austin Sperry's Raygun is currently 8th but has two first places and can win the series by finishing top 3 in the Orca Bowl.