Cunningham Takes 2026 North American Etchells Championship Title at 42nd Annual Newport Regatta
by Mark LeBeau 13 Jul 23:27 PDT
July 10-12, 2026
2026 North American Etchells Championship © Daniel Forster Photography
The 2026 Etchells Class North American Championship was hosted this past weekend at the 42nd Annual Newport Regatta put on by Sail Newport. Alongside 16 other classes partaking in the regatta, a fleet of 12 Etchells teams took to Narragansett Bay for three days of racing with the championship title on the line.
A bright and sunny Rhode Island summer weekend made for highly competitive one-design racing. Days 1 and 3 of the regatta featured light winds on the race circle inside the bay, and day 2 took the fleet offshore into Rhode Island Sound for steady seabreeze. Seven races in total were held over the weekend.
The 2026 North American Etchells Champion is Lifted USA 1504 owned and skippered by International Etchells Class Association President Jim Cunningham. The team, made up of Steve Hunt, Serena Vilage, and Erik Shampain put up five bullets, not finishing outside the top three in any race and scoring a total of seven points. Cunningham and Lifted also took home the prestigious Dr. Robin Wallace Trophy for Best Performance out of all classes in the regatta.
"Race organizer Tom Duggan and his team at Sail Newport did a great job getting seven races off given the winds we had," Cunningham said. "I am proud of my team for our performance and the entire North American Etchells fleet for bringing such a high level of competition to this year's championships."
Rounding out the podium were Ben Wilkinson's Free Bird USA 1060 and Jud Smith's Fast Mermaid USA 1111 with 16 points each. Finishing the regatta with 19 points was Stephen Murray's Decision BER 1428.
Wilkinson and the Free Bird crew had the home field advantage in Rhode Island. Alongside his sister Sarah and Keenan Hilsinger, Wilkinson's team came out on top of the Corinthian division with a commanding 30 point lead.
In addition to his team's impressive result in the regatta, sailing legend Jud Smith was recently named to the 2026 Sailing Hall of Fame class of inductees. Amongst his many honors in the sport, Smith was named Rolex Yachtsman of the Year two times and holds multiple Etchells World Championship Titles. The class and fleet is proud to have him amongst our ranks.
Several of the top competitors were coming off strong performances at the 2026 Etchells World Championships at San Diego Yacht Club in May. The next major North American Etchells regatta will be the 2026 Etchells Atlantic Coast Championship hosted by Shelter Island Yacht Club running from September 9-12.