Three Peat for Keith Ives

For the third consecutive year, Keith Ives and crew Chuck Stevens (Long Beach, CA) came out on top at the 2018 Cal 20 Class Championships. Shoreline Yacht Club of Long Beach hosted the 57th edition on August 3-5 in Long Beach, CA.

Sailing took place inside Long Beach Harbor nearby the Queen Mary under light air conditions of 5 to 8 knots. A total of 30 Cal 20’s raced in two separate fleet including Gold (19 boats) and Bronze (11 boats) fleets.

While the Gold Fleet races for the Class Championship trophy, the Bronze fleet is tailored for beginner and intermediate level racers. The Bronze fleet has continued to grow in participation and has proven to be a great means for newer sailors to enjoy a major championship regatta format with their peers.

Other notable finishers included Gold fleet second place finishers Mike Wood (son) and Ron Wood (father). The Wood’s garnered two first place finishes on the final day to close the gap within three points of Champions Ives and Stevens.

A special award to the best looking boat was awarded to Liam Haselhorst who also came in second place in Bronze fleet. Liam’s Bristol condition boat was launched the day prior to the regatta after a 10-month restoration project.

Despite the Cal 20 being out of production for close to 50 years, the class continues to thrive in Southern California for sailors looking for tactical and affordable racing action. For the past three years, the Cal 20 Class Championships have averaged 30+ boats making this one of the largest keelboat one design regattas for a single class on the West Coast.

Event details – Results

Source: Todd Smith