Twelve battle time in masters shootout

The 37th edition of the International Masters Regatta has attracted a dozen luminaries from across the USA and Canada to compete October 19-21 in San Diego, CA. With the venue set in South San Diego Bay east of Coronado Bridge, the fleet racing format is for a round-robin battle in supplied J/105s.

The International Masters Regatta is one of San Diego Yacht Club’s signature events, adopted seven years ago from St. Francis Yacht Club member Don Trask in honor of his father. For many years prior, the world’s greatest Master sailors raced in this international sailing competition in San Francisco Bay and after a several year gap, relocated to San Diego.

Sailors with iconic names including Elvstrom, Buchan, Burnham, Tillman, Trask, Irish, Harken, North and Holland (just to name a few) have competed in this prestigious event. Bill Menninger, who won the title in 2016, is the only past winner in a field where the skipper must be 60 years and the crew are 45 years in 2018.

Competing Skippers:
Jon Andron
Julian Bingham
Chuck Driscoll
Richard du Moulin
David Gould
Tad Lacey
Bill Menninger
Ted Moore
Dave Perry
Bill Peterson
Andy Roy

“I enjoy these kinds of events that are among my friends and counterparts in the sport,” said 5-time U.S. Match Racing Champion Dave Perry. “The Masters hosted by the SDYC is a class event, the racing is fun, and I get the chance to spend time with old friends while making some new ones as well.”

The winner of the 2017 International Masters Regatta was SDYC’s very own Bill Campbell notes the importance of gathering a good crew and letting them do their jobs on the boat. “My job was to get good starts and steer,” notes Campbell. “I had a tactician to point me in what he thought was the right direction. The trimmers and pit and bow guys didn’t need any input from me except for timing at starts and mark roundings.

“Too often the skipper tries to do too many jobs on the boat other than his own. As a result the skipper’s job suffers and the results suffer as well. I was able to handle positioning at the starts, steer fast, after which the crew got us around the course.”

Event details – Team rosters – Facebook