Chris Raab best Master at the Trask

Chris Raab and his team won the 2025 Don Trask International Masters Regatta hosted by the San Diego Yacht Club, held October 17-19 in San Diego, CA. With 12 teams competing in J/105s, Raab finished the first day in 8th overall after five races, but climbed back to take the title by three points.

Representing Alamitos Bay Yacht Club/Newport Harbor Yacht Club (California) in the round-robin format, Raab’s crew included Ed Feo, Robert Kinney, Morgan Reeser, Marco Constant, KJ Paradise, and Craig Leweck.

“Getting off the start line and keeping my head in the boat really helped us win,” said Raab, a first-time invitee. “Morgan Reeser is a great tactician and I’ve known all the guys on my crew for some 30-40 years which makes a difference; I showed up with a lot of talent.

“The competition was as good as it gets especially with [Bill] Hardesty and [Eric] Doyle on [John] Dane’s boat – it was hard to beat him. I think this and the Lipton Cup are the two biggest West Coast regattas we have and the San Diego Yacht Club does such an incredible job running both these events. It’s an honor to be added to the Don Trask International Master Regatta trophy.”

Dane, also a Masters Regatta newbie and representing the Pass Christian YC (Mississippi), took 2nd, and behind Dane by just one point was event veteran Don Jesberg sailing with his team from the San Francisco Yacht Club (California).

“It feels great to finally be able to make this event and take second,” Dane said. “When I was invited, the first thing I did was ask Bill Hardesty and Eric Doyle if they were available because we’ve been sailing Etchells together for a long while,” Dane said.

“We started with a very good crew who have sailed J/105s – I’ve never been on one before – and it’s been a good regatta. The racing has been really tight and we’ve really enjoyed it; it’s been a great fleet with a lot of fun parties and great hospitality.”

This year marked Jesberg’s fifth event – he’s done it twice as crew and three times as skipper.

“This is my best finish for sure,” Jesberg smiled. “We were 11 points out of 1st going into the last day, and had all the pieces fallen into place we could have won, but it was tough, in one race we went from 3rd to 9th which cost us 6 points and there was the differential. We’re happy to finish so close to two very good teams. My crew is a great group to sail with; I love these guys.”

Entry is by invitation to skippers who have reached their 60th birthday on or before December 31, 2025. Other crew shall have reached their 45th birthdays on or before December 31, 2025.

Racing took place on San Diego’s South Bay located south of the Coronado Bridge and a favorite location that is typically breeze favored. Friday’s winds ranged from 6-15 knots, starting out light and increasing to a solid 15 by the start of Race 3. The breezy conditions allowed competitors to complete 5 races with Bill Menninger from Newport Harbor Yacht Club leading at the end of Day 1.

It was a game of snakes and ladders on Saturday when racing got underway in 6 knots at 12:30pm with an incredibly variable breeze. Albeit light and shifty, the wind held up for J/105 sailing in flat water for Races 6-8, but following two general recalls and a dying breeze, Race 9 was abandoned halfway through. Competitors returned to their rotational boats from Race 9 on Sunday morning to pick up the series where it was left off Saturday afternoon.

Twelve teams included entrants from Canada and Germany, were among this year’s lineup with four new skippers: John Dane, Rob Ruhlman representing the Lakeside YC/Pymatuning YC (Ohio), Chris Raab, and Mark Foster representing Lake Canyon YC (Texas).

The sole woman skipper, competing in the event for her third time, and second time with her own team, Cory Sertl, Vice President World Sailing, and her crew finished sixth, and while not the third place finish she enjoyed in 2023, nonetheless she was thrilled to participate again.

“I enjoy sailing in an all-women’s configuration but knowing these boats, you really do need some strength!” Sertl smiled. “The format is really fun; I really enjoy one design sailing where all the equipment is essentially equal, and you’re on a level playing field. The racing is really competitive; you are challenged in both the front and back of the fleet; it’s just a privilege to be invited to this event.”

It was particularly significant that this year’s regatta, now in its 42nd year, was sailed under the new name recently bestowed upon the event – the Don Trask International Masters Regatta – honoring Trask, who passed away on September 29, 2025.

Trask founded the International Masters Regatta at St. Francis Yacht Club in 1979 as a tribute to Master-level skippers who had made a name for themselves in the sport. The regatta moved from StFYC to San Diego Yacht Club in 2012 thanks largely to the efforts of Malin Burnham and with Don’s blessings.

“Honoring Don Trask and his legacy, and for us to be able to continue it with Malin Burnham’s support, the San Diego Yacht Club’s support and the boat owners’ support is just fantastic,” said Dave Veiregg, Regatta Chair.

“Just as Don would have it, this event is about the sailors themselves and their accomplishments; at the Saturday night banquet we had the sailors stand up if they had won certain championship events and world championships; we had people in the room that had won America’s Cup events, Olympic medals, and Championship of Champions events. For this group to be able to celebrate their lifetime sailing accomplishments with fellow sailors is what makes the event so special.”

Event information – Results – Photos

Source: SDYC