Sperry claims Etchells Midwinters West

The 2026 Etchells Midwinters West attracted 50 teams for the 7-race series on March 27-29 in San Diego, CA. Austin Sperry with crew John Kostecki and Noel Drennan took the title by 14 points over Skip Dieball, following up their earlier win at the 2026 Pacific Coast Championship. The 2026 Etchells World Championship will be held at the same venue on May 11-15.

In anticipation of the 2026 Etchells World Championship, Race Committee moved further south into the Pacific to provide 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.

“Getting out to sea and away from Point Loma avoids the resulting land effects on the wind and sea state,” said PRO Jeff Johnson. “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 sailed by 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.

Conditions were tricky and evolved across the weekend from unstable breeze on Friday to stronger pressure on Saturday followed by a light and transitional final day. Competitors were highly aware of the ongoing changes compared to their previous experiences racing in San Diego.

Source: SDYC