2026 Etchells Worlds in the books
by Etchells Class 16 May 18:30 UTC
May 11-15, 2026
2026 Etchells World Championship at San Diego Yacht Club day 3 © Mark Albertazzi
Five incredible days of racing in San Diego are officially in the books as the 2026 International Etchells World Championship came to a close yesterday with the crowning of 2026 World Champions and the presentation of awards (full list below) across the fleet.
From tight racing on the Coronado Roads to unforgettable camaraderie ashore, and one of the deepest fleets in recent memory, this week showcased everything that makes the Etchells Class so special.
"San Diego Yacht Club is so proud to have hosted a great Etchells World Championship. Over the last five days we had nine races with 278 competitors over 76 teams from 11 countries," said SDYC Commodore Alli Bell. "As Commodore, I'd like to thank the almost 200 volunteers, our staff and all the competitors for making this regatta truly amazing. I look forward to seeing everybody next year in Hong Kong."
The overall champion of this year's Etchells Worlds is Magpie AUS 1526 crewed by James Mayo, Paul Cayard, and Ben Lamb. More on their victory can be found in Friday's press release.
The Corinthian Class was won by No Dramas GBR 1490. "To win the Corinthian prize is such an incredible that we are really proud of, especially with how talented our competition in this regatta has been," said Graham Vials. "Genuinely, I feel that there isn't a better fleet out there when it comes to strength of talent." The United Kingdom's Etchells fleet will host the 2028 World Championships in Cowes.
The next Etchells World Championship will be held in Hong Kong in November of 2027. Two teams representing Hong Kong competed in this year's Worlds: Mark Thornburrow's Racer Smitty HKG 1496 and Jamie McWilliam's Shrub HKG 912. "It's fantastic to have the Etchells Worlds back in Hong Kong next year, and there is quite a lot of enthusiasm around the Etchells fleet," said Thornburrow. "I think everybody in Hong Kong is really pumped about 2027 Worlds. The fleet has grown significantly since the last time we hosted in 2015," added McWilliam.
Thank you to everyone around the world who followed along with our media coverage throughout the week.
A huge thank you goes out to all of our sponsors and partners who helped make the championship possible, especially Palm Beach Motor Yachts for providing the VIP and media support boat all week long, Mount Gay Rum for hosting an outstanding party, and Zhik for donating raffle gear in support of the SDYC Junior Program. Together, the raffle raised nearly $3500 over the course of the championship week, another thank you to the generosity of our sailors.
Thank you to the competitors, volunteers, race officials, San Diego Yacht Club, and everyone who made this championship such a memorable event.
See you next year in Hong Kong, November 9-13, 2027!
Championship & Perpetual Trophy winners
The Founders Trophy & Bill Bennett Crew Trophy
Overall Championship Winner & Crew
James Mayo, Paul Cayard, Ben Lamb (AUS 1526) Magpie
2nd — Rogue (USA 1519)
Scott Kaufman, Goncalo Ribeiro, Lucas Calabrese, Hugo Rocha
3rd — Encore (USA 1529)
John Sommi, Beccy Anderson, Victor Diaz de Leon, Will Ryan
4th — Lifted (USA 1504)
Jim Cunningham, Steve Hunt, Erik Shampain, Serena Vilage
5th — Fast Mermaid (USA 1111)
Jud Smith, Steve Girling, Marc Gauthier
Corinthian Cup
Andrew Lawson, Graham Vials, and Billy Russell (GBR 1490) No Dramas with Pat Stadel (seated), who donated the Corinthian Trophies
Triple Threat (USA 1465)
Wiley Rogers IV, Ford McCann, Marshall McCann
Capricorn (USA 1229)
Ethan Doyle, Brad Rodi, Mary Grace Card, Matt Hecht
4th - Team Shred (USA 1452)
Oliver Toole, Justin Doane, Kara Voss, Mateo Vargas
5th - Free Bird (USA 1060)
Ben Wilkinson, Sarah Wilkinson, Keenan Hilsinger
C. Stanley Ogilvy Masters Trophy, Robert W. Sides Seniors Trophy, Grand Masters Trophy
James Mayo, Paul Cayard, Ben Lamb (AUS 1526) Magpie
Bill Munster Sportsmanship Trophy
Jon Rogers for his leadership with the SDYC Juniors team of 2026, Dave Lysinger (14), Elleson Wheeler (12), Parker Heim (12)
Best Female Helm Trophy
Ruby Sunderland (GBR 1468) Strait Dealer
Next Generation Trophy
Best Performance for the Crew whose entire team is Under 30.
Wiley Rogers IV, Ford McCann, Marshall McCann (USA 1465) Triple Threat
Bill Steele Trophy
Awarded to the crew with the lowest average age.
Corneille LePrince Felipe Garcia Jessye Opoku-Ware (GBR 1014) Palaver
Best Female Team Trophy (NEW)
A repurposed 1997 J/24 World Championship Trophy originally awarded to SDYC member Vince Brun in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Presented to the top-finishing all-female team.
Given by SDYC and Vince Brun, 2000 Etchells World Champion and 2026 Regatta Co-Chair
Grace Yakutis, Marisa Bloodgood, Marianna Shand, Victoria Boatwright (USA 1092) Coyote
Individual Race Trophies
Race 1 — Etchells Fleet 6, Newport Beach, CA, USA: Austin Sperry, Noel Drennan, John Kostecki (USA 1527) RayGun
Race 2 — The Peter Tirion / Etchells Association of Canada Trophy, Royal Canadian Yacht Club, Toronto, Ontario, CAN: James Mayo, Paul Cayard, Ben Lamb (AUS 1526) Magpie
Race 3 — Brisbane Etchells Fleet, Australia: Jeanne-Claude Strong (AUS 1518) Flying Higher
Race 4 — Etchells Fleet 4 and Eastern Yacht Club, Marblehead, MA, USA: Jeanne-Claude Strong (AUS 1518) Flying Higher
Race 5 — Etchells Fleet 12 and St. Francis Yacht Club: D Craig Mense, Stephanie Roble, Manu Weiller, Ian Liberty (USA 1456) Freedom
Race 6 — American Yacht Club Centennial Trophy: Austin Sperry, Noel Drennan, John Kostecki (USA 1527) RayGun
Race 7: Gulf Harbour Yacht Club, Gulf Harbour, New Zealand: Jud Smith, Steve Girling, and Marc Gauthier (USA 1111) Fast Mermaid
Race 8 — The Jim Annand Trophy from Etchells Australia: James Mchugh, Alister Richardson, David Vera San Luis (IRL 1501) Tquila
Race 9 — Cowes Fleet in honor of member Ante Razmilovic, winner of the first ninth race at the 2002 World Championship: James Mayo, Paul Cayard, Ben Lamb (AUS 1526) Magpie
Finally, a huge thank you to International Etchells Class President Jim Cunningham (right) and the entire IGC Governors, Regatta Co-Chairs Casey Schooner (left), Vince Brun, and Charlie Mann for their incredible leadership throughout the championship week.
And thank you to the entire San Diego Yacht Club community for the tremendous support — from former SDYC Etchells World Champions like Kers Clausen and Dennis Conner onsite this week, to the many SDYC members competing on the racecourse this week. Events like this are only possible because of the volunteers, sailors, organizers, and supporters who dedicate so much time and passion to the class.