2026 Opti Pacific Coast Champs Results and Recap from a Clean Regatta

Peninsula Youth Sailing Foundation (PYSF) hosted the 2026 Opti Pacific Coast Champs on October 3–4, welcoming 72 sailors to the RWB Championship Fleet and 17 registrations in Green Fleet. The event also marked the third of three in PYSF’s partnership with 11th Hour Racing to advance its Sustainable National Regatta Model, which integrates waste management, carbon reduction and environmental education into youth sailing events.

Through the partnership, PYSF worked to make sustainable practices part of the regatta experience and everyday sailing routines. Recycling and composting stations in the boat park, water refill stations that encouraged sailors to use personal water bottles, and electric race marks helped reduce the event’s environmental footprint without compromising racing. Competitors also had access to a sustainable lunch guide on the notice board, with tips for using reusable food containers, composting food scraps and avoiding single-use packaging.

Learn more about the partnership and previous PYSF clean regattas HERE.

Photo Credit to Ryan Taylor of Ryan Taylor Visual

Five races were completed in the Championship Fleet over the weekend, with each sailor able to discard their worst score. Vincent Mulcahy led the fleet with 9 net points, followed by Bennett Hirsch with 10. Quillin Moran rounded out the podium with 21 points.

1. Vincent Mulcahy (Best Coast Sailing Team) finished with 9 points, posting two first-place finishes and consistently placing near the front of the fleet.

2. Bennett Hirsch (JK Sailing SCCYC) finished just one point behind Mulcahy with 10 net points. His two first-place finishes helped secure second overall, with a 29-point race discarded.

3. Quillin Moran (San Francisco Yacht Club / Annapolis Yacht Club) took third with 21 points. A second-place finish helped offset a UFD in Race 4, which was discarded.

4. Tristan Gerber (JK Sailing SCCYC) and 5. Mason Lim (DRYC / Team Happy) finished tied on 26 points, with Gerber winning out in the tie. Gerber closed the regatta with a race win, while Lim’s consistent results kept him in contention.

Ten races were completed in Green Fleet, with each sailor able to discard their worst score. Gavin Swezea (ABYC) came out on top with 20 net points. With young sailors building their skills and gaining racing experience in Green Fleet, the future of the fleet looks bright.

Congratulations to all competitors, with special recognition for the sailors who qualified for the 2027 Team Trials. The Pacific Coast Champs served as a Team Trials qualifier, and you can find the list of sailors who qualified based on their results HERE. Full event results are available HERE.

At Sail1Design, we’re excited to see what the future of sustainability in sailing holds. If you know of a sustainability initiative, event or project happening in the sailing community that you think we should cover, reach out to [email protected]. We’d love to hear about it!

Photo Credit to Ryan Taylor of Ryan Taylor Visual