An opportunity to try something new

The 2023 US Sailing Championship of Champions will be held October 22-23, with the invitees competing in Radio Controlled DragonFlite 95s on White Rock Lake in Dallas, TX. As the use of an RC boat for the event has stirred opinion, Committee Chair Shannon Bush provides background on the decision.

Historically, the event is raced in fleets of 20 boats that are evenly matched, to offer sailors who qualify the opportunity to apply from winning of their own one design National, North American, or World championship to compete against the best of the best.

With the challenges that come with finding evenly matched fleets and clubs willing to take on hosting the championship, 2023 presented an exciting opportunity to do something new and showcase a popular and growing side of our sport that is inclusive, technical, affordable, and regarded as tough to win by many of the names we regularly see at the top of regatta scoresheets.

Is it experimental and ground-breaking? Yes. Will some people be outside their comfort zone? Yes. Will it be a challenge? Yes. Will it be the same fun factor as year’s past? ABSOLUTELY! Competitors will still have to use their sailing smarts and the rules to race these boats. Change is not always a bad thing. Sometimes, you have to mix it up to make everything you know and love about sailing “new” again. Careful, you may actually enjoy it!

The DF95 class, (a member of US Sailing and a recognized one-design class with thousands of members), is excited to share with one design sailors why this class is so fast growing and provide the opportunity for traditional one-design sailors to try something new.

For this year’s event, one of the class boat suppliers is providing 20 brand new completely identical, never been used boats with three different rigs, for each competitor to use. The event will include a live “pit crew” to help with accurate tuning before and between races, and guide and coach competitors who are new to the discipline of RC boats.

There will be a full day of practice starts and racing prior to the event, and there is a plan to post tuning guides, helpful videos, and live support on the website well before the event.

The Corinthian Sailing Club (Dallas, Texas) is one of the best locations for radio control sailing anywhere in the country. They have twice won the US Sailing St Petersburg Yacht Club Trophy for exceptional race management for events they have hosted.

As the CofC Committee National Chair, I have always been very proactive, receptive, and welcoming to any organization, class or fleet that is interested in hosting this event. Please contact me directly or the team at US Sailing if you are interested in hosting in 2024 and beyond.

US Sailing and the championship committee are excited about working with the Corinthian Sailing Club and the DF95 class to deliver a great event in 2023. I thank our experienced Championship of Champions Committee for their continued effort to support all kinds of one design racing as we seek fleets, classes and hosts for future Championship of Champions events that champion sailors will continue to thoroughly enjoy.

In today’s climate, let’s all have an open mind and be part of the solution.