Jesberg Wins Etchells Orca Bowl, Busch/Madden Win Etchells West Coast Spring Series

The Orca Bowl wrapped up the 2025 Etchells West Coast Spring Series on April 26-27 with a 5-race regatta sailed by 33 teams on the ocean course off of Point Loma in San Diego, CA.

PRO Bruce Golison described Sunday's racing. "Today's conditions were perfect San Diego sailing conditions. 8 to 12 knots from the west. This made for really close racing."

Etchells Orca Bowl Regatta at San Diego Yacht Club - photo © Bob Betancourt

Jeff Johnson, SDYC Waterfront Director added to the conditions report. "ORCA - Day 2 conditions were better than yesterday... scattered showers in the morning with a nice SW to West when filling in and mostly sunny. Wind speed 8 to 12 kn direction 250 to 280. Only one of the three races Sunday needed a U flag start penalty to calm the fleet... And the start was clear. Fleets were always compressed at the finish for the top 10-15 boats."

The regatta came down to the last race of the day. The standings ended up with 3 teams tied for first, and three more within 2 points off the lead. Don Jesberg (Viva) won the final race of the day to secure 1st place in the regatta winning the tiebreaker over Argyle Campbell (Rock On) and Greg Reynolds (Side Piece). All three teams finished with 19 points after their throwout. Viva's 2nd in Race 1 and win in Race 5 broke the tie. Impressively, Jesberg sailed with Alden Grimes and John Bonds as a Corinthian team in a stacked lineup of internationally competitive teams.

Orca Bowl Results:

Don Jesberg shared how he and his Corinthian team succeeded in this year's Orca Bowl and throughout the series.

"Fight for every place, every leg - that's good because ORCA scores were 19, 19, 19, 20, 21, 21. Two points between the top six boats! Effort counts every race, all the way around the race course.

It is also super important to me to have the same crew through the whole series. My guys Alden Grimes and John Bonds were just great as crew and had us dialed through all the different conditions.

Etchells Orca Bowl Regatta at San Diego Yacht Club - photo © Bob Betancourt

I just want to say thank you to the San Diego Yacht Club for hosting a wonderful West Coast Spring Series. It's been great coming down from San Francisco each month to enjoy a weekend in the sun. We brought a little rain for you yesterday — hope you appreciated that!

It's really exciting to see the buildup to next year's Worlds here, and we truly appreciate all the hospitality — from allowing us to keep our boats here to welcoming us to race with you. It means a lot, not just to us, but to all the sailors coming from as far away as Australia, the East Coast, the South, and beyond. Thank you very much."

Etchells Orca Bowl Regatta at San Diego Yacht Club - photo © Bob Betancourt

In true Orca Bowl tradition, Saturday night featured a wonderful BBQ bringing together all competitors and their families for an evening of great food, laughter, and connection.

Mark Strube and Chris Snow crewed for Dale Gordon (Flash Gordon) and shared their experience at the Orca Bowl.

"Fun day out there today! What was the best part? Honestly, having that extra layer of clothes — I actually warmed up! I was pretty cold at first; it was definitely a bit chilly out there. The best part of the day was our starts — we had some really good ones. Even though we kind of went backwards as the day went on, it was still a great time. It rained a bit, it was windy, and we got a little cold at times, but overall, it was just a nice day of sailing."

Etchells Orca Bowl Regatta at San Diego Yacht Club - photo © Bob Betancourt

West Coast Spring Series Standings:

1st Place: Chris Busch/Jim Madden, BUSCHIDO
2nd Place: Jim Cunningham, LIFTED
3rd Place: John Dane/Eric Doyle, HERE WE GO AGAIN

Corinthian Standings:

1st Place: Don Jesberg, VIVA
2nd Place: Ethan Doyle/Matt Hecht/Brad Rodi, CAPRICORN
3rd Place: Eric Tecza/David Janinis, CHOMP!!

2025 Etchells West Coast Spring Series

San Diego Yacht Club has hosted the West Coast Spring Series annually since 2015 (except 2020), making this year's series the 9th edition.

Chris Busch and Jim Madden shared the skippering duties throughout the series for Buschido, and sailed with a varying crew of Patrick Powell, Chuck Sinks and Brad Rodi throughout the series. With overall victories in the Bill Bennett Cup and the Midwinters West, and a 3rd overall in the Pacific Coast Championship, the series was officially won by Team Buschido even before the Orca Bowl capped off the series in April. Busch also won the series in 2021. Two-time defending champion Jim Cunningham and Team Lifted had also locked up 2nd overall for the series going into the Orca Bowl after finishing 2nd in each of the three prior series events.

Etchells Orca Bowl Regatta at San Diego Yacht Club - photo © Bob Betancourt

Series winning co-skipper Chris Busch on the competitive nature of the series:

"The competition kept getting tougher at each event, and the conditions throughout the series were varied and challenging. We stayed adaptable. The first regatta (the Bill Bennett Cup) had perfect conditions for us — we were very fast when it was just about hiking. We added a little bit of rake to the setup, and it really lit up.

Midwinters was our toughest regatta because of the conditions, which were extremely difficult. It wasn't just windy — there was a big sea state that made it hard to steer through and keep the boat moving fast. That regatta also came down to a battle at the end, because we weren't leading until the very last moments. We had to sail hard against Jim Cunningham (who was in second), and there was some team racing at the start. We needed to keep him behind us — and the further back, the better."

Etchells Orca Bowl Regatta at San Diego Yacht Club - photo © Bob Betancourt

Buschido finished 7th in that final race with Cunningham in 10th, winning the Midwinters by one point 17 to 18 over Lifted.

The Spring Series allows for one throwout score from the 4-event series, except the Midwinters regatta cannot be a throwout. For Argyle Campbell and the crew of Rock On, they weren't able to race in the Midwinters and were tagged with 31 points for missing the event. Otherwise their 1st in the PCCs and 3rd in the Bill Bennett Cup would have given them a chance to win the series heading into the Orca Bowl. Maybe next year.

In addition to winning overall at the Orca Bowl, Don Jesberg and the Viva team finished 5th overall in the Spring Series and were the top Corinthian team for the series.

Thank you to Etchells Fleet 13 and the San Diego Yacht Club Race Committee for hosting a season of competitive racing for the 37 teams competing this year. Melanie Aalbers served as series chair once again managing series for the fleet.

Melanie Aalbers:

"It's been an honor to chair this series. The level of competition has been incredibly high, with a strong international fleet pushing each other to be better at every event. At the same time, the camaraderie has been just as impressive — our debriefs with Steve Hunt/Dave Ullman and social events create a welcoming atmosphere that encourages learning, growth, and connection. It's a special group of sailors, and I'm excited to see the momentum continue as we work toward the Worlds in 2026."

Etchells Orca Bowl Regatta at San Diego Yacht Club - photo © Bob Betancourt

2025 Etchells North American Championship

Looking ahead, the Etchells racing scene will continue to raise the competitive level as SDYC will host the Etchells North American Championship May 16-18 with 40 teams currently registered. The North Americans are supported by sponsors Vakros, Cutwater, North Sails and Maui Brewing.

And next May, the 2026 Etchells World Championship will bring sailors from around the world to San Diego.

2025 Etchells North American Championship Info & Registration

For more information or media inquiries, please contact Jared Wohlgemuth.