The U.S. Multihull Championship – Race for the Alter Cup
The 2026 U.S. Multihull Championship, raced in Weta Trimarans, was held from April 30th through May third at the Columbia Sailing Club on beautiful Lake Murray in Columbia South Carolina. The Columbia Sailing Club is a beautiful venue, the weather provided some challenging conditions, the Race Committee and race management were excellent, the food and refreshments were outstanding, and the entertainment was entertaining.
Racing was scheduled to start on Thursday, but the regatta really started on Wednesday. Competitors arrived, assembled and tuned their boats and most headed out on to Lake Murray to get a feel for the conditions. Once everyone was back on the beach and their boats packed down for the night, and a beverage of their choice, the PRO held the competitors’ meeting. This was followed by additional beverages of choice and pizza.
Thursday started with cloudy to partly cloudy skies, temperatures in the upper 60’s to lower 70’s and winds out of the NE at about 4 knots. After a nice breakfast at the Club, the competitors headed out to the racecourse for a 10:30 first signal. After postponing due to a lack of wind, the race committee was able to start the first race in a fairly steady 5-6 knots of breeze. The breeze started to fade as the fleet was about midway through the third leg of a four-leg race. Most boats finished before the wind completely died. The breeze filled and died of the next hour or so. The race committee attempted to start two more races, but the wind never held long enough to complete another race. End of racing for Day 1, 1 race complete. Racing was followed by CSC’s now famous “Beer Slide” (you had to be there) and a delicious taco bar dinner provided by the Club.
We woke up Friday morning to the remnants of a thunderstorm, temperatures in the upper 50’s and wind out of the WNW at 10-12 knots. Following another terrific breakfast at the club, competitors headed out to the racecourse for a 9:30 first signal. We were able to get in four good races in some shifty, puffy conditions. The race committee and support crews did a great job in some tough conditions. End of racing for Day 2, 5 races completed. Entertainment for Friday night was a “Can Hole” tournament (you had to be there) followed by a delicious pasta dinner. This was also the first night to bid on items in our “Silent Auction” benefiting several worthy causes.
Saturday dawned with cloudy skies, winds from the NE at 12-14 knots, temperatures in the low to mid-60’s and a 60% chance of showers. Following another great breakfast, sailors headed out to the course for a 10:30 first signal. After a fast and fun first race, the race committee made a few changes to the course and sent us off on race #2 for the day. About half way through the first lap the wind picked up to 15 knots steady, gusts into the 20’s! I remember someone telling me that on a Weta, “it’s the gusts that get ya!” That held true as we had two Wetas flip at the first windward mark rounding. That put a bit of a sobering effect on the Fleet, but the down winds were still a HOOT! After clearing the debris from the first race and making some adjustments to the leeward end of the course, the race committee sent us off on race three in a steady 14 knots less the extreme gusts. After 3 races in “sporty” conditions, all the competitors were ready to call it a day. End of racing for Day 3, 8 races completed. Our dinner Saturday night was pork barbeque catered by a favorite local restaurant. It was also at this point that we found out who put the winning bid on each of the items donated by our generous sponsors.
Sunday morning was sunny, temperatures in the upper 60’s and winds out of the NNE at about 3 knots. After the usual routine and a quick competitors’ update by the PRO, it was on to the racecourse for a 10:00 first signal. The first race started with potential with a steady 3-4 knot breeze, it eventually faded completely leaving 5 sailors sitting on Lake Murray until the time limit expired. After a 45 minute AP Flag a decent breeze finally filled in from the west. The steady westerly provided enough breeze to run the final two races of the Championship. End of racing, 11 races completed.
After putting all of their boats on their dollies and securing their sails, it was time for a bunch of very tired sailors to make their way to the patio for a traditional BBQ and the awards ceremony. The racing was tight, with a tie-breaker being needed to determine 4th and 5th places. After 11 races in various and challenging conditions the top five finishers in the 2026 U.S. Multihull Championship are:
1st – Bob Hodges
2nd- Gareth Ferguson
3rd- Bill Swansen
4th – Alan Taylor
5th – Chuck Carroll
The 2026 U.S. Multihull Championship was a National Championship worthy event. The venue was beautiful, the racing was competitive and above all, it was a lot of fun. I would like to thank all the people who made this event possible. Without the volunteers from the Columbia Sailing Club and others from around the southeast, we would not have been able to have this caliber of event. They made it look easy!
Bruce
Read the US Sailing article here: https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/members-carolina-sailing-club/CAMyq6xoN2_-_yqa8NqW%3D1nf6Xf62rR-%3D55uXyoGYHFCkr2TP8Q%40mail.gmail.com?utm_medium=email&utm_source=footer