Curtis & Tucker Reign Supreme at Patti Washington Memorial
IslandStats.com
Maxwell Curtis and Wesley Tucker continued their imperious start to the Comet Class season, securing yet another overall victory at the Patti Washington Memorial Regatta in St. George’s Harbour.
In a demonstration of both speed and strategic dominance, the duo made the eight-boat fleet look like they were standing still during the early exchanges of the afternoon.
Competing in the pristine conditions of the East End, Curtis and Tucker essentially wrapped up the title before the final horn had sounded. The pair delivered a masterclass in tactical sailing, claiming victory in each of the first three races of the regatta.
With their lead unassailable and the championship title secured, the crew of Pole Position elected to remain ashore for the fourth and final race of the day, finishing the regatta with a near-perfect scorecard.
While the top spot was never in doubt, the battle for the remaining podium positions provided the afternoon’s most compelling drama. Alan Frith and his crew Laila Frith managed to clinch the runner-up spot after a remarkably consistent recovery.
After a difficult start that saw them finish sixth in the opening race, the Friths found their rhythm, recording a second-place finish in the second race, a third in the third, and a final second-place finish to end with seven overall points.
Veteran sailor Gladwin Lambert, partnered with Simon Van De Weg, finished in a deadlock with Frith on seven points but took third place on the tiebreaker. Lambert’s day was a model of consistency, posting a sequence of 2-3-2-3 across the four-race series.
The competitive nature of the fleet was on full display throughout the mid-pack, with Greg Wade and his crew rounding out the top four. Wade’s afternoon peaked in the final race of the day, where he delivered his best performance to ensure a strong finish in the overall standings.
The regatta serves as yet another marker of the high standards within the local Comet Class, with the fleet now looking toward the upcoming summer schedule as they attempt to close the gap on the dominant Curtis and Tucker.
2026 Patti Washington Memorial Comet Class Regatta Results
03 Max Curtis & Wesley Tucker 07 Alan Frith & Laila Frith 07 Gladwin Lambert & Simon Van De Weg 10 Greg Wade & Geno Smith 13 Anthony Smith & Hong Gao 13 Geovanni Hayward & Sivaja Perinchief 18 Quinton Simons & Zane Hendrickson 22 Ja’Cal Washington & Jah-Shon Smith
Saturday, April 25, 2026
Ebbin & Tulane’s National Championship Run Ends
IslandStats.com
Fresh off the back of their SEISA conference success, Christian Ebbin and his Tulane University teammates faced the ultimate test this week as they hosted the ICSA Open Team Race National Championship. Competing on the familiar waters of Lake Pontchartrain out of the Southern Yacht Club, the Green Wave found themselves in the thick of a high-stakes battle against the premier collegiate sailing programs in the United States.
The opening day of the championship delivered ideal conditions, with clear skies and an easterly breeze that built throughout the afternoon. Tulane started their campaign with a statement victory over the U.S. Coast Guard Academy but soon found the level of competition unrelenting. Across a grueling fourteen-match schedule in the first round, the Green Wave secured vital wins over the likes of the U.S. Naval Academy, Boston College, and the College of Charleston. Despite dropping matches to powerhouse programs including Stanford, Georgetown, and Brown, Ebbin and the Tulane crew ended the first day with a respectable record of eight wins and six defeats, keeping them well within striking distance of the knockout stages.
Day two saw a shift in the environment as a lighter southerly breeze greeted the sailors, demanding a higher level of tactical precision and patience. Tulane rose to the occasion early in the session, pulling off a significant upset by defeating the Stanford University Cardinal and following it up with a hard-fought win over the Georgetown University Hoyas. They added another victory against the Midshipmen of the U.S. Naval Academy to bolster their tally. However, the lighter air proved challenging as the rotation progressed, and the Green Wave suffered critical losses to Harvard, Dartmouth, and Roger Williams.
By the time the Round of 16 was completed on the second afternoon, Tulane had pushed their total to 11 wins and 10 defeats. In an incredibly tight field where a tiebreaker was required to decide the final berths for the Round of 8, the Green Wave unfortunately fell just short of advancing to the championship rounds. While the result brings an end to their bid for a national title on home waters, the performance of Ebbin and his teammates against the country's elite serves as a testament to the program’s continued rise within the ICSA ranks.
Friday, April 24, 2026
Bermudian Trio Show Grit as Semaine Concludes in Hyères
IslandStats.com
Bermuda’s elite sailing contingent has brought a grueling week of high-stakes competition to a close at the 57th Semaine Olympique Française in Hyères. Navigating a fleet of the world’s best, Sebastian Kempe, Campbell Patton, and Adriana Penruddocke faced a rollercoaster of conditions on the Mediterranean, finishing the regatta with a mix of hard-fought results and tactical lessons.
In the highly competitive ILCA 7 fleet, Sebastian Kempe emerged as the top Bermudian performer, securing 26th place overall. Kempe, who has shown consistent pace throughout the week, finished with a net total of 156 points. His final day of racing was a tale of two halves; he opened the session with a superb showing to cross the line in 12th place, demonstrating his ability to mix it at the front of the pack. However, a more difficult 34th-place finish in the final race of the regatta saw him solidify his position in the top thirty.
It was a more frustrating conclusion for Campbell Patton, who ended the regatta in 41st position overall with 237 net points. Patton’s final day was hampered by a black flag in the opening race, a costly penalty that effectively ended his charge up the standings. He showed resilience to return for the final race of the afternoon, crossing the line in 34th place to bring his campaign in Hyères to an end.
Meanwhile, in the ILCA 6 fleet, Adriana Penruddocke delivered a performance defined by persistence, finishing third in the silver fleet and 48th overall. Ending the week on 51 net points, Penruddocke found herself on the podium alongside fleet winner Hanna Koba and runner-up Ebru Bolat. Her final day of racing started in spectacular fashion as she surged to a victory in the first race of the morning. She followed that up with a steady 11th-place finish before a challenging 27th in the regatta's final outing.
As the sun sets on Hyères, the Bermudian trio will take significant confidence from their flashes of brilliance against world-class opposition, providing a solid foundation as the international sailing calendar continues to ramp up.
Thursday, April 23, 2026
Physical Toll as Heavy Air Persists in Hyères
IslandStats.com
It was another day of punishing, physical hiking for the ILCA 6 and ILCA 7 fleets as the forecast big easterlies continued to batter the 57th French Olympic Week in Hyères.
The conditions tested the absolute fitness limits of the world’s elite sailors. While the wind strength was slightly reduced from the previous day’s peak, those competing further out in the bay still contended with a relentless, boat-breaking chop. For the Bermudian contingent, it proved to be a testing session of damage limitation as the grueling conditions reshuffled the leaderboard.
In the ILCA 7 fleet, Sebastian Kempe and Campbell Patton both lost ground after a pair of frustrating outings in Hyères Bay. Three races were completed on the day, and Kempe’s consistency was tested early as he crossed the line in 34th in the opening race. He showed flashes of his trademark pace with a 15th-place finish in the second, but a difficult 40th in the final race of the afternoon saw him slide down the standings. Having started the day in a promising 17th position, Kempe fell 11 places to sit 28th overall with 110 net points.
Compatriot Patton also faced a steep uphill battle in the heavy air. Starting the day 35th overall, Patton struggled to find a clean lane in the aggressive Mediterranean swell, recording finishes of 39th, 25th, and 44th. The results see him drop two places to 37th overall with a net total of 155 points as he looks to find more traction in the final stages of the regatta.
There was better news for Bermuda in the ILCA 6 Silver Fleet, where Adriana Penruddocke maintains her resilient form. Two races were contested in the fleet, and Penruddocke dominated the first, taking a commanding victory. Although a 21st-place finish followed in the second race of the day, her opening win ensured she remains at the top of the Silver Fleet standings. She holds steady in 46th place overall with 18 net points in her division, proving her ability to excel even when the conditions are at their most demanding.
Wednesday, April 22, 2026
Airforce Shakes Up Wednesday Night Leaderboard
IslandStats.com
The second round of the Wednesday Night Sailing series delivered a tactical masterclass in Hamilton Harbour as Airforce utilized their handicap to perfection, snatching victory from a swift Crossfire side.
Hosted by the Royal Hamilton Amateur Dinghy Club, the evening was initially defined by the blistering raw speed of Crossfire. The vessel was the first to physically cross the finish line, clocking an impressive elapsed time of 56:58. However, the unforgiving nature of the PHRF handicap system proved to be their undoing; once the calculations were applied, a corrected time of 1:02:50 saw the line-honours leaders relegated to fourth place overall.
The ultimate beneficiary of the evening was Airforce. Despite crossing the line over eight minutes after the frontrunner with an elapsed time of 1:05:46, their corrected mark of 1:02:14 was enough to secure the top spot on the podium. It was a victory decided by the slimmest of margins, emphasizing the precision required in the island's premier midweek regatta.
Encore produced a remarkably disciplined performance to claim second place on the night. Their corrected time of 1:02:29 saw them finish just fifteen seconds adrift of the winners, while Scatteraction rounded out the podium in third with a corrected mark of 1:02:38.
The results highlight the immense competitive depth of this year's fleet, where the battle for the top four positions was separated by less than forty seconds after handicaps. With the leaderboard tightening, the fleet now turns its attention to next week’s third round, where Crossfire will be eager to translate their physical pace into a corrected victory.
