May 22, 2025 19:20 EST

Sunstroke Series 2025 – Week 3 Report

Marina del Rey, May 15, 2025 — The third night of racing in the 2025 Sunstroke Series, hosted by South Coast Corinthian Yacht Club, brought clear skies and classic SoCal conditions to the outer channel of Marina del Rey. With a steady breeze of 11 knots and gusts up to 16, it was an evening tailor-made for competitive dinghy sailing.

The night featured tight racing across four fleets—C15, Lido 14, Laser, and Snipe. However, Race 3 brought a twist: confusion arose over whether the correct course was Course 4 or Course 8. With boats split between the two, the race committee ultimately threw out Race 3 for all fleets, citing fairness and consistency.

In the C15 fleet, Ole Eichhorn and Jotham Schwartz continued their impressive run aboard It’s the Water, Too (Sail #2150), taking first place in all scored races. Dan McGanty on Toy Story (Sail #3686) kept the pressure on with consistent finishes to take second overall, while Mark Brazil’s Little Blue (Sail #3622) secured third.

The Lido 14 fleet saw another dominant performance by Steve Vincent and Gigi Barbes on Ragtime (Sail #2803), who sailed to a clean sweep. Kelly Cantley, helming Transitio (Sail #5036), placed second for the night, while Beazer (Sail #3579), skippered by Paul Button, and TBT (Sail #2999), sailed by Deborah Briskin, ended in a tie for third.

In the Laser fleet, Sam Suddath from SMWYC made a strong series debut aboard Grumpasaur (Sail #23), notching three bullets to top the fleet. He was trailed closely by Tucker Strasser of DRYC, sailing Spuddle (Sail #183836), and Robert Suddath of WYC on Rot (Sail #44). Both finished with eight points, but Strasser claimed second on the tiebreaker.

The Snipe fleet continued to be led by Gabriel Rios and Bruno Melo on La Marea (Sail #311), representing SMWYC. Their near-flawless performance added another trio of wins to their record. Bert Tietje kept them in sight with Nu (Sail #28468), finishing second, while Shelli Orzach’s Free Wind (Sail #29780) took third.

With three nights complete the series standings remain tight. It’s the Water, Too holds the edge in the C15s with 5 points, closely followed by Little Blue and Toy Story. Ragtime continues to lead the Lido 14 fleet with a commanding 3-point total. In the Lasers, Spuddle and Rot are tied at 8 points each, with Grumpasaur close behind at 10. In the Snipes, La Marea and Nu share the lead with 6 points apiece, while Free Wind trails by just one.

Full results from Week 3 and updated series standings are available online.

The Sunstroke Series returns next Thursday 5/22 with Week 4.

May 09, 2025 14:22 EST

Sunstroke Series 2025 – Night 2 Recap

Marina del Rey, May 9, 2025 - The second night of the 2025 Sunstroke Series unfolded last night, hosted by South Coast Corinthian Yacht Club. Races were held in the outer channel of Marina del Rey, under bright sunshine and epic SoCal blue sky sailing conditions.  Winds were fresh, with 10-12 kts of breeze from the WNW with gusts up to 16 kts.  There was no shortage of pressure and the C-15 crews were having fun on the wire.

Under the watchful eye of Principal Race Officer Michael Blunt, the evening featured nineteen boats over five races across four fleets: C15, Lido 14, Laser, and Snipe.  In race three, the C-15s and Snipes all seemed to have forgotten their course charts (ahem it’s here) and did not properly sail the correct sequence for course 5 (that would be Ws-R1s-S-L-F for those of you paying attention) both fleets abandoned race 3;  miraculously the Lidos and the Lasers had no problems navigating their way around this course that provided tons of great photo-ops for our on-water photog Joanne Custer.  

A couple of notable newcomers;  In the Lido fleet, Deborah Briskin made it out for the first time on 2999, which sailed without her last week helmed by Ismail Henchi. Also, Hester Taylor and Jim Puckett made their debut as well in the Lido fleet, with Jim’s making a return to dinghies for the first time in many years. 

In the Snipe fleet,   Gerardo Tufano and Ben McCambridge were out with the fleet and had an impressive showing in what was later learned to be their first regatta ever and Shellie Orzach’s crew Charlie Yan was also out for his first regatta.   Welcome to the fleet to all the first timers.

Results:

C15 Fleet

Ole Eichhorn with crew Jotham Schwartz on It’s the Water, Too (Sail #2150) sailed a commanding evening, taking three bullets. Mark Brazil’s Little Blue (Sail #3622) showed consistent speed to finish second overall, with Dan McGanty’s Toy Story (Sail #3686, CYC) securing third place.

Lido 14 Fleet

Steve Vincent’s Ragtime with crew Gigi Barbes (Sail #2803) took the top spot with a steady 1-2-1-1-2 scoreline. Susan Taylor’s Twende (Sail #4834) finished second overall, followed closely by Kelly Cantley’s Transitio (Sail #5036), who claimed third.

Laser Fleet

Tucker Strasser from DRYC, sailing Spuddle (Sail #183836), surged to come from behind victory with wins in the final three races. Robert Suddath’s Rot (Sail #44) and new SCCYC member Danilo Torro (Sail #210103) both ended the night with 13 points, with Suddath taking second on the tiebreaker.

Snipe Fleet

Gabriel Rios (SMWYC) sailing La Marea with crew Bruno Melo  (Sail #311) led the fleet with a clean sweep. Bert Tietje’s Nu (Sail #28468) stayed in close pursuit for second place, while Shelli Orzach’s Free Wind (Sail #29780) rounded out the podium.

Series Standings After Two Nights

With two nights in the books, the overall series standings are tightening:

• C15: It’s the Water, Too and Little Blue are neck and neck with 4 points each with Eichorn ahead on the tiebreaker
  
  

• Lido 14: Ragtime holds a slight edge with 2 points; Twende sits just behind with 4.
  
  

• Laser: Spuddle and Rot are tied at 4 points, with tiebreakers favoring Strasser.
  
  

• Snipe: Free Wind and Nu also sit tied at 4 points, with Orzach edging ahead on the breaker.
  
  

Click here for full results from Night 2
Click here for current series standings

The Sunstroke Series continues next Thursday with more tight racing, close finishes, and the kind of camaraderie that defines summer sailing in Marina del Rey. 

May 02, 2025 03:55 EST

Marina del Rey, May 1, 2025 — The 2025 Sunstroke 25 series launched Thursday night with four exciting races and perfect spring conditions. Hosted by South Coast Corinthian Yacht Club, the event brought out a strong fleet and a great community vibe both on and off the water.

The wind was on—steady at 12 knots with gusts to 17, according to the UCLA Marine Aquatic Center—giving sailors in centerboard dinghies plenty to manage and plenty to smile about.

In the C15s, Vincent Paternoster took the top spot with a consistent 1-1-3-2. Mark Brazil on Little Blue followed closely in second, with Ole Eichhorn on It’s the Water, Too rounding out the top three.

The Lido fleet was tightly contested. Stephen Vincent on Ragtime secured first with three bullets and a third, just ahead of Susan Taylor on Twende, who took second with a string of second-place finishes and one win. Paul Button on Beazer sailed consistently into third place.

The Laser fleet featured a standout performance from Sam Suddath on Grumpasaur, who notched three wins and a second. His father, Robert Suddath, sailing Rot, claimed second place with steady top-three finishes. Tucker Strasser aboard Spuddle finished third in the fast-paced fleet.

In the Snipes, Shelli Orzach sailed Free Wind to victory, with Bert Tietje on Nu close behind in second. Both boats put in strong performances in the puffy breeze.

A huge shoutout goes to PRO Kris Helm and his race committee for running a smooth and efficient set of races, Tina Romain for the use of her committee boat, Toni and Jay for mark set support, and Michael Cooper for keeping everyone hydrated and happy at the bar afterward.

Great racing, great breeze, and great people—Sunstroke 25 is off to a phenomenal start. We’ll see you next week for more!