Beneteau 36.7 North American Championship returns to SDYC for the first time since 2005
by San Diego Yacht Club 2 Sep 08:05 AEST September 24-26, 2021
Beneteau 36.7 North American Championship © San Diego Yacht Club 
The Beneteau 36.7 North American Championship regatta is returning to San Diego Yacht Club for the first time since 2005 on September 24-26, 2021. This year’s competition will see 11 Beneteau 36.7s sail up to 11 races through the weekend on the Coronado Roads south of Point Loma, San Diego.
The 36.7 fleet has seen a resurgence of new owners who come with a lot of racing experience from other fleets. At any given regatta, there will be a different champion on the podium. It’s going to be a roll of the dice! Local skipper Chick Pyle, sailing Kea, won the regatta in 2005 in San Diego and has competed in the 36.7 North Americans in Newport, RI and in Chicago. The first year of the 36.7 Class NAs was in 2002, and the largest NAs fleet was in Buffalo with 47 boats.
The Beneteau First 36.7 was designed by the renowned naval architect Bruce Farr and was first launched in 2001 with 817 built worldwide. While the Beneteau plant in South Carolina has built 274 solely for the North American market, there are active one design fleets in Southern California, Chicago, Detroit, and Toronto.
“This regatta will raise the profile of the 36.7 class in the Southern California region and will focus the rest of the 36.7 class nationwide that we have a very vibrant local fleet,” stated Chair Chick Pyle. “The 36.7 is a fantastic dual purpose boat with great cruising accommodations and a very competitive one design fleet as well as a competitive PHRF racer.”
Competitors can check in and enjoy a regatta dinner on Thursday, September 23 to kick off the weekend. Racing will begin on Friday, September 24 and will follow with a dockside social after the races. After the races on Saturday, competitors can enjoy a regatta dinner and daily prizes. After the final races on Sunday an Awards Ceremony and Reception will conclude the weekend.
