An interview with Donna Womble on the 2023 Ultimate 20 Pacific Coast Championship

Ultimate 20 racecourse action on the waters of Montrey Bay © Ultimate 20 Class

In 1995, Naval architect Jim Antrim, Olympic medalist Jay Glaser, and 505 builder Larry Tuttle joined forces to create a monohull that could deliver the kind of performance hops usually associated with multihulls. Their design-brief challenge didn't stop there: The new ride would also have to be dry, stable, and capable of hitchhiking from regatta to regatta on a no-fuss trailer.

The result of these efforts was the Ultimate 20 (U20), which was manufactured by the W.D. Schock Corporation, and which continues to deliver big grins across fleets on both coasts and on lakes in between.

Part of the class's success stems from its active class association, which organizes high-level events, including the 2023 U20 Pacific Coast Championship, which is being hosted by the Monterey Peninsula Yacht Club from April 14-16, and which will be contested on the waters of Monterey Bay.

I checked in with Donna Womble, regatta chair of the 2023 Ultimate 20 Pacific Coast Championship, via email, to learn more about this exciting One Design event..

U20s in action on San Francisco Bay - photo © Image courtesy of the Ultimate 20 North American Championship

Can you please tell us a bit about the Ultimate 20 Pacific Coast Championships, the event's history and culture, and its competition level?

The U20 Pacific Coast Championships (PCCs) are held every other year at locations in the Western U.S. Every year, the U20 North Americans (NAs) rotate from the Eastern to the Western regions of the US. This year, we hold the PCCs out West while the NAs will be raced on Lake Norman, in North Carolina.

Competition for these events started soon after the boats were first built in 1995. Monterey Peninsula Yacht Club (MPYC) hosted the U20 PCCs in April, 2019. It was a fun event with great conditions. We had eight boats on the starting line in 2019.

How many boats are you expecting? Also, do you expect that most teams will be from the West Coast, or are you also expecting out-of-region teams?

I am hoping we will get eight to ten teams racing this year. Most of the boats hail from Northern California.

We regularly get five or more boats on the starting line for weekend races [on] San Francisco Bay.

I expect we will also get a few boats from the Fresno area. They normally race on Huntington Lake in the summer months. We will also get teams from as far away as Utah and possibly Oregon.

The U20 North Americans were on San Francisco Bay last September—do you think that most teams that raced in the NAs will also be racing the Pacific Championships?

We had a great fleet of 11 boats for the North Americans, I hope that many of them will also make the trip to Monterey. It would be really great if the event generated some new interest from other U20 owners to come and sail in these PCCs. There are a few boats in the SF Bay area [that] don't travel much.

U20s in action on San Francisco Bay - photo © Ultimate 20 North American Championship

Generally speaking, what kinds of conditions can sailors expect on the waters of Monterey Bay in mid-April?

Monterey Bay sailing can vary a lot, but, in general, we get moderate-to-strong winds in the spring here. If the winds are from the south, we should see flat-water planing conditions. If the wind is more from the north or west, then we can get some big swells which can be tricky going upwind but with some fun waves for surfing.

Do you see local knowledge playing a big or small role in the regatta's outcome? Can you please explain?

Local knowledge certainly helps, but being mindful of the wind shifts will be the key to success. Currents are not usually an issue, but kelp is also always a hazard on the race course.

In the end, sailing clean and smart will certainly prevail.

If you could offer one piece of advice to visiting (and local) sailors, what would it be?

Monterey is well-known for a prevailing left shift, this is mostly due to the shoreline configuration, so if in doubt, just go left.

Ultimate 20 racecourse action on the waters of Montrey Bay - photo © Image courtesy of the Ultimate 20 Class

Can you please tell us about any efforts that the club has made to green-up the regatta and generally lower its environmental wake?

MPYC has an active committee [that] strives to make our club a more environmentally friendly place. The efforts of this Green Team have included the availability of water-[bottle] filling stations, the composting of galley waste, zero single-use plastic products, and the incorporation of energy efficient bulbs and appliances.

For regattas, the club endeavors to provide useful awards such as embroidered bags and engraved water bottles in lieu of decorative trophies.

Is there anything else about the Ultimate 20 Pacific Coast Championships that you'd like to add, for the record?

MPYC is a small club with a large contingent of devoted and knowledgeable volunteers. We couldn't run excellent regattas without their help. I wish to thank them in advance for their efforts to make this a successful regatta.