The 2025 U.S. Etchells National Championship wrapped up in classic Miami style—sun, light breeze, and tight racing. Hosted by the Coral Reef Yacht Club, this year’s event brought 35 boats to Biscayne Bay for three days of intense one-design racing culminating in seven races, with each team allowed to drop one. 
In true Etchells fashion, there was a new name this season atop the leaderboard at the end: Oatmeal (USA 1506), helmed by Chris Larson with Andrew Palfrey and Mark Mendelblatt. The trio sailed a consistent series to take the title, holding off a hard-charging fleet in challenging, light-air conditions.
Larson credited their victory to clean starts and smart sailing when the starts did not go well: “Due to a last-minute business conflict, Peter Duncan couldn’t make it, so he gave us the keys to the car and we made it happen in tricky and challenging conditions. There were times we felt like we had pulled a rabbit out of hat but we created our own luck.”
The final race was a showdown between Oatmeal and second-place finisher Freedom (USA 1456), a team that had posted multiple bullets throughout the regatta. With Craig Mense, Ian Liberty, and Manny Weiller onboard, Freedom added solo-sailing star Cole Brauer to their crew. Brauer, returning to the Etchells after her historic solo circumnavigation, found herself back in familiar waters—but with more voices than she’s used to.
“It was a bit of a culture shock to be so close to others on the same boat!” Brauer joked. “But my team was first class and therefore, it was easy for me to right back in and give Oatmeal a run.”
Rounding out the podium in third was Lifted (USA 1504), last year’s National Champion team. Skipper Jim Cunningham, along with veteran crew Erik Shampain, Serena Vilage, and Lucas Calabrese, showed strong form and passed the torch with style.
Conditions over the weekend were light, Friday started strong, and the second race had been shortened due to changing wind directions, with a Saturday delay, the wind filled enough for a few races each day. But while the wind kept sailors waiting, the Miami sunshine and camaraderie kept spirits high.
Chris Lanza, Race Chair and skipper of Vertigo II, reflected on the weekend:
“Coral Reef Yacht Club and Fleet 20 were excited and proud to host the 2025 Etchells US Nationals as part of the 18th Annual Coral Reef Cup. Aside from great sailing conditions in late March, there were great social events where competitors wound down a busy Miami sailing season and discussed their plans for summer racing and the 2026 World Championship.”
As the curtain falls on another season in Miami, attention now shifts westward. Many teams are already preparing for the 2025 North American Championship, set to take place in San Diego this May.