DALLAS, TEXAS (October 17, 2023) – One design class National and North American Champions will race for the Jack Brown Trophy at the 48th annual Championship of Champions, hosted by the Corinthian Sailing Club in Dallas, Texas and presented by Gowrie Group, a division of Risk Strategies. Racing takes place on October 21-22. Learn more about the championship: https://www.ussailing.org/competition/championships/2023-championship-of-champions/.
The Championship of Champions is the most unique regatta in US Sailing’s roster of championships. Champion sailors from a wide range of one design classes fleet race against each other in a boat that is often unknown to many and is typically held on a body of water with challenging conditions. This year’s championship will be contested in the radio controlled DragonFlite 95.
To be eligible to sail, entrants must be a 2022-2023 one-design class U.S. National Champion, North American Champion, or World Champion helmsperson, or crew, during the qualifying period August 8, 2022 through September 4, 2023.
“The Championship of Champions has always prided itself in providing top-shelf competition and fun ashore. This year, we are stepping outside of our comfort zones and holding the event in Radio Controlled DragonFlite95 instead of traditional sailboats,” said Committee Chair Shannon Bush. “We are excited to assemble an unprecedented mix of keelboat, dinghy, disabled, and RC sailors for the 2023 event. This year’s event will be no different than years past in the level of close racing and fun!”
Every year, US Sailing invites an accomplished guest competitor to the Championship of Champions. Guests have included winners of the Rolex Yachtsman and Yachtswoman of the Year award, Olympians, and other sailing luminaries. This year’s guest competitor is Ched Proctor, six-time Lightning North American Champion, Shields National Champion, Sonar World Champion, and more.
Inaugurated in 1976, the championship is named in honor of Jack Brown who was noted for his service as a judge, regatta organizer and member of US Sailing Committees. A selection committee invites up to nineteen competitors from applicants who meet the qualifying criteria by being current winners of National, North American, or World championships of their respective classes. Some factors considered in the selection process include fleet size, depth of field, sailing conditions, and number of races sailed.
The championship is held in a different class each year, and boats are supplied, and if possible, should be new and identical. This year, the DragonFlight 95s were created specifically for this event and will be used for the first time by each competitor. Each boat will be covered in graphics unique to each individual competitor including sailor name and the class they qualified from. This year provides a unique opportunity for US Sailing and the qualifying sailors to celebrate the fastest growing one design type of sailing in the USA, radio controlled sailing, which has become popular for sailors to partake in the shoulder and off seasons.
Past classes in which the event has been held run the gamut from conventional to cutting edge and include Y-Flyers, Snipes, Hobie Cats, J/24s, Sunfish and Etchells, to name just a few.
US Sailing would like to thank presenting sponsor Gowrie Group, and national sponsors Goslings Rum and Gill Marine for their support of the Championship of Champions.
Quick Links:
- Follow the competition on US Sailing’s Instagram and Facebook
- Learn more about the championship: https://www.ussailing.org/competition/championships/2023-championship-of-champions/
- See the competitors: https://www.ussailing.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/2023-CofC-Competitors.pdf
- Learn more about the DragonFlite 95: https://radiosailing.net/collections/boatyard/DF95