Charlie Buckingham runs away with Finn Pacific Coast Championship
September 22, 2020
Buckingham finishes in first places, 11 points ahead of his closest competitor, at competitive sailing event in San Diego.
SAN DIEGO—More than two-dozen sailors competed in the 2020 Finn Pacific Coast Championship, which took place Sept. 12-13 in San Diego. Veteran sailor Charlie Buckingham finished atop the leaderboard by race’s end, with his 12 points easily the best total among the 25 competitors.
Sailor Phil Ramming finished the race in second place with 23 points, just ahead of third-place winner James Buley (26 points).
The 25 sailors competing in the 2020 Finn Pacific Coast Championship were a mix of new, veteran and enthusiastic competitors, all competing against each other in single-handed boats.
There were seven races throughout the regatta, all held out on the Pacific Ocean, on the well-used Coronado Roads course.
Buckingham, who competed in the championship on behalf of Newport Harbor Yacht Club, said he was able to win the race because of “familiar winds” and “consistent sailing,” according to San Diego Yacht Club’s summary of the race (which was shared with The Log.)
“These conditions were very similar to Newport Harbor … no more than 10-12 knots at the most,” Buckingham said. “The direction was really consistent, as well, which made it easy to figure out. I’m new to the boat, so I kept my head down and tried to work with the controls. If it was a windy event, the results might have been really different.”
Also walking away a winner was David Balfour; he won the “Fun Award,” which, according to San Diego YC, was “created for the half-fold of the fleet.”
The Finn class racing event was one of a small number of sailing events happening this year in Southern California. Many races were canceled this year due to the Covid-19 pandemic. San Diego YC, which hosted the weekend championship regatta, acknowledged the sailing class was fortunate to have an event, even though it was held with limited to no fanfare.
“The Finn fleet is fortunate during the Covid-19 pandemic to be able to race in their socially-distanced, single-handed boats. However, the weekend didn’t look exactly like a typical Finn celebration. All pre and post racing socials were cancelled, and awards were given to the top finishers in a socially distanced setting.
