{"id":82641,"date":"2025-10-03T10:55:59","date_gmt":"2025-10-03T14:55:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/?p=82641"},"modified":"2025-10-07T11:25:56","modified_gmt":"2025-10-07T15:25:56","slug":"sunfish-womens-north-americans-carries-tradition","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/racing\/sunfish-womens-north-americans-carries-tradition\/","title":{"rendered":"Sunfish Women\u2019s North Americans Carries Tradition"},"content":{"rendered":"\n        <section class=\"hydra-container\">\n\n\t\t\t                <div class=\"hydra-canvas\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"800\" height=\"534\" src=\"https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/250104_0420-1024x683.jpg\" class=\"hydra-image\" alt=\"\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1400px) 100vw, 1400px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/250104_0420-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/250104_0420-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/250104_0420-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/250104_0420-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/250104_0420-2048x1366.jpg 2048w\" \/>                <\/div>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n            <figcaption class=\"caption margin_top_xs full border_1 hydra-figcaption\">\n                <span class=\"hydra-image-caption\">Taylor Eastman bringing the youth and athleticism to the USSCA Women&#8217;s North American Championship, hiking to an overall win. <\/span>\n                <span class=\"article_image_credit italic margin_right_xs\">William Crawford \/ Harbor Pictures Company<\/span>\n\n\t\t\t\t            <\/figcaption>\n        <\/section>\n\t\t\n\n\n<p>Lake Wawasee, Indiana, is no stranger to Sunfish history. The Wawasee Yacht Club has been hosting sailors for decades, and when the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.regattanetwork.com\/event\/29467#_newsroom\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">USSCA Women\u2019s North American Championship<\/a> returned in early September, it was more than a regatta. It was a reunion, a celebration of legacy, and proof that the class is as enduring as fiberglass and wind. This year brought together 33 women sailors from across the country, spanning recent college graduate racers to great grand masters. The competition was fierce and the camaraderie unmistakable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<iframe id=\"x8aa2rgac1\" src=\"https:\/\/Sailingworld.dragonforms.com\/x8aa2rgac1\" scrolling=\"no\" style=\"width:100%;height:165px;border:none;overflow:hidden;\"><\/iframe>\n\n\n\n<p>At the top of the scoreboard, Dartmouth University sailing alumna Taylor Eastman (Hyannis Port Yacht Club, Massachusetts) delivered a masterclass in steady sailing to claim the championship. Her Saturday playbook was straightforward and disciplined: clean starts near the pin, ride the first lefty puff, connect pressure down the course, and hike until exhaustion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cI knew that consistency throughout the regatta would be key,\u201d Eastman said. \u201cMy first race was my throw-out, but from there I focused on staying resilient and sailing each race fresh.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Sunday\u2019s lighter, shiftier breeze tested patience, but Eastman\u2019s college lake sailing expertise helped her stay in phase. Her single-digit score line carried her to the championship \u2014 and a ticket to the 2026 ISCA World Championship in St. Croix.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Pre-Race Routine and Intuition Pays Off for Gretchen Seymour<\/h3>\n\n\n\n        <section class=\"hydra-container\">\n\n\t\t\t                <div class=\"hydra-canvas\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" width=\"800\" height=\"534\" src=\"https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/250104_0432-1024x683.jpg\" class=\"hydra-image\" alt=\"Gretchen Seymour\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1400px) 100vw, 1400px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/250104_0432-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/250104_0432-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/250104_0432-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/250104_0432-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/250104_0432-2048x1366.jpg 2048w\" \/>                <\/div>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n            <figcaption class=\"caption margin_top_xs full border_1 hydra-figcaption\">\n                <span class=\"hydra-image-caption\">Gretchen Seymour, second overall at the USSCA Women&#8217;s North American Championship.<\/span>\n                <span class=\"article_image_credit italic margin_right_xs\">William Crawford \/ Harbor Pictures Company<\/span>\n\n\t\t\t\t            <\/figcaption>\n        <\/section>\n\t\t\n\n\n<p>Gretchen Seymour, Lake Bluff Yacht Club, captured second. \u201cMy intention was simple: be myself. This mindset showed up by arriving early each day to get my head into the game and to get out on the course early to check how the boat felt and to make small tweaks that helped free me up to focus on racing, stick to my pre-race routine, and trust my instincts,\u201d she noted. \u201cThis year\u2019s Women\u2019s NAs was an incredible event \u2014 there\u2019s really nothing better than the joy of great competition with some of my best friends.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Making a concerted effort to stay consistent with her pre-race routine, Seymour added, \u201cI try to check wind and compass readings on each tack, note shifts up the course and get a clear land reference for the windward mark. I like to also add a few acceleration drills to simulate the feel of starting clean off the line.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Hometown Spirit<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Finishing third carried nostalgia for Susan Tillman Berg, of Wawasee Yacht Club, who spent childhood summers on those waters to carry extra meaning. She and her two sisters hosted sailors in classic Midwest style, turning the regatta into a memorable end-of-summer celebration. Drawing a standing ovation and tears at the closing ceremony, they honored their late mother, Linda, who raced this event often. The weekend felt equal parts championship, part reunion, part home.<\/p>\n\n\n\n        <section class=\"hydra-container\">\n\n\t\t\t                <div class=\"hydra-canvas\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" width=\"800\" height=\"534\" src=\"https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/250104_0608-1024x683.jpg\" class=\"hydra-image\" alt=\"Susan Tillman Berg\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1400px) 100vw, 1400px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/250104_0608-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/250104_0608-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/250104_0608-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/250104_0608-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/250104_0608-2048x1366.jpg 2048w\" \/>                <\/div>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n            <figcaption class=\"caption margin_top_xs full border_1 hydra-figcaption\">\n                <span class=\"hydra-image-caption\">Susan Tillman Berg hikes hard to finish third place overall in the USCCA Women\u2019s North American championship.<\/span>\n                <span class=\"article_image_credit italic margin_right_xs\">William Crawford \/ Harbor Pictures Company<\/span>\n\n\t\t\t\t            <\/figcaption>\n        <\/section>\n\t\t\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Vera Bradley and the \u201cWawa-She\u2019s\u201d<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>The regatta\u2019s return to Wawasee echoed its 2007 style, when Pat Miller, co-founder of Vera Bradley and a member of the local \u201cWawa-She\u2019s\u201d women\u2019s Sunfish fleet, rallied her tote-bag company to sponsor the event. Nearly two decades later, Vera Bradley returned the gift giving with every sailor receiving a tote bag (Berg pictured with bag), a small but symbolic reminder of the ties between women\u2019s community, competition, and tradition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For Emily Wagner (Davis Island Yacht Club, Florida), the regatta was a breakthrough. She not only earned fifth overall but celebrated her first race win at a world qualifier championship. \u201cSaturday, my goal was to develop a plan and stick to it,\u201d Wagner said. \u201cThe stronger breeze worked to my advantage, and the gradient wind kept things steady. I kept doing what worked, and suddenly I had a bullet!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n        <section class=\"hydra-container\">\n\n\t\t\t                <div class=\"hydra-canvas\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"800\" height=\"534\" src=\"https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/250104_0973-1024x683.jpg\" class=\"hydra-image\" alt=\"Susan Tillman Berg\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1400px) 100vw, 1400px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/250104_0973-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/250104_0973-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/250104_0973-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/250104_0973-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/250104_0973-2048x1366.jpg 2048w\" \/>                <\/div>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n            <figcaption class=\"caption margin_top_xs full border_1 hydra-figcaption\">\n                <span class=\"hydra-image-caption\">Susan Tillman Berg sports a bag from Vera Bradley, a regatta sponsor and Wawasee resident.<\/span>\n                <span class=\"article_image_credit italic margin_right_xs\">William Crawford \/ Harbor Pictures Company<\/span>\n\n\t\t\t\t            <\/figcaption>\n        <\/section>\n\t\t\n\n\n<p>Sunday was a different story. Starting the day tied for the overall lead, Wagner battled the lake\u2019s notorious shifts. \u201cThe lake did lake things,\u201d she said with a grin. \u201cI chased shifts more than I should have and took my four deepest finishes. But I never stopped racing every leg, and those extra efforts kept me in the trophies.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Her takeaway was as much about mindset as mechanics: \u201cAdapt faster. And don\u2019t stop racing, even if you think you\u2019re out. Mid-fleeters, give yourself credit \u2014 you\u2019re often sailing a harder race than the leaders. But when it\u2019s your time to shine, we\u2019ll be cheering for you.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The Trophy that Survived Katrina<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>The regatta\u2019s perpetual trophy carries a story almost as dramatic as any sporty race. Named in honor of Linda Tillman, Susan Tillman Berg\u2019s late mother, longtime WYC sailor and mentor, the trophy nearly vanished during Hurricane Katrina in Bay St. Louis, Mississippi, in 2005. Fourth-place winner (pictured with Eastman and the perpetual trophy) and grand master champ Gail Heausler, of Davis Island Yacht Club, accepted her dual awards and remarked that the Sunfish Women\u2019s NA perpetual trophy was at the Bay Waveland Yacht Club in August of 2005 as Hurricane Katrina bore down on the Mississippi Gulf Coast.<\/p>\n\n\n\n        <section class=\"hydra-container\">\n\n\t\t\t                <div class=\"hydra-canvas\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"800\" height=\"534\" src=\"https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/250104_1413-1024x683.jpg\" class=\"hydra-image\" alt=\"2025 USSCA Women&#039;s North Americans Trophy winners\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1400px) 100vw, 1400px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/250104_1413-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/250104_1413-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/250104_1413-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/250104_1413-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/250104_1413-2048x1366.jpg 2048w\" \/>                <\/div>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n            <figcaption class=\"caption margin_top_xs full border_1 hydra-figcaption\">\n                <span class=\"hydra-image-caption\">2025 USSCA Women&#8217;s North Americans Trophy winners. L-R, Lee Parks, Gail Heausler, Gretchen Seymour, Taylor Eastman, Susan Tillman Berg, Emily Wagner, Audrey Wallach<\/span>\n                <span class=\"article_image_credit italic margin_right_xs\">William Crawford \/ Harbor Pictures Company<\/span>\n\n\t\t\t\t            <\/figcaption>\n        <\/section>\n\t\t\n\n\n<p>Anne Edwards, the 2004 champion, had brought the trophy back to her home club. When it became evident that the storm was likely to make landfall in Mississippi, Anne asked her brother-in-law to tuck it between a mattress and box spring in his home. In the storm, what remained of Clinton Edwards\u2019 house was a cement slab. As debris removal teams cleared the roads, the trophy was found in the street. While scratched, it remains whole and continues to be awarded annually to the winner as a symbol of resilience, strength and continuity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The Women\u2019s Sunfish North Americans was first sailed in 1978 at Sakonnet Yacht Club in Little Compton, Rhode Island, and has since become one of the U.S.\u2019s longest-running women-only championships. The 2025 great grand master champion, Lee Parks of Sarasota Sailing Squadron and Newport Yacht Club (Rhode Island), raced her first Women\u2019s North American Championship in Mattituck, New York, in 1981. The range of experience in Wawasee, from newcomers to sailors in their 70s, underscores the Sunfish class\u2019s inclusivity. Respect for the rules was matched by a sense of joy. As Wagner noted, \u201cAt mark roundings, the most common thing I heard was, \u2018You have room!\u2019 not \u2018I have room!\u2019 That\u2019s the kind of fleet this is.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For two breezy, shifty, story-soaked days in Indiana, the Women\u2019s Sunfish North Americans offered everything: random bullets, tactical duels, family legacy, Katrina-proof hardware, and fashionable tote-bag swag. It delivered it all.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Discover the Women&#8217;s Sunfish North Americans legacy and triumphs in Indiana where competitive and Corinthian spirit carried on.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":24,"featured_media":82633,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"BS_author_type":"BS_author_is_guest","BS_guest_author_name":"Kellee Johnson","BS_guest_author_url":"","hydra_display_date":"","hydra_display_updated":false,"_yoast_wpseo_primary_category":"","_yoast_wpseo_metadesc":"","_yoast_wpseo_title":"","_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-noindex":"","arc_story_id":"","arc_website_url":"","custom_permalink":"","arc_subtype":"","arc_exclude_from_feeds":false,"sponsored":false,"sponsored_label":"Sponsored Content","sponsored_display_label":false,"sponsored_image":false,"post_right_rail":true,"post_right_rail_ad_1":true,"post_right_rail_ad_2":true,"post_right_rail_ad_3":false,"post_right_rail_ad_4":false,"post_right_rail_recirc":true,"fixed_anchor_ad":true,"post_top_ad":true,"post_off_ramp":true,"post_taboola":false,"labels":true,"apple_news_api_created_at":"","apple_news_api_id":"","apple_news_api_modified_at":"","apple_news_api_revision":"","apple_news_api_share_url":"","apple_news_coverimage":0,"apple_news_coverimage_caption":"","apple_news_is_hidden":false,"apple_news_is_paid":false,"apple_news_is_preview":false,"apple_news_is_sponsored":false,"apple_news_maturity_rating":"","apple_news_metadata":"\"\"","apple_news_pullquote":"","apple_news_pullquote_position":"","apple_news_slug":"","apple_news_sections":"\"\"","apple_news_suppress_video_url":false,"apple_news_use_image_component":false,"footnotes":"","ad_targeting":"","ad_settings_ads_on_this_page":true,"ad_settings_automatic_ad_injection_into_the_content":true,"sponsored_url":"","social_share":true,"alternate_title_newsletter":"","alternate_content_newsletter":""},"categories":[159],"tags":[3006,960,3041],"class_list":["post-82641","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-racing","tag-isca","tag-sunfish","tag-womens-racing"],"acf":[],"apple_news_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/82641","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/24"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=82641"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/82641\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/82633"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=82641"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=82641"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=82641"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}