30th U20 North American Championship at LNYC
Story By: Travis Gregory -
In 2025, the Utah Fleet fielded three entries at the U20 North American Championship at the High Sierra Regatta. The teams had a great time, the sailing was excellent, and—perhaps fueled by post-regatta optimism—a plan was hatched to do it again, this time with multiple boats and crews heading east. As it turns out, sending boats and sailors across the country is slightly more complicated than talking about it over a beer, and only a handful of West Coast crews ultimately made the trip.
`Brady Lofthouse, Marty Smihula, and I were fortunate enough to attend, sailing a boat generously loaned by a Lake Norman Yacht Club member. As Marty and I are both class board members we were grateful for the opportunity to participate in both the racing and celebration of the 30th North American Championship event.
Twenty-five U20s lined up on Friday for three races, with conditions improving steadily throughout the day. Jeff Linton sailing with Steve Shaw and Tim Porter, finished the day in first place, followed closely by Brad Boston (Boston Doyle Sails), Curtis Florence, and Zach Mason in second, and Mark Aspland, Mark Gise, and Joe Aspland in third. The day concluded with a debrief and social where the top three skippers shared race insights and tuning tips—some of which we took notes on and fully intended to apply immediately. It’s not every day you get to sail against a championship sailor like Jeff. Did I mention his Rolex Yachtsman of the Year award in 2007?
Saturday delivered exactly what the forecast promised: uncertainty. Winds hovered at 1–2 knots and managed to visit nearly every direction on the compass. With racing postponed, sailors were held ashore, which provided plenty of time to catch up with friends and tell stories about how fast we would have been if the breeze had filled in. The U20 fleet made excellent use of the downtime with a terrific two-hour tuning and performance session led by Steve Shaw of Shapes of Speed. By late afternoon, the race committee wisely called the day, and the evening wrapped up with drinks, appetizers, a great dinner, and live music.
Sunday finally delivered the goods. Breeze filled in at 10–15 knots with higher gusts as the day went on, producing classic Lake Norman conditions and excellent racing. Jeff Linton won three of the four races to secure the championship with an impressive 10-point total. This victory marked Jeff’s 60th National, North American, or World Championship title—an extraordinary milestone by any measure. As if that weren’t enough, Jeff also earned the Don Corey Award as the highest-placing first-time skipper at the U20 North Americans.
Brad Boston finished second with 17 points, while local Corinthian sailor BJ Jones, sailing with his brother Bill and wife Emily (our class secretary), took third with 19 points. Mark Aspland and Matt Rush rounded out the top five. Our team finished solidly mid-fleet in what was clearly a faster, deeper, and more competitive U20 fleet than ever at LNYC. While our borrowed boat did its best—and we did ours—the regatta was a good reminder that at LNYC, preparation matters, local knowledge helps, and showing up with your own well-sorted equipment is rarely a bad idea.
As I write this during what has turned into the driest January for skiing in five years, I can say without hesitation that I’d do it all again—next time with my own boat and slightly fewer variables! Many thanks to Brady and Marty for making the trip, and to the entire LNYC U20 fleet for their outstanding hospitality and for a memorable weekend of great sailing, good friends, and shared U20 enthusiasm.
