‘Mr. Peabody’ Wins 2026 Ultimate 20 North Americans
The 2026 Ultimate 20 North Americans were sailed at Richmond Yacht Club between October 2 and 4. The event featured 12 boats, with eight races sailed. Each team was afforded one drop. The ultimately (pun intended) victorious team was Donna Womble’s Mr. Peabody (Monterey Peninsula YC), who tallied a net total of 14 points to claim the North American title. Womble and team came on particularly strong to close out the regatta, winning the final three races and sealing the championship.
Womble and team finished three points ahead of second-place John and Jennifer Andrew and their team on Cinderella Story (Santa Cruz YC). Womble shares her thoughts on the event:
The Ultimate 20 North Americans turned out to be an extraordinary weekend of great racing. We expected to see high winds and big chop, but were pleasantly surprised to sail in moderate to light winds with little to no current. We had onshore postponements on every day of racing, but were fortunate to get out and race later each day.
There was a small amount of rough water, especially near the start of each race. We found that footing slightly off the line really helped to get bow-forward relative to the fleet. We tried to always start in a position that allowed us to do that. Having a clean start with clear air off the line was key to pulling ahead.
Having good crew work was also essential in these conditions. The sometimes very crowded mark roundings meant that everything needed to go as planned without a lot of prompting. I am grateful for the great teamwork shared with Brian Hoover and Callie Jepsen. I was able to focus mainly on boat speed while Brian called tactics and Callie managed all the other details.
Special thanks to Mike Josselyn for organizing an excellent event at Richmond Yacht Club. Kudos to our PRO Ian McClelland and his team for managing the races in these conditions.
Of note, the regatta was sailed in conjunction with the 2026 Express 37 Nationals, also won by a MPYC boat: Mark Chaffey and Heidi Hall’s Loca Motion.
You can find the full results of the 2026 Ultimate 20 North Americans here.