Pacific Cup Profiles: Erica Mattson and the Moore 24 ‘Accelerando’

We continue our Pacific Cup profiles with Erica Mattson and her Moore 24 Accelerando. Erica entered her first Pac Cup race in 2022, together with her stepfather Robin Jeffers. But she almost didn’t make the start line, due to a lack of boat.

“After it was decided that we should do the Pacific Cup in 2022, I was on a mad hunt for a Moore 24,” Erica says. “I was falling short on available boats for sale and nearly threw in the towel.”

But a friend came to the rescue and alerted Erica to hull #128 for sale in Sausalito, and Erica and her husband John closed the deal in February 2021.

“How did we not know about this boat? My husband has been the fleet secretary for centuries,” she exclaims, adding that they immediately called the experts to make it into an offshore machine. “Craig Smith, Elkhorn Composite, cut out the transom and rebuilt the deck. Larry Tuttle, WaterRat Blades, built a high-aspect rudder. Buzz Ballenger, Ballenger Spars, built the new rig and boom, and Scott Easom, Easom Rigging, masterminded the final product — a beautiful boat.”

Erica’s offshore sailing experience includes the Pacific Cup, a delivery from Puerto Vallarta to Santa Cruz, a few trips around the Farallon Islands, and some coastal racing. She claims she is primarily “a dinghy and round-the-buoy sailor.

“I grew up sailing in my hometown, Monterey (MPYC). I later joined St. Francis and, most recently, Richmond.”

In the mid-’90s, Erica was racing the one-design Europe dinghy and qualified for the US Sailing Team, and embarked on an Olympic campaign. “Now, my focus is racing with my husband, John, on his Moore 24, Moorigami (aka The Bickersons).”

Aside from her Moore 24 addiction, Erica also races in the J/105 fleet with Ian and Natalie Charles aboard Maverick. Conversely, her Pac Cup crewmate Robin has completed more Hawaii and other ocean crossings than one can count. “I am convinced Robin has webbed feet,” Erica says. “He is not a landlubber and only comes ashore for Ms. Betsy (Mom).”

On how she came to enter the Pacific Cup, Eric is coy and alludes to being influenced by the season, a family reunion, and wine.

“It was Thanksgiving 2020. It was the first time I had seen my parents in a while. The world was on lockdown. Robin and I started chatting, and we decided we should sail to Hawaii doublehanded. Brilliant idea! Therefore, it had to be the Pacific Cup and on a Moore 24. That said, growing up on Monterey Bay, there is a draw to the sea and an allure to someday sail to Hawaii.”

Both sailors are looking forward to another opportunity to conquer the race, having lost their electronics on day three of the 2022 race and thereafter relied on their handheld GPS. “… which made for interesting tactics.

“Regardless, I love that I am doing this with my dad. Memories of a lifetime … even though we’re nuts.

“Mahalo, and see you in Kaneohe!”

See our previous Pacific Cup profiles here: Alex Dailey and Philippe Jamotte, Andy Schwenk, Matt Arno, Elliott James, and Heather Richard.