The Viper North American Championship is more than the biggest regatta on our annual calendar. It is the class reunion we look forward to all year: a chance to race hard, connect with old friends, and welcome new sailors into the fleet. The 2026 edition at Pensacola Yacht Club delivered all of that, even if the weather did its best to complicate the sailing.
Tim Ludvigsen The 29-boat fleet brought together sailors from the Gulf Coast, New England, the Chesapeake, the Great Lakes, Oklahoma, Missouri, Canada, and even the United Kingdom. It was also an important weekend for the future of the class. Viper #400 made its official debut as the first boat built by SERO Sailing, while the newly built #401 was also on the starting line. It was the first time in several years that a brand-new Viper had appeared at the North Americans—and this time we had two.
Persistent rain and unstable weather shaped the four-day regatta. Friday’s racing was canceled because of thunderstorms that never quite materialized, but a fleet pool party in temps that those of us from the North would call peak summer made a pretty good consolation prize.
Nine races were ultimately completed, including two on Sunday squeezed between downpours. A new wind direction, 7–10 knots of breeze, stronger gusts, and major shifts kept everyone guessing on the final day.
Team Psycho Tiller—Ricky Welch, Matthew Dupuy, and William Trapani—closed the regatta with a first and a second to win the championship. Jackpot, sailed by Brad Boston, Lee Shuckerow, and Eric Vigrass, finished second, followed by Pensacola locals Mike Levert, Mac Fletcher, and Matthew Kickhafer on Juicy. Glory Days, with Rachel Beardsley, Jay Rhame, and Peter Beardsley, placed fourth, while Sam Hopkins Sr., Sam Hopkins Jr., and Mallory Edwards rounded out the top five aboard Mystery. Full results are available on Yacht Scoring.
Tim Ludvigsen Psycho Tiller – Ricky Welch & team
The class also recognized Mike Levert with the Corinthian Trophy and Sam Hopkins Sr. with the Masters Trophy. Mary Ewenson received the Women’s Helm award, Lawrence Crispin received the Kleinschrodt Sportsmanship Trophy, and Paul Young received the Ewenson Spirit Award.
The rain and weather delays tested everyone’s patience at times. But for me, the beautiful setting, warm temperatures, competitive racing, and time spent with friends made this a regatta I was genuinely glad not to have missed. Pensacola Yacht Club put on an outstanding event, and we made good use of the sailing center porch while watching weather come across the bay and for our class debriefs. The club bar—and its irresistible Bushwackers—also saw plenty of action.
We came to Pensacola to crown a champion, reconnect with the fleet, and see the next generation of Vipers hit the water. Despite the weather, we did all three.
