The 2026 Melges 15 West Coast Championship brought 23 boats to Mission Bay Yacht Club in San Diego for two days of tight racing and a fitting conclusion to the California State Championship Series.
Six races were completed across two very different days, and the championship stayed unsettled until the last leg of the last race. Sibling team Morgan and Emily Paxhia ultimately emerged as West Coast Champions with 11 net points, followed by Robbie King and Karla Reinhardt with 15 and Allie Blecher and Katie Moran with 17. Before the discard, Morgan and Emily and Robbie and Karla were tied at 20 points apiece - a measure of just how much the championship hinged on the final race.
Four Races in Saturday's Sea State
Saturday delivered moderate breeze, a shifting racecourse and plenty of Pacific sea state. The MBYC Race Committee took full advantage of the conditions, completing four solid races with windward legs ranging from approximately 0.5 to 0.7 nautical miles. The changing course lengths and variable conditions created plenty of opportunities to gain and lose throughout the day - finding clean lanes and selectively connecting stronger pressure mattered upwind, while downwind the sea state rewarded teams that could keep the boat moving, connect waves and work the low angles.
Morgan and Emily found themselves OCS in each of the first three races, putting an immediate premium on their ability to get clear of traffic and work back through the fleet.
"We've put a lot of time into the boat this year at a variety of venues, and this weekend that really paid off," Morgan said. "Especially after being OCS in the first three races, we tried to get free from other boats, be patient and selectively capitalize on the puffs. Downwind Saturday was a lot of work - we were constantly trying to connect waves and work the low angle."
Everything on the Line Sunday
Sunday flipped the script: lighter air, less sea state and a more southwesterly direction, though the breeze was noticeably less settled than Saturday's. That put a premium on staying flexible - reading shifts race to race rather than banking on an established pattern - and meant the Race Committee had to pick its moments carefully. They found enough of a window to complete two more races, setting up a sixth and deciding race with the West Coast Championship still up for grabs.
Morgan and Emily entered the finale needing a strong result and delivered, winning the race to secure the championship and close out their series 2-1-3-(9)-4-1.
A Fleet for Families, Couples and the Next Generation
Beyond the overall results, the makeup of the 23-boat fleet was one of the most encouraging parts of the regatta. Female skippers were strongly represented, along with couples, siblings, parents and children, juniors and sailors spanning multiple generations. Allie Blecher and Katie Moran finished an impressive third overall while competing in both the Female Skipper and Couple divisions.
One of the best examples came from the Reynolds family — Loïc, Elodie and Garth — who raced three-up aboard #LetTheKidsDrive and closed out their championship with an impressive fifth-place finish in Sunday's finale.
That mix has become central to the Melges 15's expansion on the West Coast: sharp competition at the front of the fleet, alongside a community that brings together families, couples, juniors and sailors across generations.
A Great Weekend at Mission Bay
Mission Bay Yacht Club's Race Committee and volunteers ran an excellent championship across two very different days - four races Saturday, two on Sunday - and the call to wrap up after two races in Sunday's increasingly unstable breeze let visiting teams get their boats packed and awards handed out by late afternoon.
The awards presentation featured prizes from VELA LA, Arntson Marine, New England Ropes and Melges, whose support was instrumental in bringing the championship to life and continues to fuel the class's growth throughout the region.
With another California season in the books, 23 teams leave San Diego with a title decided on the final leg, a fleet that keeps getting deeper, and plenty of momentum heading into 2027.