What a day at Woodlawn Lake! The 2026 Alamo Classic Victoria National Championship Regatta brought a full fleet of sailors to downtown San Antonio for a day of challenging racing, great food, generous hospitality, and the kind of camaraderie that makes these events so much fun.
Our day started early. By 7:30 a.m., breakfast tacos had arrived, and the Woodlawn Lake crew was already hard at work setting up the venue. The only thing missing was wind! Conditions remained dead calm until around 10:30, giving everyone a little extra time to visit, get organized, and look forward to the racing ahead.
After a brief skippers’ meeting, Race Director Ray Seta held the regatta raffle, and there were some fantastic prizes up for grabs. Among the highlights were a brand-new Victoria boat still in its box and a complete DF65 sailboat, along with many other contributions that made for a truly worthwhile raffle. Thanks to our former member Justin Lian, who has moved away but continues to support the club, one lucky participant even won their regatta entry fee back! A big thank-you to Justin and everyone who contributed prizes and helped make the raffle such a success. We appreciate that continued support of our sailing community.
Then it was time to go sailing!
The morning’s light, shifty air made for some challenging racing. The breeze would fill in, give the fleet something to work with, and then disappear again, leaving everyone looking for the next puff. After three races, lunch arrived, and the sailors were ready for a break.
And what a lunch it was! The Woodlawn team served up excellent barbecue, including sausage, brisket, creamed corn, and green beans. With two refrigerators keeping cold drinks plentiful, nobody went hungry or thirsty. Woodlawn Lake has a lot of experience hosting championship regattas, and it shows in the organization, facilities, and hospitality. Everything runs smoothly, and the sailors are made to feel welcome.
A special thank-you to Race Director Ray Seta for doing such a great job reading the conditions and setting challenging courses throughout the day. Calling good courses in shifty air is no easy task, but Ray made the most of the changing breeze and kept the fleet working for every position.
As the afternoon progressed, the wind strengthened, though it remained shifty enough to keep everyone on their toes. The racing became even more interesting, and conversations under the big-top tent turned to B rigs as sailors considered what the increasing breeze might require.
One of the day’s best stories was Ron Stephanz’s comeback. The Class Secretary and one of the favorites suffered a servo failure during the morning races. Rather than letting that setback define his day, Ron battled back through the fleet and climbed all the way to second overall by the end of the 12-race session. That’s an impressive recovery!
After 12 races and two discards, Chris Macaluso leads with 20 points, followed by Ron Stephanz with 35, Budman Garcia with 40, Eric Gregory with 44, and Hew Hamilton with 52.
But the standings are only part of the story. There are some very close individual battles shaping up for Sunday. Budman and Eric are separated by just four points, Hew and William Ramlo by three, and other sailors throughout the fleet are separated by only a handful of points. Those gaps can change quickly over a day of racing, so there is plenty to look forward to as everyone returns to the water tomorrow!
A championship like this takes a lot of people working behind the scenes, and they deserve some special recognition.
Sylvia and Denise are an outstanding scoring team. They record the finishes, watch the line, call out sail numbers, and keep the results straight throughout the racing. They also help prepare and serve lunch to the sailors, often making sure everyone else has been fed before they take a break themselves. These two ladies have hearts of gold, and it would be hard to host a regatta like this without their help. Their hard work and generosity are appreciated more than they know!
Special thanks also go to Jeff, who spent the entire day in the chase boat. Every race, he put out the finish-line marks and retrieved them afterward, while also chasing down wayward boats when needed. It’s a demanding job that often happens out of sight of the spectators, but it makes a tremendous difference to the racing and the entire fleet.
And thank you to the Woodlawn Lake club members and all the participating sailors who pitched in with setup and breakdown. Everyone worked together to get the venue ready, and when racing was finished, the dock and patio were cleared and everything packed into cars or the clubhouse in about 30 minutes! That kind of teamwork is impressive, and it makes a big job much easier for everyone.
The racing may be what brings us together, but the people are what make these events memorable.
Tonight, everyone gets another chance to visit and enjoy the camaraderie at our official group dinner at 6:30 p.m. at The Jimador Restaurant & Bar, serving Mexican cuisine at 1106 Vance Jackson Road, across from our host hotel, the Holiday Inn Express at 102 Spencer Lane.
Tomorrow morning, the Woodlawn team will be back at it, with breakfast beginning at 8:00 a.m., a 9:30 a.m. skippers’ meeting, and another day of Victoria-class racing ahead. The wind, the competition, and those close point spreads will determine how the championship unfolds!
A heartfelt thank-you to Ray Seta, the Woodlawn Lake Sailing Club, Sylvia, Denise, Jeff, Justin, everyone who contributed to the raffle, and all the sailors who helped make the day such a success.
One day down, one day to go. Let’s go sailing!
Photo’s below borrowed from Ray Seta…
