Locally for the past several years Charlie has been enjoying great success racing on BadPak, a J145 racing sailboat from the San Diego Yacht Club, winning numerous races. Most recently he celebrated in Honolulu with his fellow crew members after winning first place in Division IV of the 2009 TransPac race. This wasn’t his first transpacific crossing, however. As a third generation sailor at SDYC, he grew up sailing on his family’s boat, Bruja, a Tartan 27. His first transpacific crossing was in 1977, at the age of 10, when he sailed with his father, brother and sister from San Diego to Honolulu. The crossing took 22 days and the adventure changed his life forever. With his sea legs earned and proof of an iron clad stomach, he knew that sailing would become an integral part of his life.
As a young sailor, Charlie was the Southern Division Sabot Champion in 1976 and 1978. Since sailing was part of his family and in his blood, it was only natural that in addition to competing, he would become involved with all aspects of the sailing industry. He became interested in the art of sailmaking at the age of 16 when he took his first summer job at a sail loft in Point Loma. He was also a sailing instructor for many years at the Coronado Yacht Club. While learning the ropes of sailmaking, he continued racing and became the Southern CA Laser Champion in 1985. Moving from sabots to lasers and then to 505’s, he continued his racing success to become the Mission Bay 505 Invitational Regatta Champion in 2004 and 2006.
Charlie has competed in numerous regattas including Newport to Cabo, San Diego to Ensenada, San Diego to Puerto Vallarta, Kenwood Cup in Hawaii, Race Around the Rock, and Hot Rum races. In addition to his two Pacific crossings, his cruising experience includes Panama to Miami and Newport, Rhode Island to Jacksonville, Florida. He was also crew and designer/decorator of the 2nd place winner of the San Diego Parade of Lights in 2007.
When Charlie isn’t sailing, he enjoys running, going to the beach, playing baseball with his son and daughter and visiting his fiancé in Boulder, Colorado. He looks forward to helping you with all of your sail needs and sharing stories of sailing adventures with you.
