• ECSA 2026 practice and elimination plans are beging determined. Final details will depend on interest from our sailors. we expect to have a high caliber coach and and anticpate practicing in Sonars.

• Area B Semi-Finals/Eliminations will be held on July 6-7 at The Waterfront Center in Oyster Bay, Long Island. These will be sailed in Sonars by four sailor teams.

• Sear Cup Finals will be held August 7-10 at Noroton Yacht Club, Darien, Connecticut. The finals will be in Sonars sailied by four sailor teams.

Over the years ECSA has sent many teams that have been successful at the Area B semi-finals and continured on to the nationals. Two teams that went to the finals were national champtions:

1993 – Morgan Connor, Graeme Woodworth, Kyle Shattuck for Mystic River Mudhead Saiing Association

2011 – O.J. O’Connell, Ben Wilkinson, Kyle Seniff for Mystic River Mudhead Sailing Association

Click here and let us know you are interested before April 15! See below for sailor criteria and 2026 selection process.

ECSA will provide financial support to sailors going to the semi-finals and the finals.

Event Sailor Criteria

• Competitors shall have reached their 13th birthday but not their 19th birthday during the calendar year of competition.

• Competitors shall be individual or family members, all in good standing, of US Sailing at the time of application, registration, and of the event and not otherwise ineligible to compete under the laws, regulations, policies and rules of the USOPC or its affiliated organizations. 

• All competitors shall be members of a Local Sailing Organization (LSO) and US Sailing. An LSO is defined to include yacht club, sailing club, community sailing program or other sailing organization that is a member of US Sailing.

• All members of the crew shall reside in or regularly compete in the same US Sailing Area where the club is geographically located. 

2026 Selection Process

• 2026 Sears Teams will comprise four sailors and can represent either a yacht club or sailing organization that is a member of U S Sailing. 

• Teams wishing to compete to represent ECSA at the Sears Area B semi final elimination regatta will attend mandatory training sessions as outlined by ECSA.

• These training sessions will be organized by the ECSA. A coach will be provided to help prepare sailors for the quarter final sail-off, semi-finals, and if successful national finals.

• All interested sailors must apply using the online form (including resumes): 2026 Sears Application Before April 15, 2026.

• Submissions and resumes will be reviewed by a sub-committee of the ECSA Board of Governors. Qualified teams will be selected and notifed before May 1, 2026. Depending on interest three or more teams will be selected to participate in ECSA quarter-final training and sail off.

• A sail off will only occur in the case that more teams wish to sail at the Area B semi-finals than there are berths available to ECSA. The sail off will be a standard fleet race format. The first place team (and 2nd if a second berth is available) will advance to the Area B semi-finals (Waterfront Center - Sonars - July 6-7).

• ECSA reserves the right to alter the selection process at any time as it sees fit.