Missouri Valley & District II Championship

Lake Manawa, IA, USA, September 12-13, 2026. The summer heat finally broke and the first hint of Fall was in the air as District 2 sailors gathered at Lake Manawa, Iowa, for the 75^th running of the Missouri Valley Championship, this year held in conjunction with the District 2 Championship. 26 boats participated in the main event, and 6 participated in the Junior Championship, with 3 boats comprised of Junior captains and crew.

The Juniors got off on Saturday morning with puffy and shifty winds. Three races were completed, with third place awarded to Spencer Franklin and Joe Frey of Lincoln, NE, Fleet 567. Second place was awarded to Nikolai Woeger and Fabian Woeger of Longmont, CO, Fleet 210. The Championship, and Commodore Hook trophy for best Junior-Junior team in District 2 was awarded to Victor Franco and Elias Cannon of Lincoln, NE, Fleet 567.

The main event began with clearing skies and moderating winds. Five races were completed on Saturday and one on Sunday before lightning forced the boats to abandon halfway through the 7^th race overall. Third place went to James Rix and Ben Rush of Wichita, KS, Fleet 93. Second went to Gene Soltero and Laura O’Leary of Dallas Fleet 1, and the Championship went to Ryan Schubert and Amanda Kremer of Longmont, CO, Fleet 210. The William Kilpatrick Trophy for top District 2 Captain went to Schubert and the Suzi Towles trophy for top District 2 crew went to Kremer. The award for best finish by a first-time participant in the MVC went to Captain James Branson of Fleet 1 and Crew Cody Kaltoft of Fleet 309. The award for Best Fleet, based on participation in out of town regattas over the season, went to Lincoln Fleet 567.

To commemorate the 75^th running of this prestigious event, DJ’s Dark and Stormy provided a pleasant accompaniment of yacht rock during cocktails and dinner. The dinner featured a program with several speakers describing important milestones from past regattas. James Rix of Wichita led off the proceedings by presenting to the host club the first MVC first place trophy, awarded in 1950 to James’ grandfather, John Rix. Iowa-Nebraska Sailing Association member Mike Recker spoke about his experience chairing the 2001 MVC, scheduled just days after the 9-11 terrorist attacks. He recalled that the only out-of-town boats that were able to make it that year were James and his father, Ken Rix. Somehow Recker was able to find a vintage t-shirt from that 2001 regatta and presented it to Rix in appreciation for his and his family’s dedication to attending the MVC. Club member Peter Guile modeled several very stylish t-shirts from other past MVC’s and guests Amanda Kremer, Gene Soltero and John Buckley shared stories of their past participation in the event and in Amanda’s case, her family’s four generations of Snipe racing. Club management confessed to some confusion about whether 2026 was really the 75th running of the MVC, but after some debate, consensus was reached that no race was formally held in 2020 due to Covid so this year was truly the 75^th anniversary event.

A good time was had by all and Fleet 309 extends a warm welcome for all comers for our 76^th edition in 2027!