Lake Murray to host 2026 U.S. Multihull Championship, Weta class featured

Lake Murray is about to put inland multihull sailing in the national spotlight, and Columbia Sailing Club is the reason. US Sailing has named the South Carolina club host of the 2026 U.S. Multihull Championship, with Weta trimarans set for the fleet at 292 Shuler Rd. in Columbia. The championship is listed for April 30 through May 3, 2026 on US Sailing’s event page, while the host spotlight places the regatta from April 29 through May 3.

That venue choice matters well beyond one title event. Lake Murray offers the kind of wide-open water, steady breeze and relatively flat conditions that multihull sailors look for when the racing is supposed to reward raw speed, crisp tactical decisions and boats that can stretch out without constant wave interference or cramped shore effects. For inland sailors, that is a meaningful signal. Columbia is not a coastal stronghold, but it is showing that competitive catamaran and trimaran sailing can thrive well away from the traditional shoreline centers.

The featured boat class helps explain the appeal. US Sailing says the championship will be sailed in Weta trimarans, and Weta Class North America notes that 2026 will be the class’s second appearance at the U.S. Multihull Championship. Sailing World Magazine named the Weta its 2010 Boat of the Year in the Best Dinghy category, while Sailing Magazine described the boat as about 14 feet 5 inches long, 11 feet 6 inches wide fully extended, 211 pounds dry, and able to carry 440 pounds. That combination of light weight, stability and portability has made the Weta one of the most approachable performance multihulls in North America.

The regatta also carries weight in the sport’s history. US Sailing says the U.S. Multihull Championship was conceived by the Multihull Council in the spring of 1985, and the perpetual trophy was named the Alter Trophy in 1986 in honor of Hobie Alter, Sr. The championship has since featured world champions, Olympic medalists and national champions, which makes the Columbia assignment more than a routine schedule entry. It places a community-minded club into a lineage that has long carried national prestige.

Columbia Sailing Club brings that community angle into focus. The club says it was founded on July 17, 1957 and operates as a nonprofit corporation in South Carolina. Stephanie Taylor is leading the regatta as chair, with a volunteer team aiming for a welcoming atmosphere as much as a hard-fought championship. For Lake Murray, that could mean more than one successful regatta. It could help deepen the pipeline for inland multihull sailing and give more sailors a reason to see Columbia as a serious stop on the 2026 national circuit.