Bill Hardesty, the 2008 Etchells World Champion, overcame tediously light and shifty conditions on May 22 to beat out Point Loma sailing icon and America’s Cup skipper Dennis Conner, who has won two Etchells World Championships in his storied career. The race set out from the docks of the San Diego Yacht Club (SDYC) in Point Loma. Sailing with crew Tom Parry and Julie Servais, Conner on Saturday was leading a field that included former world champions Hardesty, Dirk Kneulman and Vince Brun, as well as Olympian J. J. Fetter, 2009 North American Champion Marvin Beckmann and J24 North American champion Chris Snow. Hardesty and crew Mandi Markee, Craig Leweck and Steve Pickle twice struck gold during Sunday’s Sailing Supply Orca Bowl, overcoming 15- to 20-degree wind shifts and one 55- to 60-degree wind shift halfway through the first race. While light and shifty conditions normally turn a sailboat fleet inside out, Hardesty overcame sloppy wave conditions to convincingly take the Orca Bowl, which is the San Diego Etchells Fleet 13 championship and the run-up to the Etchells World Championship takes place June 6-11. While Argyle Campbell (Newport Beach), Don Jesberg (San Francisco) and Rupert Henry (Sydney, Australia), all managed a first-place finish on Saturday, the six- to nine-knot conditions on Saturday were considerably more reliable than the fickle southerly breezes on Sunday. With a Midwinters West victory and an Orca victory this year, San Diego’s Hardesty is creating strong momentum going into the world championship next week. The 2011 Etchells World Championship is scheduled to take place in the Pacific Ocean off the Coronado Roads, south of North Island Naval Air Station and adjacent to Silver Strand State Beach. With 83 entries representing 11 different countries, the event may be the largest non-commercial event hosted by San Diego Yacht Club, according to Chuck Driscoll, the general chairman for the event. For more information, call (619) 221-8400, (619) 955-7646, or visit www.etchellsworlds2011.com.