Greetings, sailing fans!!! We’re sending out an early call this year for nominations for the prestigious Coach of the Year Award. In true grass-roots fashion, we pick the ultimate winner only from nominees supplied by you, our readers. We are thrilled also to announce this year that Gill North America is our Exclusive Sponsor for this award, and will provide the winner with a well-deserved gift!
Sail1Design annually seeks your nominations for the Gill S1D Coach of the Year, for a coach that embodies the qualities (and more) listed in the article below. Sailors, this is your award! The Sail1Design staff chooses the winner only from our readers nominations! This is a great opportunity to recognize a coach that you feel makes a difference!
Please write a detailed nomination letter to editor@sail1design.com . Nominations close on 15 JUNE 2017
Past S1D Coach of the Year Winners
2016- Bill Ward
2015- Frank Pizzo
2014- Chris Dold
2013- Steve Hunt
All good coaches, regardless of their chosen sport, share some important fundamental qualities that transcend technical knowledge, or specific x’s & o’s. In other words, whether it’s a basketball, tennis, hockey, football, chess, or sailing coach, there are certain key characteristics to good coaching, and none of these really requires technical knowledge of the sport they are in.
Here are some of those characteristics: logistics, organization, energy, leadership, passion, creativity, patience, dedication, motivational skill, humility.
I would bet that you could take a good coach, put him or her in a new sport, and that coach would find some success. Think about the best coach you ever had, and visualize that person in another sport, and you might see just how that person could adapt and still be a difference-maker.
However, we all know that great coaches not only possess these core qualities, but indeed they are also masters of the subtleties, rules, and technical chess moves of the sport they are involved in. Very often, great coaches are former players themselves, and often they are good, but not necessarily great players. In any event, it seems virtually certain that actually having been in the arena at some level, having been a true game player, is a necessary ingredient for a great coach.
So then, what an important advantage sailing coaches have, since the sport allows lifelong top-level competitive opportunities. While it would be impossible for a middle-aged football coach to live, first-hand, what his players go through on the gridiron, middle-aged sailors and coaches can stay current, and can compete right alongside the world’s best sailors, and even win world championships in sailing. Opportunities exist in team racing, match racing, and all types of one-design classes offer regattas, year-round. In this manner, sailing coaches have the ability to get inside the sport, at the highest levels, learn more, and feel the same things that their players go through out on the race course. The empathy gained here is a very powerful tool that great coaches employ when coaching.
Getting into the rhythm of a sailboat race, realizing first-hand the excitement and frustrations of the sport, preparing mentally for each race, “knowing when to tack”, these are all things that coaches must be able to talk to their players about, and talking to them about these things is so much more clear and present when done by someone who is actually good at them, and has done them recently at a high level.
For example, it was always easy for me to say to a team, “make sure when you are in FJ’s at the starting line to allow yourself more leeward room to accelerate since the foils are small and the boats need to go bow down first before they start lifting.” It was really easy to say. It was quite another thing to actually do it, and to go out on the starting line, in FJ’s, and practice what I preached. That was a LOT harder, and I drew a great deal of empathy with my players from that situation and recognized better ways to talk about it and to talk them through it, having been there myself. This is especially true in team racing, where coaches can see plays easily on the coach boat or on the drawing board, but it’s one thing to talk about a mark trap at Mark 1; it’s another thing altogether to go out and be able to execute it. Without being, or having been, in the arena, sailing advice and technical coaching can be somewhat hollow compared to other sailing coaches who know it first-hand and live what they coach.
So, when you look to your coaches for advice or to get to that next level, or if you are a interested in sailing in a college program, take a moment and check out the coaches resumes, just as they will most assuredly be checking yours. The list that makes coaches good coaches should be there for sure, but see if the coaches list how, or if, they stay current in their profession and have the passion to go out on the racecourse themselves. Great coaches usually always have a story, and very recent one, of a lesson learned at a regatta they sailed in themselves. They love to sail and get better, if only to become a better sailor and coach.
While there is a short list of coaches who choose to (and can) do it all, many top collegiate programs now share these coaching qualities by hiring an assistant or co-head coach, who is very often a recent college sailing alumnus and is active in dinghy racing and brings that empathy, right away, to the team. The head coach then ties everything together with experience, maturity, management, and knowledge of the game.
If you’ve ever noticed, baseball coaches actually suit up for games even though they certainly won’t be playing. This historically comes from the old “player-coach” model, and perhaps, this connects them with the game and the player more intimately. Sailing offers the unique ability for all ages to compete at the highest levels of the sport, and great sailing coaches take advantage of this, “suiting up” themselves and making themselves better at coaching by sailing competitively.
About Gill
Gill NA, with headquarters near Atlanta, GA is the exclusive importer and distributor of Gill-brand foul weather gear in North America including Caribbean, US and Canada. Gill is a worldwide apparel and accessories brand serving the marine industry with over three decades of experience . Gill specializes in high tech, breathable waterproof clothing. The company develops and markets a variety of performance-oriented, award-winning apparel and accessories for virtually every type of boating activity with product lines that include foul weather gear; interactive layering systems; footwear; gloves; bags; junior gear; scholastic gear and team wear.
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Profiles in Pro Sailing: Coach Juan Carlos Romero
By Airwaves writer Taylor Penwell
Juan Carlos Romero is one of the most accomplished and experienced coaches in the optimist class. Juan has been coaching for nearly 25 years between his home country of Ecuador and the United States. He has coached at many premier programs such as the Annapolis Yacht Club, St. Petersburg Yacht Club, Lauderdale Yacht Club, Coral Reef Yacht Club and is currently the Sailing Director at the Key Biscayne Yacht Club in Florida. His skillfulness has led to coaching for both the Ecuadorian and United States National Teams in large IODA events such as South Americans, North Americans and Worlds. Juan is also an important part of the North Sails One Design Team and is active in the development and testing of new optimist sails.
Juan Carlos was able to answer some of our questions for this Airwaves article.
How old were you when you started sailing?
I started sailing when I was 13 years old.
Where did you start sailing?
At my home club, Salinas Yacht Club in Salinas, Ecuador.
What kind of boats did you sail in your youth?
I sailed Optis, Europe Dinghies, Lightnings, Sunfish, and Lasers.
What made you want to start coaching?
As soon as I started sailing I felt in love with the sport and since then I have been sharing my passion for the sport with others.
Where/who did you coach first?
I started coaching in the Chongon dam just 20 minutes from Guayaquil City at a new sailing school sponsored by Filanbanco bank and the support of the Ecuadorian Yachting Federation back in 1994.
Tell me about sailing and working in your home country of Ecuador.
I didn’t have enough time in the Optimist since I had a late start into the world of sailing but was very fortunate to qualify to represent my country at the 1990 IODA South American Championship. From there I jumped into other classes and kept sailing actively until my cousin introduced me to the coaching and right away decided that I wanted to devote my life to coach sailing. I helped grow the Optimist Class in the country, built programs in different regions, worked at different yacht clubs and taught how to sail to some of the best sailors Ecuador have.
Tell me about your time as the national coach for Ecuador.
Later on, I became one of the Optimist National Team Coaches and soon I started traveling with the team to international regattas such as IODA Worlds, South Americans, and other international events.
How did you get here coaching in the states? 
In started in 2001 when I applied for a summer coaching job at MSA (Manchester Sailing Association in Manchester-by-the-Sea, MA). Martin Stephan, former America’s Cup sailor and MSA Program Director at that time hired me. After that first summer coaching US sailors at this great Jr Sailing Program, I decided to come back to MSA for a 2nd summer and kept coming every summer to coach at different yacht clubs until the Annapolis Yacht Club offered me a year-round coaching position in 2005. Which I accepted and since that fall season I have live and coach here in the US.
What clubs/programs have you worked at here in the US?
I have worked at the Manchester Sailing Association, Eastern Point Yacht Club, St. Petersburg Yacht Club, Fishing Bay Yacht Club, Annapolis Yacht Club, Miles River Yacht Club, Lauderdale Yacht Club, Coral Reef Yacht Club, Seawanhaka Corinthian Yacht Club, and the Key Biscayne Yacht Club.
How many international regattas have you coached for the US?
I have coached:
2006 Flanders’ International Regatta, Nieuwpoort, Belgium
2007 International Easter Regatta, Brassemermmeer, Holland
2008 IODA South American Championship, Paracas, Peru
2008 Flanders’ International Regatta, Nieuwpoort, Belgium
2009 IODA South American Championship 2009, Salinas, Ecuador
2009 IODA North American Championship, Republica Dominicana
2009 IODA World Championship 2009, Niteroi, Brazil
2010 IODA South American Championship, Punta del Este, Uruguay
2011 International Easter Regatta, Brassemermmeer, Holland
2011 IODA European Championship, Tavira, Portugal
2011 Open Finish Nationals, Finland
2011-2012 Campeonato Bahiano, Bahia, Brazil Clube da Bahia
2012 Trofeo de Palamos, Palamos, Spain
2015 Lake Garda Optimist Meeting, March 2015, Italy
2016 IODA European Championship, Crotone, Italy
2017 Trofeo de Palamos, Palamos, Spain
What drives you to keep coaching for all these years?
The passion for the sport and the opportunity to impact in a positive way many youth sailors’ lives through the coaching.
What are some of the biggest highlights you have had coaching? USODA Nationals Championship (Fleet, Team Racing, Girls)
IODA North American Champion
IODA South Americans (Nations Cup Team Racing Champions)
Can you name a few of your favorite drills for coaching optimists?
The ‘Never Ending Drill’, ‘Speed Up/Slow Down’, ‘Section Starts’.
In your experience, what separates a good sailor from a great sailor? 
In my opinion, what separates a good sailor from a great one is not just a test of skill, but a measure of will. That is, startup success only comes to those willing to put in the time, do the work and sacrifice self for sustained effort. In other words, an intense desire to win, improve and never quit.
What are some of the biggest challenges you have faced in coaching?
Getting the paperwork done when renewing my US working visa (every 1-2 years)…hahaha.
ICSA News: The Pacific Coast Conference sends their women to Nationals
April 16, 2017– The Women’s Pacific Coast Championship was held at UC San Diego over the weekend. What looked like champagne conditions were met with excellent sailing. Trailing after the first day of racing, the #6 Stanford Cardinal turned it around to take home the Championship.
Stanford’s Senior Maeve White, with sophomore Meg Gerli, won A-division impressively with 39 points after 15 races sailed. They really turned it on Sunday as Stanford made their move.
“It is so fun to be coaching these talented women and to see all their hard work and dedication,” said Assistant Coach, Atlantic Brugman. “Coaching the women’s team has brought back some great memories from my time in college and has made me miss sailing, especially in shifty venues. Sometimes I wish it were me going in for the next set!”
Brugman was a two-time All-American skipper for the Conn College Camels and is currently an Olympic hopeful in the 470 class.
Despite surrendering a lead, the Santa Barbara Gauchos finished second overall and secured a berth to the ICSA Semi-finals regatta, which is ultimately the goal of the Conference Championship. With 51 points in B-Division, Senior Olivia Godfrey and Julia Downey (‘20) with Sarah Scoffone (‘19) led the effort for the Gauchos.
The University of Southern California Trojans and the University of Hawaii Rainbows claimed the final two spots offered by the regatta. They will join the Cardinal and the Gauchos at the Semi-Final regatta, May 22-23 at College of Charleston.
#1 Yale and #5 Navy win the first full fleet racing weekend
The Thompson Trophy was held at the United States Coast Guard Academy but was hosted and run by Connecticut College. Coming directly from the climactic culmination of the Team Race season, the regatta served as the transition from the Team Race season to the Fleet Race season. The regatta was flush with talent and the extremely challenging conditions offered showed the many spectators who the best sailors in the nation were. The answer to that question was undoubtedly the Yale Bulldogs.
#1 Yale showcased teams of the present and of the future for both coed and women’s sailing. Seniors Ian Barrows and Clara Robertson were on fire, lining up an extremely consistent score-line throughout a regatta that was anything but. Posting only one score outside the top-7, the two finished with 51 points through 13 races, which was enough for a 20 point victory in A division.
The Freshman Louisa Nordstrom, with Isabelle Rossi De Leon (‘17) and Claire Huebner (‘18) were equally effective winning C-Division for the Bulldogs with 69 points in 13 races. The talent of Ms. Nordstrom coupled with that of Sophomore Nic Baird and a line of great crew-work, spanning a half decade with no signs of declining, makes the Yale Sailing dynasty as daunting as ever.
#11 MIT finished second overall at the regatta with 255 points, 65 points behind Yale, while #7 College of Charleston finished 3rd overall with 256 points. Trailing throughout the regatta, the MIT Engineers continued to show heart as they snuck past the cougars in the last race of the 39 race event.
The Navy Spring regatta was hosted by the United States Naval Academy. The home team won the event with 131 points through 15 races in each division. Junior Gary Prieto, with sophomore Ana Mier won B-Division to help bring home the victory for the #5 Navy Midshipmen.
The rivalry in MAISA continues to heat up as #2 Georgetown finished second overall, with 135 points, only four points behind the midshipmen. Sophomore Campbell D’Eliscu won A-division with 74 points.
The Fordham Rams finished 3rd overall with 180 total points.
Written by Chris Klevan, Photos provided by Atlantic Brugman
High School Sailing: MASSA Mallory Qualifier Results & Report
By Airwaves HS Reporter Camille White
The MASSA District Championship in Kings Point, NY was a two day event in which 18 of the best teams from the Mid-atlantic region came to compete at the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy. The top four schools would qualify for Fleet Race Nationals at MIT on May 13-14. The competitors raced in USMMA’s fleet of z420’s and FJ’s.
The first day of racing had a consistent breeze of 15 knots with gusts up to 28 knots. Due to the heavy breeze and chop, A division and B division both sailed z420’s and rotated off of a dock, instead of on the water. All 8 sets were raced on a W4 on Saturday. On the windward legs of the course, it was very important to connect with the pressure coming down, especially because of the large fluctuation of breeze that the gusts brought in. On the second leg of the course, it was very important to round the favored gate mark as boats who rounded the unfavored mark would be passed and were in danger of sailing out of phase the entire third leg. The open water conditions on Saturday allowed for an exhausting, but quality day of racing.
The second day of racing had drastically different conditions than the first day with flat water and no breeze. The race committee hoped to expedite more racing by utilizing both z420’s and FJ’s, and by rotating on the water. Sailors waited patiently on land for a couple of hours for pressure to fill in from the Southwest. Around 1 o’clock, a small amount of pressure filled in from the West, so the race committee launched both A and B division. A race was attempted in A division, but uneven pressure and major shifts caused unfair racing conditions. The race committee abandoned the race on the first leg. Some pressure started to fill in from the Southwest, but this quickly died out. The race committee sent the sailors in and concluded the regatta just before 2:00 pm (no race could be started after this time).
Qualifying for the Mallory National Championship, Severn School placed first, Christian Brothers Academy placed second, Christchurch School placed third, and Ranney School placed fourth. Congratulations to all the schools who qualified for Nationals, and thank you again to the U.S Merchant Marine Academy for being great hosts, as well as the race committee and volunteers who made this regatta possible!
For full results: http://scores.hssailing.org/s17/massa-mallory-qualifier/
ICSA News: The Team Race regular season culminates in dramatic fashion. What does this mean for the rest of the sport?
The Fowle Trophy, New England’s Team Race Championship was sailed on Mystic Lake, home of the Tufts University Jumbos. Forty degree weather and massive, unwieldy puffs greeted the sailors, Saturday morning. Appropriately, the feel of the regatta was that of a typical morning at West Kirby Yacht Club; with small courses, short on water, unusual marks sporting numbered flags whipping in the wind and great team racing, it was hard not to think of the Wilson Trophy, the UK’s Team Race Championship. To be able to capture this spirit of team racing made Tufts an ideal venue for this edition of the qualifier.
The #1 Yale University Bulldogs took care of business in victory. This was the expected outcome as Yale has been the best team throughout the past half-decade. It was the other 3 New England berths offered that were largely uncertain.
Last weekend we saw the seemingly immortal Bulldogs look beatable as they were defeated at the Marchiando by a hot #4 Dartmouth Big Green in conditions that did indeed look similar to what was seen over the weekend on Mystic Lake. However, nothing seemed to prepare some of the best team race teams in the nation for what would be rolling down the hills bordering Mystic Lake.
As some predicted, #12 Tufts looked good at home and in the lark, boats perfect for the lake and team racing in general. Tufts finished the regatta second overall and will be heading to nationals due to an extremely clutch finish going 5-0 in the top 6 final round. #11 MIT also looked strong. Not too unlike Tufts, this team knows how to team race in the unpredictable waters of the Charles River, the iconic college sailing venue in New England. That coupled with the coaching expertise of team race champion coach Matt Lindblad, MIT won the top-8 second round with a 6-1 record. Both Tufts and MIT boasted 15-8 overall records.
What few predicted was that the final qualifying spot would be decided between #4 Dartmouth, #2 Boston College and #13 Roger Williams. Tied with Dartmouth, nut owning the tie-breaker at 14-9, the BC Eagles claimed the final spot with a late win over Yale. Roger Williams finished one win behind with a 13-10 record. Neither #4 Dartmouth and #13 Roger Williams will be present in the field of 16 at the Team Race National Championship, May 27-19.
The #1 Yale Bulldog’s effort came from team race stalwarts, Ian Barrows (‘17), Mitchell Kiss (‘17), Malcom Lamphere (‘18), Nic Baird (‘19) and crews, Natalya Doris (‘17), Clara Robertson (‘17), Chris Champa (‘18) and Graceann Nicolosi (‘20). Yale finished the regatta with an impressive 18-5 record and the question now becomes, which of the qualifying teams is up to the task of knocking off the perennial favorite.
“We were happy to accomplish our main goal of getting to the Nationals this weekend, and coming away with a win was an added bonus in such a shifty, volatile venue,” said Yale assistant coach Joe Morris.
“There are some clear takeaways from the racing as well, so it’s great to have some focus on the things we need to work on in the long period between now and June, continued Morris. “The team is very talented, but diverse. Each of the sailors brings quite a different set of skills/personality to the group, which can be both very useful and very challenging in terms of balancing the starting team.”
Morris is a 2012 Yale graduate, All-American and Olympian. In reflecting on the success of this Yale team, Mr. Morris had this to say:
“The team’s recent success can be attributed to a number of things but, in my eyes, nothing else truly compares to hard work and focus. This group works hard, and much of that is a result of the culture created by the previous sailors and the head coaches Zack Leonard and Bill Healy. Having such a rich history stretching back to 1881, I think the team really values and is motivated by the sailing alumni from the 70’s, 80’s, and 90’s who work so hard to support the team behind the scenes. It’s a really special thing when the people you look up to, like Jonathan McKee and Steve Benjamin for example, are also rooting you on. The sailors really thrive with the idea of continuing YCYC legacy both on and off the water, as sailors and as people. For me, that is the best part to see, regardless of winning or losing in the end.”
The Prosser Trophy, this year hosted at SUNY Maritime College, is the Mid-Atlantic Team Race Championship. This year’s victory by the U.S. Naval Academy Midshipmen with a 10-4 overall record, suggests a change in the guard in MAISA as Georgetown has won the event three out of the past 4 years. Surprisingly, #5 Navy finished the regatta tied with ODU at 10-4. A sailoff between the 2 teams decided the eventual champion.
#5 Navy has sailed strong all season behind the efforts of Peter Hogan (‘18), Michael Madigan (‘17), Patrick Snow (‘17) and Gary Prieto (‘18) serving as skippers with crews, Mary Robertson (‘17), Sarah Barkley (‘19), Mary Morocco (‘19), Brittany Slook (‘20), Ana Mier (‘19) and Molly Hanson (‘17). With no household names, this Navy team characterizes team racing as no individual part is greater than the product as a whole. With such upward trajectory, most feel that this Navy team poses the greatest threat to Yale. No one predicted that this team would climb to such a level and therefore it is hard to guess how high their ceiling truly is.
“This weekend’s success came from a season full of hard work and cooperation from all players whether a starter, back up driver, heavy air specialist, or snacktician/shore crew,” said coach, Dillon Paiva.
“We graduated two seniors from last year’s nationals team and everyone that returned was determined to do better. We have tried to keep calm and have clear heads all season, avoiding protests and umpires whenever possible. A win at the Prosser confirms what [head coach] Ian [Burman] and I have known and felt about this team all season long,” continued Paiva. “We have a long way to go and a lot to accomplish before Memorial Day Weekend, but we are excited and motivated to get there.”
The #2 Georgetown Hoyas finished the regatta third over with a 9-5 record. #6 Hobart and WIlliam Smith College finished tied with #9 George Washington University at 8-6 and advanced to nationals in the last MAISA spot after a 1-race sailoff victory over The Colonials. Congratulations to all teams advancing to the National Championship!
In the South Atlantic, The SAISA Team Race produced two teams to the nationals championship. The #7 College of Charleston Cougars defeated the Eckerd Tritons to win the regatta. Both teams advance to the National Championship.
2017 SEISA Team Race Championship at Texas A&M Galveston sent the undefeated Texas A&M Aggies to the Team Race National Championship.
#1 Yale, #5 Navy, #7 Charleston, #12 Tufts, ODU, #11 MIT, #2 Georgetown, #6 HWS, #2 Boston College, Eckerd and Texas A&M has now all qualified for Team Race Nationals leaving 5 spots remaining for NWICSA, PCCSC and MCSA.
Notably, #4 Dartmouth, #9 George Washington, #13 Roger Williams and #8 Bowdoin ended their seasons on the outside looking in.
SAISA Coed Fleet Race was held at College of Charleston. With 5 berths allocated for the Coed Semifinal Regatta, this was SAISA’s fleet race qualifier. #7 Charleston won the regatta after 11 races sailed in each division by a small margin over USF, 67 points to 69 points respectively. Stefano Perschiera (‘18) and Grace McCarthy (‘18) of Charleston won A-Division with 28 points while Jason D’Agostino (‘17) and Sabine Zinserling (‘20) won B-division for Eckerd. Eckerd finished 3rd overall, Jacksonville 4th and University of Miami 5th to round up the qualifying positions.
“We were definitely underdogs to qualify coming into this regatta,” said Greg Koman, one of the coaches at Miami. “But the team did a great job of having consistent first row starts, seeing the big picture on the race course and avoiding major mistakes,” continued Mr. Koman “Those were the goals. I knew that if they could do that then we would have a chance. They did, and they turned it into a berth to Nationals.”
Congrats to all five teams, good luck at the semifinals, May 30.
MCSA Women’s Championship were held at University of Michigan. Eight teams were competing for 4 qualifying spots to the ICSA Women’s Semifinal regatta. University of Wisconsin won decisively with 23 points in 18 races, 9 in each division. Kate Klement (‘17) won A-divsion with Korina Hendricks (‘17) while Andrea Sullivan (‘18) and Carolyn Keck (‘19) split time with Maggie Houtz (‘19). The Wisco Women won both divisions. Northwestern finished 2nd, the Michigan Wolverines 3rd and Notre Dame finished in the 4th spot, edging Minnesota by 2 points.
In NEISA the The Emily Wick Trophy was held at the United States Coast Guard Academy. Breeze was up as the #3 Yale University Bulldogs won the event easily, scoring 182 points in 30 total races. Freshman, Louisa Nordstrom with Claire Huebner (‘18) and Isabelle Rossi De Leon (‘17) won B-division for the Bulldogs and Junior, Casey Klingler finished second in A-division with Christine Klingler (‘20) and Caroline Colwell (‘18). #7 Rhode Island finished second overall behind an A-division win by senior Rachel Bryer sailing with Hannah Scanlon (‘18). #4 Charleston finished 3rd overall.
Written by Chris Klevan
Photos provided by Ken Legler and Hannah Noll
S1D Team Race News: 2017 Baldwin Cup Report & Results
By Airwaves Writer Dillon Paiva
The Baldwin Cup is a yacht club challenge type regatta hosted by Newport Harbor Yacht Club in Newport Beach California. This event is one of several regattas just like it that together make up a circuit of yacht club challenge team race regattas. Other regattas on the circuit include the Morgan Cup at New York Yacht Club, Lee Trophy at Seawanhaka Corinthian Yacht Club, and Soiland Cup at Southern Yacht Club. These are not your typical open events where anyone can sign up, your yacht club must be invited. One of the hardest events for a club to get an invite to is the Baldwin.
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Hosted in early April every year, the Baldwin Cup presented by J.P. Morgan Chase is on every team racer’s calendar. The regatta is sailed in a fleet of Harbor 20 keelboats in 4 vs 4 races. The Harbor 20 is an excellent class that is primarily fleet raced, but certain aspects of the boat make it a good choice for the Baldwin Cup: the class has very strict one design rules which makes for even boats, they are easy to race with two people (no spinnakers at the Baldwin), and have a keel with a long chord length which improves down speed maneuvering. All of this adds up to make an ideal platform for team racing. Anyone who has tried to get boat owners to lend their vessels out knows how difficult it can be, but NHYC pulls out all the stops for this regatta, getting members to lend over twenty four boats for racing. For this event, each team is comprised of eight sailors with everyone on the team required to be: a member, or spouse, of the club they are representing, twenty one years old, and with at least four members of the team being thirty years of age or older by the start of the regatta.
Every regatta takes immense amounts of time and energy to pull off a great event. The backbone of all of that work is a strong volunteer base. The Baldwin not only has some of the best sailors competing, the fleet contains Olympians, Team Race World Champions, and College Sailors of the Year, but they have an incredibly long list of dedicated and hard working volunteers. Those who dedicated their time include: Race Committee, umpires, boat owners, pit crew, host families to provide housing for competitors, media team, sponsorship team, and shore logistics. They have so many volunteers that an entire page on the regatta website is saved for a list of all the people who gave their time to make the Baldwin Cup such a great event, and a staple in the team racing community.
The racing itself takes place in beautiful Newport Harbor, right in front of the host club. Every other day of the year, the harbor is crowded with boats on moorings and sailing a major event like this would be challenging if not impossible. For this Baldwin; however, the club manages to clear the mooring field and have the boats relocate for the duration of the regatta. With a harbor empty of mooring balls and their boats, and a race course set right off of the yacht club, sailors get to experience one of the closest things to a stadium that exists in our sport. Throughout the event, there is live commentary over several speakers by announcer Brooks Clark of Boats N’ Prose and Adam Deermount. This, among other things such as the spectacular view, weather, and Goslings Rum, draws a crowd of spectators to watch the exciting team racing live and in person.
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Bill Crispin has been the Regatta Chair for this regatta ever since it’s inception in 2008. I asked him what makes the Baldwin Cup so special?
“The venue, the volunteers and competitors. The Venue is right in front of the club docks not more then a eighth of mile away at the furthest distance. You can see every start, every mark rounding and every finish right from the dock. Stadium racing at its finest!
The Volunteers donate their boats and take pride in each one being equal and ready to race! All of the boats have sails that are only used in this event. All sails are fresh and equal. The many other Volunteers work hard and long to bring the best support to the competitors, racing and social functions!”
This year was the tenth edition of the Baldwin Cup, and it certainly did not disappoint. Twelve teams from across the country (one from across the pond) competed to become only the sixth team ever to win the coveted Baldwin Cup. The regatta was sailed in three stages. Stage one was a complete round robin of all twelve teams where each team gets one chance to compete against every other team. St. Francis Yacht Club led with a 10-1 record after stage one.
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For stage two, teams were split evenly into gold and silver based on their win/loss record from the first stage and would complete a double round robin within their group. This year presented race committee with a challenge because after stage one, there were five teams tied for the last spot in the gold group, but after some complicated math, the tie was broken and the defending champions, NHYC Thunder, squeezed into the gold round. The competition was tight to say the least, and after stage two, St. Francis YC and NHYC Lightning were tied for the lead with records of 15-6.
Stage three was a first to two wins knockout bracket, with teams one through five from gold, and the winner of silver. St. Francis YC and Lightning both had a first round bye. This is when the tensions rise and pressure is on for everyone as the sun started to go down on the last day of racing. Due to wind delays, this year’s racing ran especially long with navigation lights already illuminated on support boats for the last races. The final match ended up being between the two teams who were dominant the whole regatta, St. Francis YC and NHYC Lightning. The home team of
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Newport Harbor Yacht Club Lightning proved to be dominant going 2-0 in the championship match to become this year’s winners of the Baldwin Cup!
Mark your calendars for this regatta next year, and whether you are there to compete, volunteer or spectate, you will not be disappointed. To learn more about the Baldwin Cup, please follow the link below.
http://baldwincup.com/
