Resolute Cup favorites prepare for epic battle

by Michelle Slade, New York Yacht Club 1 Sep 00:22 NZST 9-14 September 2024

The Corinthian Yacht Club (Marblehead, Mass.), fielding the same team that took home the 2022 Resolute Cup, will return to defend its title on Narragansett Bay in just a few weeks, this time with no doubt as to what it takes to win this prestigious event as well as the skills for a repeat performance.

A Resolute Cup rookie in 2022, CYC skipper Wade Waddell expects his crew's cohesiveness and experience in the event to position them well for the battle ahead.

"The competition is intense, the racing is tight, and winning is hard, which is what keeps us coming back!" Waddell says. "After winning the event in 2022 and finishing as the runner-up at the Rolex New York Yacht Club Invitational Cup, it was an easy decision to return. Our team—Doug Sabin, Duncan Swain, and Miranda Bakos—knows each other well and has built a high level of trust over the years, which allows us to execute at a high level when it matters most."

Finishing ahead of San Diego Yacht Club in 2022, then as the runner-up at the 2023 Rolex NYYC Invitational Cup behind SDYC, Waddell looks forward to going up against the talented West Coast team.

"SDYC has put together a younger team this year, but I'm sure they will still have a great team," Waddell says. "A lot of the people who sail for SDYC, I either went to college with or am good friends with, so that makes the rivalry fun. We all have similar collegiate backgrounds, so to go 1-2 in 2022, then 1-2 again at the Invitational, but in a different order, has been pretty cool."

Since 2010, the Resolute Cup has served as a Corinthian Championship for U.S. Yacht Clubs and the only guaranteed pathway for an American club to earn a berth in the Rolex New York Yacht Club Invitational Cup, Corinthian sailing's most prestigious international competition. The seventh edition of the biennial competition—the event was not sailed in 2020—is scheduled for September 9 to 14 at the New York Yacht Club Harbour Court in Newport, R.I. The 2024 Resolute Cup will utilize the Club's fleet of Sonars, with provided sails, equalized rig tune and on-the-water umpiring ensuring sailing's ultimate level playing field. The 2024 New York Yacht Club Regatta Association regatta calendar is supported by Helly Hansen, Hammetts Hotel, Safe Harbor Marinas and Peters & May.

While the pressure may appear to be off for San Diego Yacht Club—the defending Invitational Cup champions are assured of a berth in 2025—Jack Egan, who this year replaces Tyler Sinks as the club's Resolute Cup skipper, is emphatic that his team will fight to the end.

"In a sense the pressure is off, but I don't think anyone on our boat has a competitive 'off' switch, especially when starting against so many other talented sailors," says Egan. "Tyler and I have discussed what he has learned and what I should have my eyes out for; above all, he has a lot of confidence in me and the team we have put together. We are hoping to lean on SDYC's experience at the regatta and all the diverse sailing experience we bring to the table as individuals."

Tactician Adam Roberts, the common link between San Diego's winning Invitational Cup team and this year's Resolute Cup team, concurs with Egan.

"We have so many talented sailors at SDYC, and we were able to stack our boat with some amazing people—each individual brings a unique perspective," Roberts says. "The Resolute Cup is one of the world's most competitive amateur sailing events, and winning takes the same level of attention to detail as the Invitational. It is my job to leverage our team members' strengths to ensure we are bringing our A-game at every aspect of this event, not just hitting the shifts."

Clinton Hayes will again lead Eastern Yacht Club's team who are well-positioned to make the podium this year after finishing fourth in 2022 behind Storm Trysail Club. Eastern has historically finished near the top of the Resolute Cup, but it's been a while since they've won, Hayes noted. However, of value to Eastern's team is its strength in the Sonar.

"High level racing in evenly matched, provided boats, is the most fun you can have racing on the water," Hayes says. "Eastern has always been a big Sonar club; we have a lot of time in the boat and think we can sail it as well as anyone."

Hannah Lynn, also sailing with Eastern, noted the advantages of returning with the same crew in a single boat fleet.

"The four of us have raced together for the last decade and we've spent most of this summer team racing in Sonars," Lynn says. "A big part of our decision this year to campaign the same team was because we figured much of our struggle last time resulted from getting used to the RS21. Without that factor we are a very solid Sonar team. We'll keep a cool head and not try to roll the dice or take flyers, but rather just rely on what we know and what has worked in the past."

Southern Yacht Club, which won the Resolute Cup in 2016 and the Invitational Cup in 2017 and 2021, finished first in the Silver Fleet standings in the 2022 Resolute Cup and is anxious to improve on that performance. The club is fielding a new team with Andy Lovell at the helm. Lovell, a two-time All-American and college sailor of the year of the College of Charleston, twice placed second in the U.S. Olympic Trials, in the Laser in 1996 and the Star in 2004. Skilled across diverse classes, Lovell also won the 2018 Hinman Masters Team Race in the Sonar.

"We have to get qualified for the Invitational Cup, it is a big deal for Southern," says Lovell. "Our club commodore asked me to put together a good team for Resolute Cup to try to get back into the Invitational Cup. It's an amateur championship, and our club is mostly amateur sailors so it fits with what we do. Our goal is to do really well and the best way to do that is to do as well as we can in every single race and every phase of the race and not get frustrated."

Racing for the Resolute Cup will start on Wednesday, September 11. On Saturday, September 14, the fleet will be halved for three final double-point races. Racing will take place on Narragansett Bay between Rose and Goat islands starting at 10:30 am each morning and running through the afternoon, weather permitting.