It's a Game of Inches at 2024 Resolute Cup
by Michelle Slade 13 Sep 14:31 NZST
September 9-14, 2024
Resolute Cup 2024 © Paul Todd / Outside Images
Light Air and Flat Water Make Every Inch Count at 2024 Resolute Cup
Letting one's guard down for a mere second is absolutely not an option in the ever-challenging Resolute Cup, as the team from Corinthian Yacht Club (Marblehead, Mass.) can attest. Just shy of first by one point after delivering consistent scores over the first two days of racing, CYC crew member Miranda Bakos notes that no position on the course is ever safe in this formidable regatta, no matter what the team's experience.
"No position is ever comfortable," says Bakos. "Even if you have a gap around other boats, it's never comfortable, so we're really trying to fight and fight. There's a lot of defending, just trying to keep boats that are behind us behind us, and not necessarily worrying about the boats that are beating us."
Stunning late-summer weather blessed Narragansett Bay for Day 2 of the 2024 Resolute Cup, which saw racing begin by noon when the southerly built just enough for a start. The breeze continued to build throughout the day to a fresh 10 to 12 knots, and six races were sailed. Top positions changed in every race highlighting the intensity of this exciting short-course format. Through 11 races, 10 different teams have won a race.
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.
After winning the event in 2022 and finishing as the runner-up at the 2023 Rolex New York Yacht Club Invitational Cup, the CYC team skippered by Wade Waddell is 100 percent focused on staying at the top of the results table by planning smart and executing with confidence.
"Our teamwork today was really focused on keeping calm and making really smart decisions, we were super focused on boat speed, moving our weight and adjusting as needed, we were never really too slow; keeping power forward was our focus," adds Bakos.
"We tried to think ahead and plan many moves in advance, so we never felt rushed, and we always felt like the four people on board could contribute their perspective. That helped us stick to smart plans and feel confident in our decision so that we could learn and improve for the next leg. We had some good moments on each side of the course and some bad moments on each side; it was a matter of sticking in that moment, because what was working the prior race wasn't necessarily working the next."
Sitting in third at the end of Day 2, Eastern Yacht Club's Alden Reid notes that his team focused on clean starts after a rough first day. Eastern finished fourth in 2022 and are striving for a podium finish.
"On Day 1, we let ourselves get bounced toward the middle and then tried to come back; today we focused on getting off the line as best we could, keeping our bow clear and going as fast as we could," says Reid.
"It's not a one-way racecourse; getting off the line clean sets you up, it puts you in the top pack. And once you're in the top pack, you've got more choices. It is a great event so far. The competition is very good. You can't make any mistakes; make a mistake and people definitely take advantage."
After finishing second in the silver fleet in 2022, the New York Yacht Club team is putting together an promising performance this year. The host club is currently fourth, a solid start to the regatta for a team that has not competed much together.
"I think a lot of it's coming down to the crew work," says crew John Mastrandrea. "We haven't spent much time sailing together and our communication is getting better, like decision-making on the racecourse. We stumbled a bit yesterday with boat speed, but we seem to have figured that out. We had a bit of a tough start in the first race today, then found our stride; we're trying to minimize distance to the line when the gun goes to zero which has been helping."
Racing for the Resolute Cup will continue through Saturday, September 14. On the final day, the fleet will be halved for up to three final double-point races. Racing will likely take place on Narragansett Bay in the vicinity of Rose and Goat islands and Fort Adams starting at 10:30 am each morning and running through the afternoon.
*The rotation system used for the 2024 Resolute Cup has one-quarter of the teams sitting out each race. Every four races, all teams will have completed the same number of races.