History of the U.S. Match Racing Championship
Match Racing competition for the Prince of Wales Bowl started in
1931 at the Arcadia Yacht Club under the sponsorship of the Royal Nova
Scotia Yacht Squadron. Similar to the Sir Thomas Lipton Cups, there are
numerous ‘Prince of Wales Bowls’ in competition among yacht clubs in North
America. In 1937, it was permanently retired by the Vineyard
Haven Yacht Club, Massachusetts in the days when the club had so much
talent, e.g. the Besse brothers, John H. (Jack) Ware, Kingman Brewster,
Frank Jewett, Jr. (who sailed in the singlehanded class in 1936 Olympics)
that its members drew lots to see who would compete in which NAYRU
championship. It is fitting that the helmsman of the 1934 POW winning crew,
Frank Jewett, Jr. was instrumental in persuading the Club in 1965 to
restore the Bowl to active competition as a perpetual trophy for the
Southern Massachusetts Yacht Racing Association's interclub match racing
championship.
In 1967, Mr. Jewett requested the Southern Massachusetts Yacht
Racing Association's Executive Committee to open up the event for the first
North American interclub match racing championship. Jewett became the first
chairman of the NAYRU POW Committee. Under his leadership,
conditions and courses were refined in ways that affected events such as the
America’s Cup by, for example, drastically shortening the length of the starting
line for match racing. The Championship no doubt had an influence on the special
section of the racing rules for match racing.
In 1975, the event grew still further to become the U.S.
Match Racing Championship. Mason Wodworth
of Watch Hill Yacht Club is the only three time winner, three years in a
row. Two-time winning skippers have been Kingman Brewster, Jr. (the
original series), John W. Jennings of the St. Petersburg Yacht Club, Ed
Trevelyan from Coronado Yacht Club., Marvin Beckman representing Galveston
Bay and Seabrook Clubs, TX, and Dave Dellenbaugh Pequot Yacht Club . Notably
three pairs of brothers have won the Prince of Wales Bowl: Bruce and Mark
Golison, Mark and Doug Rostello, and David and Brad Dellenbaugh. Dean
Brenner has crewed on four championship teams and Newport Harbor Yacht Club
has the honor of sending five Championship teams.
In 2006 Dave Perry earned his second Championship title at
the Fort Worth Boat Club. There have been repeat Champions in the past, but
this repeat took place after 24 years!
Previous Match Racing Champions
Deed of Gift
