History of the U.S. Match Racing Championship
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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, Dave Dellenbaugh from Pequot Yacht Club, and Brian Angel of King Harbor 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. 2006 saw a repeat champion crowned. Although this has happened in the past, the nature of the 2nd win was extremely unusual. The Championship held at Fort Worth Boat club found Dave Perry as the new Champion, winning his new title 24 years after his first win in 1982. |