Spurred by the growing number of sailors in singlehanded boats, led  US SAILING to the addition in 1974 of a national Singlehanded championship and the donation of a trophy in honor D. Verner Smythe, a long‑time chairman of the Sears Cup Committee (the tradition‑rich Triplehanded youth championship. The first junior singlehanded championship was sailed in Sunfish in conjunction with the triplehanded.

The U.S. Singlehanded Championship is of similar vintage as the Junior Doublehanded ( Bemis). Both are ladder‑style events where teams must earn the right to continue competing. The events start with a local sail‑off, and continue through Area eliminations before the national finals. Similar to the Doublehanded, the field was later expanded to include two teams per Area with the exception of Areas H and L, each of whom send one team.

Two‑time winners have been Louis Verloop of the Coconut Grove Sailing Club, FL, Kevin Hall representing Pacific Corinthian and Ventura Yacht Clubs, CA, and Steven Hochart from the San Diego Yacht Club. Scott Young won the Smythe in 1976, a year  after he was winning crew in the inaugural Junior Doublehanded  championship.

An active member of the Pequot Yacht Club at Southport, Conn., Smythe also served as Chairman for the Coordinating Committee of the NAYRU championships.