Final Report: Bergan and Glass Claim Victory at 2019 Championship of Champions
STAMFORD, Conn. (October 6, 2019) – The Championship of Champions, hosted by Stamford Yacht Club came to a close Sunday afternoon after three days of exciting racing in windy conditions on Long Island Sound. Dalton Bergan (Seattle, Wash.) and Ben Glass (Seattle, Wash.) won the event to claim the 2019 Jack Brown Trophy.
RS Aero North American Champion, Bergan, and his crew, Glass, established a dominant lead early on. They won six of the total 13 races, including both races that occurred on the first day of the regatta. With a considerable lead, they officially sealed their victory after winning the second to last race of the event.
Bergan attributed their success to their consistent focus on the water, “We put a lot of effort into setting up the boat before every race.” Glass added, “We went upwind to check our settings over and over again without resting much between races. It seems to have paid off.”
Both of the victors enjoyed the Championship’s unique crowd of fellow competitors, “We didn’t really know what to expect from the competitors at this event,” said Glass. Bergan noted, “It was really interesting to compete against such a broad spectrum of sailors. This is the only place where you’d see this group of people racing against each other in the same fleet.”
To qualify for the Championship of Champions, competitors have to first claim victory at a National or North American Class Championship. This year featured a particularly wide array of competitors. Nine of the sailors were under age 21 and several of the young competitors raced alongside their sibling.
Unlike the sibling teams, Vincent Porter (Chicago, Ill.) and Andrew Barrett (Houston, Texas), hadn’t spent much time sailing with one another and ended up in a tight race for the silver medal. “This is the first time we’ve ever sailed with one another; it was our first time on a boat together. We were college roommates and we decided to do this regatta kind of on a whim,” said Porter. The pair’s lack of practice time didn’t hold them back, though. On the second day of racing, they consistently placed in the top-five and moved up the leaderboard into the silver medal position.
Despite the solid lead over third-place sailors, Chris Raab (Sunset Beach, Calif.) and Geoffrey Ewenson (Annapolis, Md.), Porter and Barrett kept things exciting after finishing 18th in the second to last race, maintaining just a two-point lead over Raab and Ewenson.
“Well, we had just had our worst race of the regatta and honestly at that point, we didn’t worry about the points. We just figured, what the heck, let’s have fun and a good last race,” said Porter. The pair did just that, winning the final race to solidify their spot in second overall, earning Raab and Ewenson the bronze.
For additional information about this Championship, visit the event website.
The 2019 Championship of Champions is nationally sponsored by Hobie Polarized.
Communications Contacts:
Stamford Yacht Club
Don Wyllie, dwyllie3162@gmail.com
US Sailing
Jake Fish, communications@ussailing.org
Day 2 Report: Nine Races Complete Through Saturday
Saturday, Oct. 5, 2019
- Dalton Bergan (Seattle, Wash.) and crew Benjamin Glass (Seattle, Wash.) remain in the lead following another successful day on the water. They have a 15 point lead through nine races, including four wins. They have not placed worse than fifth in any race for the regatta.
- E-Scow National Champion Vincent Porter (Chicago, Ill.) and crew Andrew Barrett (Houston, Texas) move into second place.
- Guest competitor Cory Sertl (Rochester, N.Y.) and crew Meg Myles (Jamestown, R.I.) won Race 9 today and sit in fourth place overall.
- Commentary from Cory Sertl: “We liked the little-less breeze out there, especially the last race where it was flat water and it was really fun ‘heads out of the boat’ sailing. The racing was certainly challenging. The shifts were significant out there with the pressure and light air with lots of chop and swells at the beginning the day. It was a challenge to keep you boat going fast.”
- Commentary from PRO Ray Redness: “The weather conditions today compared to Friday was a change from the ridiculous to the sublime. Nice conditions but shifting wind and considerably right until the last race. It was a little chilly, but we had a bright sun with limited chop. We got in six races today and we did a couple of changes at the gate, but for most of the races we ran the same course for all same legs, but each race moved about 20 degrees. Three races planned for Sunday. Conditions predicted to be light but building.”
- Results and Standings
- Photo Gallery
Day 1 Report: Bergan and Glass Take Early Lead
Friday, Oct. 4, 2019
- RS Aero North American Champion Dalton Bergan (Seattle, Wash.) and crew Benjamin Glass (Seattle, Wash.) take an early four point lead after winning Race 1 and 2 on Friday.
- Vanguard 15 National Champion Matthew Sessions (Mill Valley, Calif.) and Jack Hunger (Rocky River, Ohio) are in second place after posting two third place finishes.
- Day 1 started with some practice time in 9 to 11 knots by the start of the first race wind was up to 15 knots very puffy and shifty moving to the right with puffs to low 20s.
- In Race 2, the PRO signaled no spinnakers with winds from 18 with puffs to the high 20s.
- In Race 3 the PRO signaled for reffed main sails and no spinnakers. The race was started with very strong puffy conditions and large sea chop. Race 3 was abandoned after leg one.
- Results and Standings
- Photo Gallery
*Copyright 2019, photos courtesy of Rick Bannerot, ontheflyphoto.net
STAMFORD, Conn. (October 3, 2019) – An impressive cast of current one-design class National and North American Champions will race for the prestigious Jack Brown Trophy at the 45th Annual Championship of Champions, hosted by the Stamford Yacht Club (Conn.). This three-day US Sailing National Championship gets underway this Friday, October 4 and concludes on Sunday, October 6.
The Championship of Champions is one of the more unique regattas in the world. This Championship pits champion sailors from a wide array of one-design classes in a boat that is unknown to many and typically on a body of water with challenging conditions.
Every year, US Sailing invites an accomplished guest competitor to the Championship of Champions. This year’s guest competitor is Cory Sertl (Rochester, N.Y.). Sertl’s sailing experience ranges from dinghies and match racing, to one-design keelboat racing at the highest levels of national and international competition. Sertl was a U.S. Olympian at the 1988 Olympic Games as a 470 sailor, and she also launched Olympic campaigns in 1992 and 2004. She is a two-time Rolex Yachtswoman of the Year award winner in 1995 and 2001. Currently, Sertl is serving as President of US Sailing and is also a certified US Sailing Instructor Trainer and Coach.
Sertl is looking forward to racing this week. “I enjoy a format where you just show up with your lifejacket and a friend and go racing,” said Sertl. “It’s fun to have such a range of ages which makes our sport so unique that you can be on a level playing field.”
This year’s regatta will be raced in the Ideal 18, a doublehanded sailboat designed by Bruce Kirby and now being built by Shumway Marine. The Ideal 18 is accessible to sailors of all ages, weights, skill levels, and competitive backgrounds. The emphasis is on strategy, tactical skills, and boathandling, rather than tuning or special rigging, according the Shumway Marine. Learn more about the Ideal 18.
Sertl mentioned that she has some familiarity with the Ideal 18. “I’m from Rochester, New York where the Shumway family created the Ideal 18, so I am familiar with the boat but haven’t spent much time racing in the fleet.
Sertl added that she is still gaining new experiences and learning new skills in unfamiliar boats. “The basics are always the same. Get the boat sailing fast and minimize errors. I’ve been racing on the new Melges IC37 with eight other people this summer, so I am going to have to work on doing more jobs on the boat, like my own mainsheet and flying the spinnaker in the jibes and looking around more.”
“It was so nice to be asked to be the mystery guest at this year’s event,” she added. “I have never had the opportunity to participate at the Championship of Champions before and I have always heard how much fun people have racing in it.”
The Stamford Yacht Club is eager and ready to welcome this year’s fleet of class champions. Racing will be held within the waters of Long Island Sound southerly of Stamford Harbor.
“It is very exciting for Stamford Yacht Club to be hosting this event and having the caliber of sailors that are competing here this week,” said Don Wyllie, Event Chair for the 2019 Championship of Champions. “We have been preparing for this event for 14 months and we are doing everything possible to make the event a success. Our club has a long heritage of running major regattas and events. More recently we hosted the USODA Opti Team Trials and last year’s U.S. Junior Women’s Singlehanded Championship for the Leiter Cup. Stamford Yacht Club is a great venue for racing and our expansive clubhouse will make the racers and their guests feel at home.”
Wyllie also discusses how the sailors will be challenged this week. “The Ideal 18 is a keelboat with a spinnaker and many of our competitors are dingy sailors. We are expecting some breeze so the racing should be both competitive and exciting.”
There are potential contenders to keep on your radar this week. The 2018 winner, Bill Draheim (Rockwall, Texas) has returned to defend his title from last year’s event, hosted by the Atlanta Yacht Club in Acworth, Ga. and raced in the Y-Flyer. Draheim also won this event as helm in 2002 in the Flying Scot and as crew in 1987 for Paul Forrester in the Flying Dutchman. Draheim qualified for event by winning the MC Scow National Championship. Draheim has raced at seven Championship of Champions through the years.
“This is one of my favorite events to race at and whenever I have a chance to compete for this Championship I always do,” said Draheim.
Chris Raab (Sunset Beach, Calif.) is another former winner of this event and is returning to compete again for the Jack Brown Trophy in a familiar boat. Raab won the 2010 Championship of Champions, which was also raced in the Ideal 18.
“I’m here to get the job done,” said Raab. “It’s great to be sailing with my buddy Geoff Ewenson. The Stamford Yacht Club is beautiful and any time I’m invited to compete at a US Sailing Championship, I change my plans to make it happen.”
Raab also commented on the Ideal 18. “The Ideal 18 is like a Cal 20 with a spinnaker and I’ve done a lot of Cal 20 sailing in my lifetime.”
As part of the charm of the Championship of Champions, unlikely skippers and crew are often paired together. Fourteen-year-old Kelly Holthus (La Jolla, Calif.), Open Bic North American Champion, has very talented and accomplished crew in multi-class World Champion sailor, Bill Hardesty (San Diego, Calif.). Hardesty is a former US Sailing Rolex Yachtsman of the Year, Rolex World Sailor of the Year, and College Sailor of the Year.
The 2019 Championship of Champions features an infusion of youth to this year’s fleet. There are nine sailors, including crew, who are under the age of 21. There are also three youth sibling teams racing this year.
This year’s field of sailors includes 11 North American Champions and eight National Champions. List of Competitors.
For results, standings, photos, Twitter updates, and more information from the 2019 Championship of Champions, please visit the event news and coverage site. Updates to be posted following the start of the event on Friday, October 4.
For additional information about this Championship, visit the event website.
The 2019 Championship of Champions is nationally sponsored by Hobie Polarized.
Communications Contacts:
Stamford Yacht Club
Don Wyllie, dwyllie3162@gmail.com
US Sailing
Jake Fish, communications@ussailing.org
About US Sailing
The United States Sailing Association (US Sailing), the national governing body for sailing, provides leadership, integrity, and advancement for the sport in the United States. Founded in 1897 and headquartered in Bristol, Rhode Island, US Sailing is a 501(c) (3) non-profit organization. US Sailing offers training and education programs for instructors and race officials, supports a wide range of sailing organizations and communities, issues offshore rating certificates, and provides administration and oversight of competitive sailing across the country, including National Championships and the US Sailing Team. For more information, please visit www.ussailing.org.