Next New York Yacht Club Invitational Cup U.S. Qualifying Series

by Barby MacGowan on 23 Feb 2010 Last month, the New York Yacht Club (NYYC) invited the leading American yacht clubs to compete for spots in the second biennial New York Yacht Club Invitational Cup, to be sailed in Newport, R.I., September 10-17, 2011. The U.S. Qualifying Series will be held in Newport, R.I. this September 7-11.

Twenty-four yacht clubs have accepted the NYYC’s invitation to compete in the 2010 U.S. Qualifying Series. They are American in Rye, N.Y.; Annapolis; Bayview in Detroit; Boston in Marblehead, Mass.; Carolina in Charleston, S.C.; Eastern in Marblehead, Mass.; Fishing Bay in Deltaville, Va.; Fort Worth Boat Club in Texas; Ida Lewis in Newport, R.I.; Indian Harbor in Greenwich, Conn.; Larchmont in New York; Little Traverse in Harbor Springs, Mich.; Long Beach in California; Newport Harbor in Newport Beach, Calif.; Pequot in Southport, Conn.; Rochester in New York; San Diego; San Francisco; Seattle; Seawanhaka Corinthian in Oyster Bay, N.Y.; Southern in New Orleans; St. Francis in San Francisco; St. Petersburg in Florida; and Stamford in Connecticut.

The U.S. Qualifying Series is an invitational fleet racing regatta to be sailed in Sonars and J/22s. The goal is to select three U.S. yacht club teams who will be invited to participate in the NYYC Invitational Cup held in Swan 42 Class yachts, September 10-17, 2011. The U.S. Qualifying Series is the only opportunity for U.S. Yacht Clubs to earn an invitation to the 2011 NYYC Invitational Cup.

The top U.S. teams will join the top six teams from 2009: New York, Royal Canadian, Japan Sailing Federation, Nyländska Jaktklubben of Finland; Royal Cork of Ireland and Royal Bermuda, plus at least 10 other international teams, to be invited in the spring of 2010.

In 2009, the NYYC organized the first New York Yacht Club Invitational Cup where 19 predominately amateur yacht club teams from 14 nations competed in chartered NYYC Swan 42s at Harbour Court. Competitors had to be members of the yacht club and nationals of the country represented. The 2009 event, sponsored by Rolex, Sperry Top-Sider and Nautor’s Swan, saw teams from Japan, Germany, Finland, Spain, Bermuda, Canada, Ireland (two), Denmark, Hong Kong, New Zealand, England (three), Italy (two), France and the United States (two), including the host and eventual winner, the NYYC. Such a gathering of clubs was unprecedented, and many viewed the event as effectively a global yacht club championship.

The regatta chair is Dod Fraser, with Will Crump and Marie Klok Crump serving as vice chairs. Commented Dod Fraser, 'We are extremely gratified by the overwhelming response to the invitation. The Qualifying Series is shaping up to be a national Corinthian sailing championship between American yacht clubs, and it leads to an opportunity to compete for an international crown in the 2011 Invitational Cup. The New York Yacht Club looks forward to welcoming the contestants to Harbour Court.'

For more information, visit www.nyyc.org.