Please select your home edition
Edition
A+T Instruments 2024 Leaderboard

2019 US Sailing Championship of Champions at Stamford Yacht Club

by Jake Fish 7 Oct 2019 08:14 AEDT 3-6 October 2019
2019 Jack Brown Trophy Winners, Dalton Bergen (Seattle, Wash.) and Ben Glass (Seattle, Wash.) Championship of Champions 2019 © Rick Bannerot, ontheflyphoto.net

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 Bergen (Seattle, Wash.) and Ben Glass (Seattle, Wash.) won the event to claim the 2019 Jack Brown Trophy.

RS Aero North American Champion, Bergen, 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.

Bergen 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. Bergen 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.

Full results available here.

For additional information about this Championship, visit the event website.

Related Articles

US Sailing and Zhik announce strategic partnership
Zhik will provide cutting-edge gear designed to enhance athlete performance on the water US Sailing, the national governing body for the sport of sailing in the United States, is proud to announce a new multi-year partnership with Zhik, global leader in high-performance water wear. Posted on 13 May
US Sailing Team set for the Paris 2024 Olympics
13 American athletes in nine classes will take to the Bay of Marseille Over the course of 12 days, 13 American athletes in nine classes will take to the Bay of Marseille for competition at the Paris 2024 Olympics, following a shortened runway of three years due to the delayed Tokyo 2020 Games. Posted on 27 Jul 2024
Some thoughts on U.S. Olympic sailing
If you're a fan of US Sailing you're best advised to stop reading this editorial Caveat Emptor: If you're a fan of US Sailing, and specifically how the organization runs the U.S. Olympic sailing program, you're best advised to stop reading this editorial. Posted on 13 Mar 2023
Open letter from Paul Cayard
The Executive Director of U.S. Olympic Sailing writes from the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Sailing venue I am departing Japan today after absorbing the Olympic environment, observing our team in action and getting pointers from old friends who have been running teams in this game for decades. Posted on 5 Aug 2021
Fun is the key
We can create growth in sailing by helping people have more fun playing with sailboats The lessons of the past are still relevant today! This article excerpt was originally published in the July/August 1996 edition of the American Sailor. Posted on 29 Jul 2020
US Finn sailors set for 2019 Finn Gold Cup at RBYC
Three of the total 63 competitors will be representing the United States. On Monday, December 16, the last event of the 2019 Olympic class World Championships will begin with the 2019 Finn Gold Cup at the Royal Brighton Yacht Club, in Melbourne, Australia. Posted on 15 Dec 2019
Hempel Worlds: New Doublehanded Offshore event
Mixed two-person offshore keelboat event will be on the program at the Paris 2024 Olympics For the first time in Olympic history, a Mixed Two-Person Offshore Keelboat event will be on the program at the Paris 2024 Olympic Sailing Competition. Posted on 7 Dec 2019
US Sailing team leadership statement
A statement from US Sailing regarding the U.S. Olympic Sailing Program US Sailing and Malcolm Page, Chief of Olympic Sailing, announced that they have agreed to part ways. Page will be leaving US Sailing and returning to his home in Australia. Posted on 20 Sep 2019
2019 Hempel World Cup Series Miami preview
30th anniversary of elite-level Olympic class sailing on Biscayne Bay Racing will soon begin at the 2019 Hempel World Cup Series Miami (HWCSM). This year marks the 30th anniversary of elite-level Olympic class sailing on Biscayne Bay. Posted on 25 Jan 2019
US Sailing team takes on Olympic Qualifier
At World Championships in Aarhus, Denmark The official start of the 2018 Hempel Sailing World Championships is Thursday, (August 2) in beautiful Aarhus, Denmark. Over the course of 11 days of racing, 10 Olympic classes and kites will coexist on the waters outside of Denmark's second largest city. Posted on 1 Aug 2018
Vetus-Maxwell 2021 v2 FOOTERSydney Boat Show 2025 - Apply to ExhibitsMRT AIS Man Overboard Beacons AUS / NZ