Corinthian Yacht Club triumphantly secures Resolute Cup title
by Michelle Slade, New York Yacht Club 14 Sep 17:44 PDT
September 9-14, 2024
Resolute Cup Title © Paul Todd / Outside Images
A stellar performance by the Corinthian Yacht Club from Marblehead, Mass., led by skipper Wade Waddell, resulted in their second consecutive win in the prestigious Resolute Cup, which guarantees the historic club a spot in the 2025 Rolex New York Yacht Club Invitational Cup.
This year’s Resolute Cup featured teams from 28 yacht clubs nationwide, each showcasing their finest sailors. Over four days, twenty races took place during the Opening Series, with the top 14 boats advancing to a two-race Medal Series on the final day, where scores were doubled for increased competition intensity.
Waddell, aged 27, along with his team members Doug Sabin, Duncan Swain, and Miranda Bakos, finished 18 out of 20 races in the Opening Series within the top five, clinching the regatta by a margin of sixteen points.
The New York Yacht Club, led by Peter Levesque, secured second place, while Mystic River Mudheads Sailing Association, helmed by Peter Linn, took third place, winning a tiebreaker against Eastern Yacht Club, which placed fourth, mirroring its 2022 finish. Detroit’s Bayview Yacht Club impressively completed the top five.
“Winning for a second time is an incredible feeling!” exclaims Waddell. “It’s an unprecedented achievement; no other club has won twice, and we’re delighted to be the first. I believe everyone at home is elated.”
Since its inception in 2010, the Resolute Cup has served as a Corinthian Championship for U.S. yacht clubs, providing the only definitive route for an American club to qualify for the Rolex New York Yacht Club Invitational Cup, the pinnacle of Corinthian sailing’s international contests. The seventh edition of this biennial event—suspended in 2020—is slated for September 9 to 14 at the New York Yacht Club Harbour Court in Newport, R.I. The 2024 Resolute Cup will utilize the Club’s fleet of Sonars, with supplied sails, standardized rig tuning, and on-water umpiring ensuring a fair competition. The 2024 regatta calendar from the New York Yacht Club Regatta Association receives support from Helly Hansen, Hammetts Hotel, Safe Harbor Marinas, and Peters & May.
The results are available here.
The full crew roster can be found here.
Waddell attributes his outstanding and well-coordinated Northeastern team for their remarkable repeat win.
“We achieved this together two years ago with the same team,” says Waddell. “Doug, our main trimmer, serves as CYC’s Rear Commodore and is a Sonar world champion. He consistently keeps the boat moving swiftly on the course. Duncan handles the bow and jib trimming, infusing excellent energy into the team. Miranda has an impressive record of winning regattas; she’s exceptionally talented and constantly supports the team, keeping everyone focused. We share a significant level of trust in one another.”
Now a Resolute Cup veteran, Waddell entered the competition aware of the formidable fleet he’d face; the strategy was centered on maintaining their scores at a minimum.
“We anticipated an exceptionally strong fleet,” Waddell states. “Sonars are relatively equal vessels, and all competitors here are highly skilled sailors. We expected intense racing. We reviewed results from 2018, which had a similar format to this year’s, noting that the winners averaged around six, and we kept that target in mind for the regatta. I believe we performed better than that. Friday proved to be our best day; we were consistently fast, and when the winds picked up, our team was perfectly tuned in, allowing us to achieve several remarkable scores; everything aligned perfectly.”
After the Opening Series concluded on Saturday, the Medal Series team faced a lengthy wait for a light breeze to arrive, causing a bit of concern for the Corinthian Yacht Club squad. Ultimately, Waddell and his strong crew claimed victory in the event.
“The conditions were quite tricky—variable and gusty—which made it unclear which side would be advantageous, certainly adding to the tension,” Waddell remarks. “We waited several hours for the medal races to commence, which made me feel anxious. Heading into the final medal race, we had a 26-point lead over New York; they would have had to win, and we would have needed to finish last to lose the regatta. Our approach was simple: ‘We only need to beat one boat. Let’s start in the middle, be conservative, and just sail smart.'”
Waddell is already focusing on next year’s Invitational Cup; having placed second in 2023, the Corinthian team aims to be a formidable contender in 2025.
“This is the first step toward entering the Invitational, and we are determined to reach the peak at that regatta and finish strongly—we have a remarkable team capable of achieving that,” Waddell states. “Our teammates back home at the Corinthian Yacht Club provide tremendous support; we have a fantastic family culture, encouraging and challenging each other during practices, which pays dividends at these events.”
Historically a challenging event for newcomers, given the high emphasis on skill, the Charleston Yacht Club performed impressively in their inaugural Resolute Cup, finishing 11th overall. Three team members—David Dabney, Joe Pitcavage, and John Colarusso—had previously sailed together on the College of Charleston team, while Megan Riddle-Tracy was part of the College of Charleston team in later years. With no prior racing experience together in Newport and limited exposure in the Sonar, their strategy was to learn from seasoned participants.
“We closely observed experienced competitors who sail these boats frequently to pick up tips on speed, positioning, and maintaining clean air—it was all part of our plan,” Dabney explains. “The competition was fierce; at the top weather mark, just a boat length and a half meant the difference between the top five and bottom five, making for intense racing, but we had a blast. Next time, we’ll feel much more comfortable with the racecourses, tides, and currents—we’d appreciate more insider knowledge, but it wasn’t a decisive factor in our performance; we had numerous other challenges.”
The Corinthian Spirit Award, presented by Helly Hansen, honors the team that best exemplifies Corinthian spirit both on and off the water, as determined by fellow competitors and the Organizing Authority. This year, it was awarded to Little Traverse Yacht Club, captained by veteran Scott Sellers.
“This is my third time participating in this regatta; I haven’t done it in a decade, but this year, thanks to work and family, I could make it, and I’m thankful to be here—I couldn’t pass it up,” Sellers states. “Sailing from Harbour Court against this level of competition is a unique experience. I enjoy racing the Sonar; their equality ensures close racing, and the New York Yacht Club excels at hosting superb events. It’s fantastic to reconnect with old friends and meet many new ones. NYYC does an excellent job of making it all happen.”