2016 Resolute Cup: List of interested clubs tops 20, with more expected
by Stuart Streuli 30 Dec 2015 15:16 GMT
12-17 September 2016
Nearly two dozen yacht clubs from across the country have requested an invitation to the 2016 Resolute Cup, a Corinthian Championship for U.S. Yacht Clubs. The regatta, which is an evolution of the U.S. Qualifying Series for the Rolex New York Yacht Club Invitational Cup (USQS), will be held September 12 to 17, 2016, out of the New York Yacht Club Harbour Court in Newport, R.I.
"We're extremely pleased with the number and diversity of the requests thus far," says Resolute Cup event chair Patricia O'Donnell. "We have received interest from clubs on the Atlantic, Pacific, and Gulf Coasts as well as a handful of freshwater clubs. We anticipate a very competitive fleet gathering in Newport next September."
Among the clubs requesting invitations are some of the most well known yacht clubs in the country, including Eastern Yacht Club in Marblehead, Mass., which won the inaugural USQS in 2010, and New York's Larchmont Yacht Club, which won in 2012.
Plenty of lesser known clubs are also eager to test their mettle. Sea Cliff Yacht Club describes itself as a "small family yacht club on Long Island's North Shore; home to 150 family members." While the club is no stranger to large events, having organized the Around Long Island Race since 1977, its membership is less than one-tenth that of clubs such as Chicago Yacht Club or St. Francis Yacht Club in San Francisco, both of which have also requested invitations. But it takes just a handful of talented sailors to win the Resolute Cup—teams are comprised of three or four club members—and Sea Cliff is off to a strong start with team captain Doug Wefer, a four-time collegiate All-American for the University of Michigan and an accomplished match-racing crew.
"This struck me as an opportunity to have the club really get behind a major sailing accomplishment," says Wefer, an insurance broker specializing in rare and antique musical instruments. "It would be a real honour to participate."
Invitations for the event will be issued in early 2016. The form to request an invitation can be accessed here.