2019 U.S. Team Racing Championship for George R. Hinman Trophy wraps in Newport Beach

Aerial shot from the 2019 U.S. Team Racing Championship in Newport Harbor. © Peter Wells

The historic U.S. Team Racing Championship wrapped up on Sunday afternoon after three spectacular days of racing in Newport Harbor. The 2019 U.S. Team Racing Championship for the George R. Hinman Trophy featured 12 teams steeped in team racing experience and deep in college sailing talent of today and past years.

In the end, a blend of current and former college sailors representing three different schools teamed up to win the historic Hinman Trophy.

A team named Holiday Sideshow won Sunday's final series, 3-1, over San Diego Yacht Club and Friends to cap an exciting weekend of team racing.

Holiday Sideshow features Johnny Norfleet (New York, N.Y.), Christopher Klevan (Westerly, R.I.), Greiner Hobbs (Terra Ceia Island, Fla.), Miranda Bakos (Marblehead, Mass.), Ian Barrows (New Haven, Conn.), and Clara Robertson (New York, N.Y.). Norfleet, Klevan, and Hobbs sailed for Hobart and William Smith Colleges. Roberston and Barros are former Yale sailors, and Bakos sailed for George Washington. All six sailors collectively had never sailed together before.

Four of the six sailors were on last year's winning team. Hobbs, Bakos, Norfleet, and Klevin were part of last year's winning team, Boss, at the U.S. Team Racing Championship in Cleveland.

They were the #3 seed through round robin play and the #1 seed and 2017 Champion, Jet Lag, selected Holiday Sideshow for their semifinal match. Holiday Sideshow edged Jet Lag, 3-2, to advance to the Final.

Final Results and Standings

"Everyone had their moment this week and each boat stepped up when they needed to," said Klevan.

"We knew we had some kinks to work out between the three boats, but we knew we could work it out in the end. We just wanted to get to the knock-out round and be in position to win," said Norfleet.

The squad from SDYC included Scotty Sinks (San Diego, Calif.), Allison Ferraris (Manhasset, NY), Will La Dow (San Francisco, Calif.), Taylor Kirkpatrick (Portsmouth, R.I.), Wade Waddell (West Palm Beach, Fla.), and Katherine Bowman (San Diego, Calif.). Wilson, Ferraris, and Sinks are Boston College alumni sailors, while Bowman is currently sailing for the Eagles. La Dow sailed at Stanford and Kirkpatrick is on the current roster.

The East Coast Drifters defeated Jet Lag in the Petit Finals, 2-0. The East Coast Drifters includes Conner Harding (Bristol, RI), Mike McBrien (East Patachogue, NY), Martim Anderson (Lisboa, Portugal), Marina Cano (Barcelona, Spain), Mackenzie Bryan (St. Croix, Virgin Islands), and Jennifer Agell (Orient, NY). Cano is a former college sailor from Brown, while the other five sailors are Roger Williams University alum.

Racing on Sunday featured plenty of pass backs, mark traps and dial downs in perfect sailing conditions with nice breeze and flat waters. Breeze was light in morning at 3 to 5 knots. The breeze shifted right in the afternoon at 6 to 9 knots.

This year's entry list featured current college sailors, coaches and alumni from major programs including, Yale, Stanford, Georgetown, Roger Williams, College of Charleston, Boston College, Dartmouth, Old Dominion, St. Mary's, Hobart and William Smith Colleges, George Washington, Brown, and California Maritime.

Here is the list of 12 teams competing this week.

This premier team racing event in the United States is an invitational event. Interested teams applied by resume and international teams were invited to compete. The Championship was raced in three-boat/six-person teams (three skippers and three crews). Teams raced in the CFJ.

For results and standings, photo gallery, and more information from the 2019 Chubb U.S. Junior Sailing Championships, please visit www.ussailing.org/competition/championships/2019-u-s-team-racing-championship

This US Sailing National Championship, hosted by Newport Harbor Yacht Club, is sponsored by Hobie Polarized and Sperry.