Seattle Yacht Club hopes family and familiarity equals success at 2024 Resolute Cup
by Michelle Slade, New York Yacht Club 10 Sep 2024 14:14 BST
7 September 2024
Benjamin Glass, Dalton Bergan, Jennifer Morgan Glass and Lindsay Bergan © Paul Todd / Outside Images
It's no secret that crew consistency plays a crucial role in the success of a sailing team. It's an asset that the two-couple team representing the Seattle Yacht Club will be counting on as they prepare for this week's Resolute Cup.
Benjamin Glass, Dalton Bergan, Jennifer Morgan Glass and Lindsay Bergan have sailed together in various configurations for over three decades, as far back as being on SYC's junior sailing team in overlapping years.
While it's unique to have a two-couple team compete in the Resolute Cup, the SYC team also brings an exceptionally high level of skill to the game; Dalton was the 2000 collegiate sailor of the year while at the University of Southern California. Lindsay, a collegiate standout as well, has top-level racing in her DNA—her father Carl Buchan and grandfather Bill Buchan both took gold in the 1984 Olympics. Ben Glass holds multiple national championship titles while his wife Jen Morgan Glass campaigned a 470 in advance of the 2000 and 2004 Olympics, winning a national title.
"Dalton, Lindsay, Ben and I have known each other for a long time and enjoy sailing together; that comfort sliding into a boat helps a lot," says Morgan Glass. "Our shared experience includes time in Tasars, Vanguard 15s, 29ers, 505s, Nacra 17s, Ideal 18s, Harbor 20s, Elliott 6s, Santana 20s, J/22s, just to get the list started. We don't have access to Sonars in Seattle, so we have been practicing in other small, symmetrical spinnaker keelboats to get back into the mode. We've found Seattle's weeknight beer-can races are quite challenging and present a variety of situations that have helped us prepare."
Since 2010, the Resolute Cup has served as a Corinthian Championship for U.S. Yacht Clubs and the only guaranteed pathway for an American club to earn a berth in the Rolex New York Yacht Club Invitational Cup, Corinthian sailing's most prestigious international competition. The seventh edition of the biennial competition—the event was not sailed in 2020—is scheduled 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 provided sails, equalized rig tune and on-the-water umpiring ensuring sailing's ultimate level playing field. The 2024 New York Yacht Club Regatta Association regatta calendar is supported by Helly Hansen, Hammetts Hotel, Safe Harbor Marinas and Peters & May.
The complete crew list can be found here
"Specific preparation for this event has been a little challenging for us, but we spend plenty of time on the water keeping our senses sharp," says Bergan, who will skipper the SYC team. "We enjoy a variety of sailing including foiling, but the Sonar's inherent hull-speed limitation should make for some excellent close racing; sailing as an amateur to some degree reduces the pressure to win and makes for a more enjoyable experience when things are going our way, but we are all still are naturally competitive people of course! We figured it would be fun to sail and travel together and to make this a nice vacation as well."
Glass notes that a busy schedule precludes her from a full sailing calendar these days so carefully selecting the events to race each year is paramount; this year the Resolute Cup was at the top of the list.
"The Resolute Cup will be a stand-out event for us this year," she says. "I really enjoy week-long events like the Resolute Cup where you get to focus on sailing for more than a day or a weekend at a time. I need to be selective in the goals I set for myself each year as there isn't enough time to go to every event or sail every type of boat. It is nice to travel light and get to enjoy provided boats. Everything from the venue to the race management to the other teams is always top notch at NYYC, so that is also a draw."
Carolina Yacht Club is one of just a few clubs that has entered every edition of the Resolute Cup. CYC skipper Robert Wilkins has been sailing from the early age of seven years old, crewing for his dad on Y Flyers, racing Lasers, Lightnings, 470s, and for the past 15 years, he's been actively campaigning an E Scow. Wilkins has previously raced the event and will be counting on his past experience racing out of Harbour Court to position his team for success.
"Carolina selected my team based on race results, although we will have a Club championship to determine the team in the future," says Wilkins. "I have raced in Newport many times—J/24 Worlds and North Americans, taking second in both events, and One Ton Worlds and North Americas—so I've learned that having local knowledge on the boat is very important, hence Peter Hogan as my tactician and local expert. I love putting together good teams, and we have had very good race results; the boats are all equal so it will all be about getting off the line and good tactics."
Like the team from Seattle, Wilkins views the Resolute Cup as the best combination of vacation and competitive sailing.
"We are looking forward to competing this year, and I'm bringing my wife who loves Newport and the New York Yacht Club Harbour Court," Wilkins says. "Newport is a very special place, and it is a privilege to be able to spend time there."
Racing for the Resolute Cup will start on Wednesday, September 11. On Saturday, September 14, the fleet will be halved for three final double-point races. Racing will likely take place on Narragansett Bay in the vicinity of Rose and Goat islands and Fort Adams starting at 10:30 am each morning and running through the afternoon. The weather forecast for the week is calling for perfect late summer weather with daily highlights temperatures in the 70s and winds generally on the lighter side, but more than sufficient for some great racing.