Seawanhaka Corinthian defends Seawanhaka Cup

Seawanhaka Corinthian Yacht Club successfully defended the 2017 Seawanhaka International Challenge Cup for Small Yachts, with the 46th match held in Oakcliff Sailing’s Match 40’s on September 15-17 in Oyster Bay, NY.

Winning skipper Chris Poole, along with Sam Barron-Fox, Jean-Pierre Blaise, John Colburn and Jonathan Hammond, held off very stiff competition to ensure that the oldest sailing trophy originating in America remains in Oyster Bay and home at Seawanhaka.

The defender, along with seven challengers from Canada, Great Britain, and USA, completed a double round robin stage despite fickle winds. Seawanhaka Corinthian Yacht Club and Long Beach Yacht Club found themselves tied for first place after the two round robins, with Seawanhaka winning the tie breaker by edging out Royal Nova Scotia Yacht Club at the finish in the final race of the second round robin.

The top four teams – Seawanhaka Corinthian Yacht Club, Long Beach Yacht Club, Royal St. Lawrence Yacht Club, and Royal Nova Scotia Yacht Squadron – advanced to the Semi Finals, but the light breeze shutdown before completion of the Semi Finals and the results of the round robin stage determined the winner.

The Seawanhaka International Challenge Cup is the oldest yachting trophy, originating in America, which remains in active competition. First raced in 1895, the Seawanhaka Cup trophy was offered for the purpose of promoting small yacht racing and developing the Corinthian spirit among yachtsmen.

The very first challenge in 1895 was sailed in the fifteen-foot “Seawanhaka Rule” class, between Seawanhaka’s Ethelwynn and Spruce IV from England’s Minima Yacht Club. Minima returned this year to challenge for the Cup for the first time since 1895.

Event details – Results