Ryan Seago wins Detroit Cup

Detroit, MI (August 26, 2018) – Local-based Ryan Seago and his crew of Chris Cyr and Matt Graham won the 11th edition of the Detroit Cup, dominating the Grade 2 international event over a field of ten teams from the USA, Australia and New Zealand.

Seago’s team rolled through the double Round Robin (14-4), Semi-Finals (3-0) and Finals (2-0) in wind conditions ranging from drifting to scary to be the first team to win representing the host of the event, Bayview Yacht Club.

Seago, a veteran of four past Detroit Cups and the qualifying events leading to them, credits his team’s prowess in the Ultimate 20s used in this event.

“We started stronger than many of the teams in knowing the boats,” said Seago, “but we were weak in our pre-starts. Every day the others got better in their boat handling, and fortunately we also got better in our pre-starts, so it all came together in the end.”

Seago’s decisive victories in the first-to-two point Final over rival Will Boulden from Australia were consistent with many of his performances all week: start strong to take an early lead, and extend to defend that lead throughout the match.

Except for a tight concluding match with Semi-Final rival Chris Poole and his Riptide Racing team, Seago did just this well in today’s warm and hazy 5-7 knot conditions for the Finals. Yet even in yesterday’s brisk 12-20+ knot conditions, Seago and his team’s showed mastery of the of the boat and the race courses set on the current-strewn Detroit River.

In the Petit-Finals, Poole took an early lead and held this until the final downwind run, when rival Nick Egnot-Johnson and his team from New Zealand managed to catch the Riptide Racing team and with the smallest overlap drive them past the corner of the course and lead them back to the finish.

Final Results:
1. Ryan Seago (USA)
2. Will Boulton (AUS)
3. Nick Egnot-Johnson (NZL)
4. Chris Poole (USA)
5. James Wilson (NZL)
6. Pearson Potts (USA)
7. Finn Tapper (AUS)
8. William Curtiss (USA)
9. Clare Costanzo (AUS)
10. Will Cyr (USA)

Event details – Results – Facebook

Next stop on the Grade 2 USA Grand Slam tour is at Oakcliff Sailing Center, followed by the Thompson Cup at Seawhanaka YC, both in Oyster Bay, NY. Winner of the USA Grand Slam gets an invitation to the 2019 Grade 1 Congressional Cup in Long Beach, CA.

The 11th annual edition of the 2018 Detroit Cup is the second of four events of the US Grand Slam Series. Held in Ultimate 20s, the ten teams from Australia, New Zealand, and the USA raced on August 23-26 in Detroit, MI.

Winning Skippers, Detroit Cup:
2017 – Harry Price (AUS)
2016 – Harry Price (AUS)
2015 – Sam Gilmour (AUS)
2014 – Pierre-Antoine Morvan (FRA)
2013 – David Gilmour (AUS)
2012 – Josh Junior (NZL)
2011 – Jordan Reece (AUS)
2010 – Dave Perry (USA)
2009 – Anna Tunicliffe (USA)
2008 – Simon Minoprio (NZL)

Background:
The 8th edition of the Grand Slam Series brings together four Grade 2 match racing events in 2018, offering a compact circuit in August and September to attract top ranked foreign sailors to the U.S. and provide North American match racers with high level competition. Additionally, the winner of the series gets an invitation to the 2019 Congressional Cup, the only World Sailing Grade One Match Race event in the USA.

2018 Grand Slam Series:
August 17-19 – Chicago (Chicago YC – Sonars)
August 24-26 – Detroit (Bayview YC – Ultimate 20s)
Sept 6-9 – Oyster Bay, NY (Oakcliff Sailing – Match 40s)
Sept 11-15 – Oyster Bay, NY (Seawanhaka Corinthian YC – Match 40s)

Grand Slam Series – Overall Results

Source: Dobbs Davis