Team Swett dominates Women’s Champs

Traditionally when the boats are close together on the racecourse and at the finish, that’s mirrored in the overall standings. But that wasn’t the case in the 2024 Women’s Championship as the New York Yacht Club team, skippered by Hannah Swett, won seven of the 13 races in the regatta and won by a healthy margin in Newport, RI.

Held June 28-30, Swett’s team started the last day of the regatta with a 31-point lead. But with the fleet tightly compressed all the way around the course, nothing could be taken for granted.

“It was still nerve racking,” said Swett. “It’s a really good fleet. So you can’t let your guard down. We were on our game, and it came out well, but there was no letting our guard down whatsoever.

“My team has a great mix of people I’ve sailed with for 30 years and some brand-new people. It’s really fun to mix up the people I’ve sailed with forever and bring in some new people with new ideas. It was a great combination.”

Ultimately, the combination of Swett, Melissa Purdy, Joan Porter, Sophia Hacket, and Rachel Bryer had all the right components and Swett’s team finished the regatta with a 42-point lead over the second-place team skippered by Cory Sertl. Carmen Cowles skippered the third-place team with Erin Maxwell in fourth and Sara Morgan Watters in fifth.

“It’s just an awesome event to be able to meet women from different generations that you wouldn’t otherwise have met,” Cowles said.

The second edition of the New York Yacht Club Women’s Championship featured 19 teams of four or five women from across the United States sailing in provided one-design Sonar keelboats.

The winning team received the Joan H. Towse Trophy, named for the passionate sailor, race committee member and late wife of former New York Yacht Club Commodore Robert C. Towse Jr. The Women’s Championship, the Women’s 2v2 Team Race (June 1 and 2), and the mixed-gender crew requirement for the IC37 class and the Morgan, Hinman, and Grandmasters Team Races are all examples of the New York Yacht Club’s continued commitment to increasing female participation in sailing.

As was the case two years ago with the inaugural edition of the Women’s Championship, the competition on the water over the past three days was matched by the camaraderie and positive vibes off it.

“The energy is so fun at this event because there’s so many people we’ve sailed against for so many years coming back together,” Swett said. “So it’s a really good time. Everyone’s excited to see each other and go sailing. It’s a reunion of sorts.”

Final Results:
1. Hannah Swett, 30 points
2. Cory Sertl, 72
3. Carmen Cowles, 81
4. Erin Maxwell, 89
5. Sara Morgan Watters, 90
6. Emily Maxwell, 98
7. Sally Mace, 105
8. Kelsey Wheeler, 105.5
9. Jen Provan, 106
10. Heidi Backus Riddle, 107
11. Megan Grapengeter-Rudnick, 113
12. Katrina Williams, 135
13. Meredith Carroll, 147
14. Hannah Lynn, 164
15. Megan Ploch 181
16. Ery Largay, 199
17. Sarah Desilva, 206
18. Katie Mallory, 211
19. Vicky Wiseman, 225

Event details: https://nyyc.org/2024-women-s-championship

Source: New York Yacht Club