Hinman Masters Team Race

Twenty-five short-course races in three days in winds that rarely topped 10 knots are more than enough to fray the nerves of the most experienced and tranquil sailor, which was the case at the 2024 Hinman Masters Team Race, held August 16-18 in Newport, RI. Host New York Yacht Club won in the 3v3 format with Sonars and spinnakers, with skippers at least 45 years of age and each crew member must be at least 40 years of age.

“Our team’s been sailing together for several years, and we work really well together,” says Doyle. “We know what each other’s going to do. There’s not a lot of conversation between boats or even on the boats. We’re just boathandling well and consistently making moves to move up our teammates. And with that kind of teamwork, it works out well in the end.”

Of the 13 sailors who raced on Doyle’s squad this year, six raced together in the previous three editions of the Hinman Masters while another three sailed two of the previous three years. That experience and trust was essential for a regatta with predominantly light and variable winds.

“No win was ever secure, because as soon as you turned downwind, anything could happen,” says Doyle. “[On the final day] we had the wind coming over Goat Island, which made it even more tenuous, puffy and shifty all the way down the run. It didn’t matter if you were 1-2-3 [at the top mark], you could get overtaken.”

With the win, its ninth in the 25-year-history of the regatta, the New York Yacht Club widened its commanding lead in the overall win column. Southern Yacht Club finished second—on the podium for the fifth straight year, and is the second most winning club with four victories.

“Adult team racing, though 25 years of the Hinman Masters, has grown substantially,” says Doyle. “It’s really exciting. There’s more and more clubs now with fleets of boats, particularly Sonars, which is great, because they maneuver well and they’re great for team racing. We just heard that some more yacht clubs are purchasing fleets this year, so adult team racing is going to continue to grow.”

Winning New York Yacht Club team, above with former Commodore George R. Hinman Jr. (left) and Vice Commodore Clare G. Harrington (right): Brian Doyle (skipper & team captain), Whitney Rugg, Hannah Swett, Shane Wells; Steve Kirkpatrick (skipper), Alice Leonard, Zachary Leonard, Whitney Peterson, Jane Kirkpatrick; Chris McDowell (skipper), Libby Toppa, Brett Davis, Sam Septembre.

Final Results:
1. New York (N.Y.) Yacht Club – Doyle, 19 wins
2. Southern Yacht Club, New Orleans, La., 18 wins
3. Eastport (Md.) Yacht Club, 16 wins
4. Seawanhaka Corinthian Yacht Club, Centre Island, N.Y., 16 wins
5. New York (N.Y.) Yacht Club – Singsen, 9 wins
6. Annapolis (Md.) Yacht Club, 7 wins
7. Riverside Yacht Club, Greenwich, Conn., 7 wins
8. St. Petersburg (Fla.) Yacht Club, 4 wins

Details: https://nyyc.org/2024-hinman-masters