Seawanhaka Corinthian Yacht Club brings back Cup

The Seawanhaka Corinthian Yacht Club reclaimed its namesake 1895 match racing trophy when skipper Chris Poole (currently the top ranked US match racer) and crew Jon Hammond (currently 10th ranked) and J.P. Blaise topped Royal Vancouver YC in a hard fought final series 3-1 on Sunday. The 45th match for the 119 year old trophy was hosted by defender Southern Yacht Club from November 7-9th.

The field of competitors included challenging teams from Seawanhaka, San Diego YC, Balboa YC, Larchmont YC, Royal Vancouver YC and Royal St. Lawrence YC in umpired match races using Southern’s fleet of one design Flying Scots in the waters of Lake Pontchartrain. San Diego YC finished 3rd and Royal St. Lawrence YC finished fourth.

The Seawanhaka Cup is the oldest yachting trophy originating in America that is still in active competition. Originated in 1895, the trophy was offered for the purpose of promoting small yacht racing and developing the Corinthian spirit among yachtsmen. In its history, the cup has traveled around the world, a history not without controversy, including a disastrous previous residency in New Orleans in 2005 when the original trophy was lost along with the entire Southern YC clubhouse in the devastation of Hurricane Katrina.

A new trophy was commissioned by Seawanhaka members in 2007, reclaimed by Dave Perry sailing for Seawanhaka in 2009 and lost again to Southern’s Patrick Ryan in a match in Oyster Bay in 2012. The next match is anticipated to be sailed in Oyster Bay in 2016.

The colorful history of the Seawanhaka Cup can be found here.