Sailing: NHYC Team Thunder repeats at Baldwin Cup

Team Thunder of host yacht club Newport Harbor repeated as champion of the Baldwin Cup on Sunday.

The three-day regatta, presented by JP Morgan Chase, featured 134 races with varied, but exciting conditions, dramatic finishes and stadium-style racing. Also, 96 sailors competed and over 300 spectators cheered.

Larchmont Yacht Club took second in very close racing and Southern Yacht Club and Yale Corinthian Yacht Club tied for third.

“Larchmont was an incredible competitor,” said Gale Nye Pinckney, junior staff commodore, Newport Harbor Yacht Club, and member of Team Thunder. “They certainly tested our skills. We thank all of the competitors for participating, some coming very long distances. The competition level is extraordinary and so much fun. We love this regatta because not only is it competitive, but also, it has a jovial atmosphere with lots of camaraderie.”

The regatta uses a team format with four on four equalized Harbor 20s, requiring a more complicated strategy to secure a win. Racers are required to sail their absolute best, changing strategies minute to minute.

The crowd saw this “on the fly” thinking in the penultimate race where Team Thunder worked together to come back from a 7-8 (guaranteed loss), to win the race and go on to win the regatta.

“We couldn’t ask for a better three days – beautiful weather, phenomenal competition, dramatic finishes and an active party schedule with lively stories,” said Gary P. Hill, vice commodore of the Newport Harbor Yacht Club. “Winning the entire regatta is an added bonus, especially two years in a row. The final three races were incredibly close between Team Thunder and Larchmont Yacht Club, providing our spectators with best in class racing. Both of our teams competed hard and were a stellar example of the sailing spirit. We thank all of the competitors, especially those that traveled far to be part of this event. We could not host this first-class event without the help of our volunteers. We are most grateful to our sponsor JP Morgan Chase, who joined us for a second year.”

This year’s participants included: Balboa Yacht Club, Eastern Yacht Club (Marblehead, Mass.), Larchmont Yacht Club (Larchmont, N.Y.), New York Yacht Club (New York, N.Y.), Pequot Yacht Club (Southport, Conn.), Seattle Yacht Club, Seawanaka Corinthian Yacht Club (Oyster Bay, N.Y.), Southern Yacht Club (New Orleans), the St. Francis Yacht Club (San Francisco) and the Yale Corinthian Yacht Club (New Haven, Conn.). In addition to Newport Harbor Team Thunder, Newport Harbor Lightning was the second home team boat.

— From staff reports