U.S. Team Racing Championship
The U.S. Team Racing Championship is raced in three-boat/six-person teams. US SAILING’s first national team racing championship, it was held in 1981. It grew out of a regatta initiated by Sailing World magazine and was so successful that it was adopted by US SAILING and became know as the U.S. Team Racing Championship for the George R. Hinman Trophy.
The trophy was donated in recognition of George R. Hinman’s many years of service and contributions to yachting. He was a member of the crew that won the second championship for the Sears Cup, a top ranking sailor in the International One-Design Class and for many years in the forefront of Long Island Sound frostbite dinghy racing. He sailed many ocean races and took part in the America’s Cup in various capacities as helmsman, syndicate manager and chairman of the America’s Cup (selection) Committee. A former President of NAYRU (now US SAILING), he also was a Vice President of the International Yacht Racing Union (now ISAF).
When Gary Bodie became Chairman of the U.S. Team Racing Championship Committee in 1992, he restored the popularity of the event making it the hottest event in the country for the post-collegiate group of sailors. Brad Dellenbaugh became Chairman in 1996. As a keen competitor and college coach, Brad contributed wise insight into the fun aspects of the Team Racing Championship and enhanced its prestige worldwide. Brad bid to host the Team Race Worlds in 1998 in Miami and ran a brilliantly successful regatta with Gary Bodie as Race Committee chairman. Brad and Gary continue to be strong advocates of team racing worldwide and are supporting the bid to include team racing in a future Olympics.
You will recognize the names of the U.S. Team Racing Championship participants and winners. They are the best and brightest of our younger sailors. Kevin Hall and Zach Leonard have sailed on four winning teams and Mike Zani and Megan Bohlen on three. The list of competitors is studded with stars such as Anna Tunnicliffe, Brad Funk, Senet Bischoff, Terry McLaughlin (Canada), Peter Isler, Steve Benjamin, Dave Ullman, Dave and Brad Dellenbaugh, John Kolius, Ed Adams – to name a few. Only one team has won the championship three times with the same team members: NYYC Silver Panda- Colin Merrick, Clay Bischoff, Amanda Callahan, Elizabeth Hall, Lisa Keith, Peter Levesque
The first umpired event was in 1990 at Encinal YC, Alameda, CA, where USTRA was formed, and the event went away from being a ladder qualification regatta. This was likely the first Team Racing Championship under Gary Bodie's chairmanship. He remembers that he tried to be both an umpire and regatta organizer, and quickly learned that was a big mistake. Newport RI and Hyannis came next, both umpired. Gary is almost certain that the Team Racing Championship he hosted at USNA in Annapolis previous to his chairmanship was not umpired. And, he is certain that the Team Racing Championship he competed in at San Francisco YC in Belvedere previous to that was not umpired. He remembers waiting around for protest decisions.... the last time that happened at a Team Racing Championship.