US Sailing Team Racing Championship Photos

Posted September 28, 2015

The Chesapeake Bay hosted the 2015 U.S. Sailing Team Racing Championships in Zim 15 sailboats with teams wearing custom-designed pinnies. On Sunday, an exciting knockout series featuring quarterfinal, semifinal, and final rounds determined who would stake claim to the historic George R. Hinman Trophy. All photos by Dan Phelps for SpinSheet. Check out the full gallery here. 

The championship came down to the wire Sunday afternoon in a winner take all final race. In the end it was a team named Kirkwood Ticklers defeating Jet Lag, 2-1, in the final series to win the 2015 U.S. Team Racing Championship. These two teams were evenly matched and dominant throughout the regatta. The championship was decided in the closing seconds of Race 3 in the Finals. Kirkwood Ticklers is comprised of Will Bailey (Marblehead, Mass.), Sam Madden (Arlington, Mass.), Scott Sinks (San Diego, Calif.), Allison Ferraris (Manhasset, N.Y.), Raul Rios (Guaynabo, Puerto Rico), and Katja Sertl (Rochester, N.Y.).

Kirkwood Ticklers went 28-7 over three days of racing this week. They won 2-1 in the semifinals over Leis Queens and 2-0 over Brown People. This morning they went 4-1 in the Gold fleet seeding series. On Friday and Saturday they were 9-2 in each of the Qualifying round robin stages. Jet Lag also had an impressive week of racing by going 26-8 overall. The team includes Kevin Laube (San Francisco, Calif.), Samantha Steele (San Francisco, Calif.), Mateo Vargas (Treasure Island, Fla.), Tally Buckstaff (Menlo Park, Calif.), Oliver Toole (Palo Alto, Calif.), and Carolyn Ortel (Palo Alto, Calif.).

The 2015 U.S. Team Racing Championship, hosted by the Annapolis Yacht Club with the support of Severn Sailing Association, featured Former U.S. Team Racing Champion sailors, collegiate All-Americans, new teams, and an impressive collection of sailors who have had success in various disciplines and racing backgrounds.

This premier team racing event in the United States is an invitational event. First held in 1981, the U.S. Team Racing Championship remains one of the hottest events in the country for collegiate and post-collegiate sailors. Interested teams applied by resume. The championship was raced in three-boat/six-person teams (three skippers and three crews). Team racing is one of the most popular disciplines in sailing. Over 100 races are sailed in just a few days. Races, or flights, are shorter than traditional race courses. Three flights are racing simultaneously with teams swapping out after each race.

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