Jackson Cup - Article, 2010

The Royal Thames Yacht Club takes the Boston Yacht Club’s 2010 Jackson Cup trophy home

Volcanic ash from Iceland and delayed flights certainly did not dampen the spirits of the Royal Thames Yacht Club (RTYC) team from London, competition was fierce all weekend  as eight teams raced two full round-robins (56 races), then the gold medal round, pitting 1^st against 4^th and 2^nd against 3^rd for the final round. Competition was intense in the final best out of three races, mark traps, squeezing out at the marks, and very tactical maneuvers on the race course showed the RTYC determination with a 1-2-3 in the 1st race and 1-2-6 in the 2^nd race.

Racing took place in Marblehead Harbor, April 24 and 25. Blessed with excellent weather, all races were fair. 10 knots of breeze moved through 180 degrees on Saturday which caused many course changes, and Sunday saw over 15 knots from the Southwest for some of the races. Brightly colored mains offered racers and spectators new insights to boat-on-boat and team  tactics that are part of team racing - whether that was blue vs red, yellow vs green, yellow vs blue as the winning combination or any other pairing during the racing. The near 1500 horn blasts let the entire neighborhood know that the spring racing season has started in earnest! 

The Saturday dinner provided the opportunity for friendly competition, with only a microphone in hand, Southern Yacht Club was pleased to uphold the tradition of colorful jokes. Each team captain had a turn at the microphone.  These included captains Jonathon Pinner from RTYC,  Joel Hanneman from Seawanhaka Corinthian Yacht Club, and Rob Richards from New York Yacht Club, the top three finishing teams.   

Of the event, Jonathon Pinner, Team Captain for RTYC said “We are thrilled to win the Jackson Cup. It wasn’t easy, there are excellent teams competing”. “ We also thank the Boston Yacht Club, the volunteers and especially those who lent their Sonars for the event. To name only a few Leo Fallon Jr, and  Jason Maher the Co-Event Chairs,  the PRO PC C.H. Ritt, and Anne Coulombe the Race Committee Chair.”

 “This is the best racing for Jackson Cup, constant breeze in the low 10’s on Saturday and inching up to 15 knots on Sunday for the last few races of the round-robin and the Gold Medal rounds” said  Commodore Phil DiCarlo of the Boston Yacht Club, he also said “the colored main sails added to the spectator enthusiasm, as those seated on the porch of the Boston Yacht Club had front row seats for the action in the entire weekend.”

 The teams and standings:

The Jackson Cup, named in honor of the late Past Commodore Dr. Robert F. Jackson, (1993-'94), is an annual invitational team race challenge by the Boston Yacht Club to other clubs and organizations. The teams are selected for the challenge were chosen for having demonstrated high racing skill and the Corinthian spirit. The event was inaugurated in 1999 and is held in April each year. It is sailed in Sonar class boats in Marblehead Harbor, MA.

From a historical perspective, PC Bob Jackson wished to restore and support one-design racing, he was instrumental in the purchase of the two first Sonar class sailboats. This also led to the Winter Frostbiting season held by the Boston Yacht Club. Fred Boulter, Charlie Quigley, Peter Duncan and the American Yacht club conceived a team racing event for Marblehead and named it after PC Bob Jackson. This has now developed into an international invitational event for team racing.

For photo gallery and historical results, please visit http://www.bostonyachtclub.net/Racing/JacksonCup.htm

Sincerely,

Anne L Coulombe, RRO

Race Committee Chair, Boston Yacht Club

More on water photos (Peter Morris)

Back to the Jackson Cup Page