The Hinman - Congratulations to the West Kirby Hawks

REPORT OF HINMAN TROPHY 2008 - 15-17 August

 The 2008 George Hinman Trophy took place at Erie Yacht Club, Pennsylvania in sunny conditions between 15 and 17 August. 16 teams and one lone UK team (the Hawks) competed for the trophy that signifies the pinnacle of US team racing.

 The Hawks arrived with an aim of reaching the semi finals, despite the fact that only one helmsman (Dominic Johnson) had prior knowledge of sailing Vanguard 15s. Day one saw the British team qualify for the Gold league (composed of the top 9 teams), after managing to settle quickly into the boats in the light shifty conditions. They then took an early lead overnight, which definitely shocked everyone including themselves!

 Day two saw the completion of the first gold league, followed by another gold and silver round. The Hawks managed to finish 3rd in the first gold league, which allowed them to remain in the second round of the league. As the winds continued to pick up to 12 - 16 knots, the top American teams showed their dominance and superior knowledge of the boats in the slightly breezier conditions. The Hawks let races which seemed to be under their control slip from their grasp as their lack of Vanguard knowledge came to the surface. In their final, must-win race of the gold league, to guarantee themselves a spot in the Quarter Finals, the Hawks dug deep and managed to beat the Californian team So Cal Seis Amigos. It was a fantastic last minute manoeuvre on the finish line by Andrew Cornah and Hamish Walker that resulted in a penalty for the US team and a race win for the Brits. This race win allowed the Hawks to finish 7th in the second Gold league.

 This 7th place gave the team the tough opposition of Woonsocket Rockets in the quarter final. The Woonsocket Rockets, who throughout the event had only lost to two teams (the Hawks not being one of them!), had finished second in both gold leagues. After the Woonsocket Rockets took the first race of the quarter finals, some inspired motivational chat from Dominic Johnson gave the Hawks the spirit to fight back to take the second and third races, earning themselves a place in the semi finals. Going into the best of five semi finals with confidence the Hawks dispatched Tap'n'Go in three straight races and with it gained a spot in the Hinman Finals.

 In the second semi final, NYYC Silver Panda made light work of Tannery Loungers, also winning in three straight races. Two of these races were won with a 1,2,3 combination, which illustrated their dominance and boat speed.

 The finals were held in 12-16 knots of breeze with NYYC Silver Panda hot favourites, being 2 x defending champions, 2 x Wilson Trophy champions, 2 x World Champions! The Hawks were keen to make amends for Silver Panda taking the Wilson Trophy, but unfortunately the boat speed advantage of the Americans in Vanguards gave the British little chance and Silver Panda took the final 3-0.

 Overall a fantastic performance by the Hawks as they look to continue their campaign for selection for the ISAF Team Racing World Championships. All three helms are also looking forward to challenging the Americans again in the British American Cup later in the year when they team up with BA Cup Captain Leo Dixon in a bid to regain the Cup and bring it back to British soil. Thanks must go to the Royal Thames Yacht Club for their continued support of our team racing campaign.

 Hawks team; Dominic Johnson (captain), Debs Kershaw, Andrew Cornah, Hamish Walker, Ben Field, Tom Foster.