San Diego Yacht Club
San Diego, California
This year will be SDYC's first attempt at the Rolex New York Yacht Club Invitational Cup.
SDYC has evolved from a small gathering of boating enthusiasts joining together in 1886 to a world-renowned yachting community recognized for its success in bay sailing, ocean racing, predicted log racing, cruising, angling, and its support of youth programs at all levels. The Club has participated in competitions ranging from major national and world championships to the Lipton Cup, from Junior Regattas to the Olympics, and from Classic yachts to the America’s Cup. Notable members, such as Malin Burnham and Dennis Conner, brought their winning mentality home to the club, inspiring many juniors to follow in their footsteps.
Team Profile
Qualifying for the 2019 Rolex NYYC Invitational Cup through the Resolute Cup made choosing the SDYC a little bit more straightforward. SDYC focused on building its team around the four members from the Resolute Cup, and filled in the gaps from there. Most of the crew have passed through the SDYC Junior Program and have raced with and against each other for years. Other team members filled in unique gaps in the team's roster, such as keelboat experience and a boat captain. In preparation for this year's IC, SDYC has been highly supportive of its team and has worked hard to help them get many days on the water. The team also plans to spend a week in Newport over the summer to prepare, and has organized a strong program in San Diego as well.
While the SDYC team skipper, Tyler Sinks (left), is less than a decade out of college, his sailing accolades show that he is more than prepared to lead his team in the 2019 IC. Sinks' hometown is San Diego, but he received his undergraduate degree at Boston College, where he was a three-time Collegiate All-American (2009, 2010 and 2011), and a two-time Collegiate Sailor of the Year Finalist (2010, 2011). In his 20 years of racing, Sinks has become a hero for SDYC, leading his team to victory at the US Hinman Team Racing Championship in 2011, 2013, and 2014, the World Sailing Team Race World Championship in 2015, the Lipton Cup in 2015, 2017, and 2018, and the Resolute Cup in 2018.
SDYC's team tactician for this year's IC will be Jake LaDow (right), also coming from San Diego and bringing with him 17 years of racing experience. Similar to his fellow skipper, winning regattas is commonplace for LaDow. In his role of tactician, LaDow has won first place in the Corinthian division at the J/70 North Americans, the Lipton Cup, and the Governor's Cup. Additionally, he has competed in Red Bull Youth America's Cup as a wing trimmer at age 19.
Click here for the team's website.
