Cowles wins Sinclair Women’s Champs

The biennial running of Noroton Yacht Club’s Susan Widmann Sinclair Women’s Championship hosted eight women’s teams on June 13-15 in Darien, CT. Racing Sonars, Carmen Cowles and her team from Larchmont YC topped teams from as far as Halifax, Canada; San Francisco, California; and Hamilton, Bermuda.

The competitors’ experienced everything from blue skies and a modest breeze to easterly winds from 10-20 knots, with gusts over 30, and rolling 3 to 5 foot swells being pushed straight down Long Island Sound.

“Team Cowles” was comprised of Carmen (skipper), and Emma Cowles (tactician), along with their younger sister Margaux Cowles, Lauren Siegal, and Anne Elizabeth Sidamon-Eristoff as crew. Of particular note in the 12 races, Team Cowles scored an unprecedented eight straight wins sweeping Days 2 and 3 on the score sheet.

When asked about sailing with her twin sister Carmen said, “Emma and I have sailed a lot against each other, and together since we began sailing. We were always each other’s training partners and each other’s biggest cheerleaders. It’s an interesting experience to sail with someone who has almost always been there on any day of training or racing. This has proven to be very beneficial for us when we teamed up.”

In the final results, Katrina Williams led her team from the Royal Hamilton Amateur Dinghy Club (Bermuda) to second ahead of Erin Maxwell from Noroton YC in third.

“I didn’t think the weather could be worse than 2023, but I was wrong,” noted PRO Shannon Bush. “The competitors did an outstanding job of sailing through some wicked waves and crazy wind gusts. My all-women’s umpiring crew, ably-led by Vicki Sodaro and Britt Hall as chief judge, were kept busy trying to stay close to the Sonars in their RIBs. The camaraderie and good spirits were outstanding on and off the water.”

Details: https://www.yachtscoring.com/emenu/50050

Source: Rick Bannerot