Local teams are contenders for Detroit Cup

By Peggy Walsh-Sarnecki

August 21, 2014 at 8:49 pm Detroit

John Van Tol, Chris Van Tol and Michael Hoey are one of three local teams in the Detroit Cup.

There are twelve teams in the Detroit Cup from six countries, but each of the three teams from Detroit have a serious chance of winning the Detroit Cup this weekend at Bayview Yacht Club.

They believe.

Chris Van Tol

Van Tol is a local sailor who grew up in Bayview yacht Club’s junior sailing program. His team is unquestionably the most experienced match racing team of the three.

Van Tol was ranked No. 1 in the U.S. between 2007 and 2009. He won the Great Lakes Match Racing Championship in 2008 and 2009. Other match race wins include the Richardson Cup in J-22s in Minnesota and won in Chicago in a Tom 28.

“We were doing it just about full time, about six events a year between 2006 and 2010,” Van Tol said.

Van Tol was also working in the insurance industry but his crew, including brother John Van Tol and Michael Hoey, were pro sailors. Hoey is still a pro.

Their chances?

“We finished fourth last year and at one point we felt like we were sailing well enough to win it,” Van Tol said.

“In the same breath, two years prior we finished second to last,” Van Tol said. “It’s just one of those things. Our team doesn’t do a whole lot of sailing any more but we have enough experience that if we get it going, we have the ability to win.”

They’ll do better in lighter air, Van Tol said. Their lack of recent sailing is more likely to be exposed in heavier air.

Ian Hollerbach

Hollerbach is the other home-grown product, also growing up in Bayview’s junior sailing program. He progressed through junior sailing travel programs and went to his first international Opti regatta when he was 12, traveled extensively through the U.S. in Optis until he was 15, when he began competing in 420 travel regattas.

He sailed on Roger Williams University’s sailing team – one of the top sailing teams in the country – where he won a national championship in 2011.

“I recently graduated and do not plan to make a career out of sailing,” Hollerbach said. “However I plan on maintaining the same level of sailing and competition I have become accustomed to.”

His crew is Alex Hume and Spencer Colpaert.

As for his chances?

Hollerbach says he’s relatively new to match racing, but he has a “ton” of experience in the Ultimate 20s used in this regatta. He’s also learned some valuable lessons on his college team.

“The level of skill in this event is not seen often and we are really looking forward to the challenge,” Hollerbach said.

Matt Graham

Graham is local by way of college. The Wichita, Kansas native is a graduate of the University of Michigan and is currently working on his doctorate of naval architecture at UM.

Another junior sailor, he qualified for the national Opti team when he was 14, traveling abroad to competitions He sailed with Michigan’s sailing team for four years, winning several match racing championships including a national match racing championship.

“Last year, I started my team which is Team Rowdy, and we got third in the Detroit Cup,” Graham said.

He has one of the few four-person crews among the three-crew fleet – they are relative light weight – including Austin Colpaert, Chris Cyr and Jason Hill.

Their chances?

“I like the fact that our team can pretty much sail in any conditions and do it all,” Graham said. “I think our biggest challenges will be getting the crew work up to par since all four of us haven’t sailed together at one time this season.”

What they do have is a lot of time in the U-20s, which will be new to many of the out of town teams.

“And we have the local knowledge, too, where the current is strong and where the breeze is,” Graham said.