David Kent Dellenbaugh will quickly tell you his greatest experience in sailing was defending the America’s Cup with his hero, Buddy Melges. Five years earlier the two sailors struggled trying to speed up their 12 Meter, Heart of America in the challenger trials off Fremantle, Australia.  The boat and crew improved through the grueling series but in the end came up short.  Bill Koch’s invitation to join America3 in 1991 gave Melges and Dellenbaugh a second shot at the big prize.

Dellenbaugh grew up in Clinton, Connecticut and sailed out of the Pequot Yacht Club on the northern shore of Long Island Sound before heading off to Cornell University.  He was not an active member of the sailing team during his four years at Cornell.  After graduating in 1975 he built an impressive list of victories that includes winning the Canada’s Cup two times, the Thistle Nationals Championship seven times, the Prince of Wales Match Race Championship three times and the Congressional Cup two times.

And then there was the America’s Cup.  After defeating four-time America’s Cup Dennis Conner on his home waters, Koch, Melges and Dellenbaugh faced a well-prepared Italian crew led by another National Sailing Hall of Fame inductee, Paul Cayard.  Dellenbaugh was the tactician and starting helmsman.  At this point in his career, the 38-year-old sailor from Connecticut was ready for the challenge.  Dave Dellenbaugh had made a practice of studying the technical details of sailing for his acclaimed lectures, writing and coaching.  His accumulated knowledge was an asset as he faced Cayard in the America’s Cup match.

America3 and Il Moro di Venezia raced five times in May of 1992.  Dellenbaugh got America3 off the starting line cleanly in each race and expertly guided Melges and Koch (who alternated steering) to win the match 4-1.

In 1995, Dellenbaugh was asked by Bill Koch to coach a women’s team for the next America’s Cup.  To his surprise in the middle of the defense trials, Koch asked Dellenbaugh to serve as the tactician.  The bearded tactician joined the all-female crew and won their share of races, but ended up losing to Dennis Conner’s Stars & Stripes crew in a three-way semi-final.

Throughout his career, Dellenbaugh has coached hundreds of young Optimist Dinghy sailors and youth sailors preparing for major championships.  He is the editor of a newsletter, Speed & Smarts.

Dave and his younger brother, Brad, co-authored a book, Sports Illustrated Small Boat Sailing: A Complete Guide.  Brad was an All-American sailor at Brown University and has been an umpire for America’s Cup races. Dave and his wife Susan, have two daughters, Rebecca and Emily, who have excelled at sailing and were named All American sailors in college.  Any sailor wanting to improve their sailing skills will benefit from reading David’s newsletter or attending one of his seminars.

~ Gary Jobson