Nicole Breault is American sailor who is a four-time winner of the U.S. Women’s Open Championship. As of 2021, she sails out of St. Francis Yacht Club.
| Sailing career | |
|---|---|
| Club | Niantic Bay Yacht Club St. Francis Yacht Club |
| College team | Yale University |
Sailing history
editBreault grew up in Old Lyme, Connecticut and graduated in 1990 as class valedictorian from Old Lyme High School.[1]
She was two years old when she started sailing, and she grew up sailing there with her parents, brother, and others.[1][2] By age seven she had joined Niantic Bay Yacht Club[3] and raced in the International 420 class in Long Island Sound and in world championships held in multiple countries.[2] Breault was the first woman to win the national championship for the International 420,[when?] and went on to win it a second time.[4][1] In her senior year of high school she was an all-state selection in girls' soccer and captained the sailing team to a state championship.[1] In college, she sailed for Yale University and graduated in 1994.[1] After college she returned to Old Lyme High School and taught history and coached soccer.[2]
Breault has won the Allegra Knapp Mertz Trophy for the winner of the U.S. Women’s Open Championship in 2015, 2016, 2018,[5] and 2021.[6] In 2018, she was undefeated during the championship event held at St. Francis Yacht Club.[7] She was again undefeated when she won in 2021, and has sailed with Molly Carapiet and Karen Loutzenheiser during all four of her wins.[6] Other notable wins include the 2015 Mayor’s Cup ISAF Grade 3 Women’s Match Race in Long Beach, California;[2] and winning the gold medal at the 2015 ISAF Nation’s Cup Grand Final Women’s Division in Vladivostok, Russia.[2][4] Breault has raced in multiple classes including Lightnings, J/105. She prefers inshore one-design sailing, and sails in both match racing events and fleet racing events.[8] As of April 2021, Breault was the top ranked women's matching race sailor in the United States and #3 in the world; in the open rankings she is ranked #7 in the United States and #39 in the world.[9]
Sailing is in the family around Breault. Breault's husband, Bruce Stone, is a sailor and she has sailed with him at times serving either as skipper or main trimmer/tactician,[1][10] or doing doublehanded races in San Francisco Bay when the COVID-19 pandemic curtailed her 2020 racing plans.[3] Her father has stories of sailing his Dolphin 24 Marionette with Breault[11][12] and her brother Mike, who is also a sailor.[13] Breault enjoys coaching sailing, and has started a Learn-to-Sail program for women at St. Francis Yacht Club.[1]
Awards and honors
editIn college, Breault was named a Women's All-American sailor her sophomore year[1][2] and was Honorable Mention for Coed All-American in 1993 and 1994.[14] Breault was named the 2017 St. Francis Yacht Club's Jerome B. White Yachtsman of the Year, the first women to receive the honor.[1] In 2019 Breault made the shortlist for the United States' Rolex Yachtswoman of the year.[15] In 2022, Breault was announced as one of the shortlist for the 2021 US Sailor of the Year Awards.[16]
References
edit- ^ a b c d e f g h i Fulkerson, Vickie (February 7, 2018). "In the shadow of the Golden Gate Bridge, Old Lyme's Nicole Breault named Yachtsman of the Year". The Day. Retrieved 2021-10-16.
- ^ a b c d e f Svendsen, Nancy. "Women of StFYC: Meet Nicole Breault". www.stfyc.com. Retrieved 2021-10-16.
- ^ a b Slade, Michelle (November 2020). "Nicole Breault switches gears" (PDF). Latitude 38. Vol. 521. pp. 46–47. Retrieved October 16, 2021.
- ^ a b "Lyme-Old Lyme HS Alum, Former Teacher Breault Skippers US Team to Victory in ISAF Nations Cup". lymeline.com. July 26, 2015. Retrieved 2021-10-16.
- ^ "Allegra Knapp Mertz Trophy". US Sailing. Retrieved 2021-10-16.
- ^ a b "Breault 4-Peats USA Women's J/22 Match Race Championship Finals at San Diego Yacht Club". www.sail-world.com. Retrieved 2021-10-16.
- ^ Rupp, Colin (2018-08-27). "Nicole Breault Wins Third U.S. Women's Match Racing Championship". US Sailing. Retrieved 2021-10-16.
- ^ Schmidt, David (April 17, 2017). "A Q&A with Nicole Breault about women's match racing in the USA". www.sail-world.com. Retrieved 2021-10-16.
- ^ "USA top ten match race rankings >> Scuttlebutt Sailing News". Scuttlebutt Sailing News. 2021-04-27. Archived from the original on 2021-04-27. Retrieved 2021-10-16.
- ^ "they all look the same to us". Sailing Anarchy. September 8, 2019. Retrieved 2021-10-16.
- ^ Breault, Ron (2020). "Why the Book?". WindCheck Magazine. Retrieved 2021-10-16.
- ^ Brealt, Ron (2021-02-14). "Marionette". Maine Boats Homes & Harbors. Retrieved 2021-10-16.
- ^ There is Nothing, Absolutely Nothing, Half So Much Worth Doing, as…, WYL Ep. 137, retrieved 2021-10-16
- ^ "ICSA | Inter-collegiate Sailing Association". collegesailing.org. Retrieved 2021-10-16.
- ^ Rupp, Colin (2020-01-09). "US Sailing Announces Shortlist for 2019 Rolex Yachtsman and Yachtswoman of the Year Awards". US Sailing. Retrieved 2021-10-16.
- ^ "Shortlist Announced for Yachtsman and Yachtswoman of the Year". Sailing World. 2022-02-08. Retrieved 2022-03-02.