12 Jul U.S. Women’s Match Racing Championship – Day 1 Report by Jake Fish
OYSTER BAY, N.Y. (July 11, 2014) – Racing commenced Friday morning for the teams competing at the U.S. Women’s Match Racing Championship, hosted by Oakcliff Sailing. Eight teams of six are racing in the Match 40 through Sunday for the right hold the Allegra Knapp Mertz Trophy.
Wind speeds ranged from 5 to 8 knots for most of the day. By 3pm EDT, the wind completely disappeared prior to the completion of Round Robin 1. Racing took place on West Oyster Bay Harbor. Teams raced under clear skies, flat seas, and a slight right wind shift for most of the day.
The plan for Saturday is to finish Round Robin 1 and complete another Round Robin stage to determine places 5-10. The top four teams advance to the Semifinal knock-out series.
As expected, Stephanie Roble’s (East Troy, Wis.) team is off to a terrific start. They are the only undefeated team through five races. Roble is the third ranked women’s match racer in the world and #1 in the U.S.
“It’s real quality competition out here this week,” said skipper Stephanie Roble. “It’s the strongest field since the 2012 championship. There have been a lot of lead changes and everyone is really competent with these large boats.”
Stage 1: Round Robin 1 (not complete)
1 – Roble: 5-0
2 – Breault: 4-1
3 – Hayes: 3-1
4 – Gill: 2-3
4 – Hearst: 2-3
6 – Gallo: 1-3
7 – Barbuto: 1-4
7 – Maxim: 1-4
Access the full sailor list with crew.
There is a lot on the line this week beyond trophies and medals. The winning skipper receives an automatic invitation to the 2014 U.S. Match Racing Championship, which will be sailed October 3-5, 2014 at St. Francis Yacht Club in San Francisco, Calif. and an automatic invitation to the 2014 Buddy Melges Challenge at Sail Sheboygan (Wis.) on September 23-28, 2014.
On Thursday, Oakcliff Executive Director Dawn Riley – a world-renowned sailor – conducted a match racing clinic for the competing teams. Oakcliff Sailing is one of the premier high-performance training centers in the country and was named a US Sailing Team Sperry Top-Sider National Training Center in 2013.
Venue and Schedule
- Racing will take place on Oyster Bay, Cold Spring Harbor or Long Island Sound.
- First signal for racing is scheduled for 10am EDT, July 11-13.
- The tentative last signal for racing on Sunday, July 13 is 2pm EDT.
Racing Format (subject to change)
- Stage 1 – Single Round Robin
- Stage 2 – Round Robin to determine places 5-10
- Stage 3 – Semifinal knockout series
- Stage 4 – Petit Final for places 3 and 4
- Stage 5 – Final knockout series for places 1 and 2
* The intended course will be windward/leeward/windward/leeward with starboard rounding, finishing downwind.
Coverage and Media
- For results, standings, photos, Twitter updates, and more information on the 2014 U.S. Women’s Match Racing Championship, please visit the event website.
- For breaking news and race results, follow us on Twitter @USSailing. Use Twitter hashtag – #USWomensMRC – to participate in the conversation throughout the championship.
Prizes
- Perpetual Trophies will be awarded for first and second place: Allegra Knapp Mertz Trophy (winner), Mrs. Charles Francis Adams Memorial Trophy (runner-up)
- US Sailing Gold, Silver and Bronze medals will be awarded to the skippers and crews placing first through third, respectively.
- Only a US citizen may be declared U.S. National champion.
This US Sailing National Championship event is sponsored by Gill North America. The championship is a Sailors for the Sea – Clean Regattas certificated event.
For Immediate Release
Contact: Jake Fish, US Sailing Communications Manager, 401.683.0800 x614, jakefish@ussailing.org
About US Sailing
The United States Sailing Association (US Sailing), the national governing body for sailing, provides leadership, integrity, and growth for the sport in the United States. Founded in 1897 and headquartered in Portsmouth, Rhode Island, US Sailing is a 501(c) (3) non-profit organization. US Sailing offers training and education programs for instructors and race officials, supports a wide range of sailing organizations and communities, issues offshore rating certificates, and provides administration and oversight of competitive sailing across the country, including National Championships and the US Sailing Team Sperry Top-Sider. For more information, please visit www.ussailing.org.
About Gill North America
Gill NA, with headquarters near Atlanta, GA is the exclusive importer and distributor of Gill-brand foul weather gear in North America including Caribbean, US and Canada. Gill is a worldwide apparel and accessories brand serving the marine industry with over three decades of experience. Gill specializes in high tech, breathable waterproof clothing. The company develops and markets a variety of performance-oriented, award-winning apparel and accessories for virtually every type of boating activity with product lines that include foul weather gear; interactive layering systems; footwear; gloves; bags; junior gear; scholastic gear and team wear. Gill products are available through hundreds of independent dealers and select West Marine Stores. For further information, please contact: Gary Barker at 941 505 2111 or gary.barker@gillna.com.