Para Worlds: USA Sonar Moves Into Lead after Four Races

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Delta Lloyd Regatta 2016 © Sander van der Borch

Pictured: Sonar leaders Rick Doerr (Clifton, N.J.), Brad Kendell (Tampa, Fla.) and Hugh Freund (South Freeport, Maine), Sonar. Photo Sander van der Borch / Delta Lloyd Regatta.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

May 25, 2016

Medemblik, the Netherlands – Racing is complete on Day Two of the 2016 Para World Sailing Championships (May 24-28), an event running in tandem this year with the Delta Lloyd Regatta. The US Sailing Team Sperry Sonar team now sits atop the fleet, and the SKUD-18 Rio 2016 selection battle continued to take shape in Tuesday’s light air.

Rick Doerr (Clifton, N.J.), Brad Kendell (Tampa, Fla.) and Hugh Freund (South Freeport, Maine) have taken the overall lead in the Sonar class after four races, sitting two points clear of the the top British team, and three ahead of the Germans. “We really had great boat handling today, and we were changing gears like nobody’s business as the conditions evolved,” said Doerr, the helmsman. “We are really pleased with how today went, and hope to keep it going tomorrow.” Crew work was also a key part of the team’s success on day two, which saw the trio earn scores of 3,1. “We also were very aggressive in our weight placement and boat handling, with Hugh and I moving around constantly,” said Kendell.

The Rio 2016 selection series for the SKUD-18 will conclude here in Medemblik, and so far Sarah Everhart-Skeels (Tiverton, R.I.) and Cindy Walker (Middletown, R.I.) have the lead. The Rhode Island pair, who are also the world’s only all-female SKUD-18 team, have scored four mid-fleet finishes and stand in 8th overall. “We had some frustration today because we were winning the first race, which was cancelled,” said Walker. “After that, it was hard to stay on track, since the breeze kept petering out. We know and the fleet knows that we can be really good when we connect all of our good moments together and sail the way we know we can.”
Ryan Porteous (San Diego, Calif.) and Beijing 2008 SKUD-18 gold medalist Maureen McKinnon (Marblehead, Mass.) have had a slow start to their event due to equipment breakdowns on Tuesday, but had a slightly improved day on Wednesday with a 14,8. McKinnon and Porteous current sit in 12th overall, and need to finish no worse than one spot behind Everhart-Skeels and Walker to win Rio 2016 selection at the end of the event.

2.4mR Dee Smith (Annapolis, Md.) also suffered boat damage and missed races on a breezy Day 1, but a frenzied overnight repair job succeeded in getting him back out on to the water on Wednesday. Smith’s highlight of the day was a 4th in Race 3, and he will enter Thursday in 23rd overall.

The 2016 Para World Sailing Championships (May 24-28) will will continue until Saturday in Medemblik, The Netherlands.

Note: All athletes selected for the Rio 2016 U.S. Paralympic Sailing Team are subject to approval by the U.S. Olympic Committee (USOC).

US Results: 2016 Para World Sailing Championships

Full results.

Sonar (Paralympic Three-Person Keelboat)

SKUD-18 (Paralympic Two-Person Keelboat)

  • 8th overall, Sarah Everhart-Skeels (Tiverton, R.I.) and Cindy Walker (Middletown, R.I.), US Sailing Team Sperry (national team)
  • 12th overall, Ryan Porteous (San Diego, Calif.) and Maureen McKinnon (Marblehead, Mass.), US Sailing Team Sperry (national team)

Note: Everhart-Skeels/Walker must beat Porteous/McKinnon by two places or more to win Rio 2016 selection.

2.4mR (Paralympic One-Person Keelboat)

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About the US Sailing Team Sperry

The US Sailing Team Sperry is managed by the United States Sailing Association (US Sailing), the national governing body for the sport of sailing and sailboat racing. The top boats in each Olympic and Paralympic class are selected annually to be members of the US Sailing Team Sperry. US Sailing helps these elite athletes with financial, logistical, coaching, technical, fitness, marketing and communications support. The title sponsor of the team is Sperry; other sponsors include Gold-Level partner Sunbrella and Silver-Level partners Harken, Team McLube and Groupe Beneteau. Yale Cordage is a team supplier. The US Sailing Center Miami is an Olympic training site. Oakcliff Sailing and Clearwater Community Sailing Center are US Sailing Team Sperry Training Centers. Chubb Personal Insurance and the Gowrie Group sponsors US Sailing’s National Team Tour, a nationwide presentation program for US Sailing Team Sperry athletes. For more information, please visit www.ussailing.org/olympics

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. For more information, please visit www.ussailing.org

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Press Contact: Will Ricketson, Olympic Communications Manager, US Sailing. willricketson@ussailing.org, +1 (978) 697-2384.

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