JUNIOR OLYMPIC SAILING FESTIVALS IN FLORIDA OFFER
WINTER SAILING OPPORTUNITIES FOR SAILORS NATIONWIDE

Portsmouth, R.I. (December 6, 2004) – With the cold weather taking control in some parts of the country, many sailors are looking to join the race course in southern areas. For young sailors nationwide, two USA Junior Olympic Sailing Festivals scheduled for Florida offer great opportunities to keep up their boat speed and stay in shape for sailing. Nearly 900 young sailors in total are expected to register for the Orange Bowl (Coral Reef Yacht Club, Dec. 27-30) and at the US Sailing Center of Martin County (Jan. 15-17). The two events are part of US SAILING’s USA Junior Olympic Sailing Festival program, presented by West Marine and sponsored by Gill, a national program designed to help young sailing enthusiasts who already have on-the-water experience develop their sailing skills while having fun on and off the water.

The two USA Junior Olympic Sailing Festivals serve as training grounds for the upcoming Club 420 Midwinter Championship (Feb. 18-21 at the US Sailing Center of Martin County), a qualifier for the 2005 US Youth World Team. The Team will represent the USA at the Volvo Youth Sailing ISAF World Championship in Korea in July 2005.

“These two events are truly unique because they have so many young sailors from around the country and of so many different levels of sailing experience coming together,” said US SAILING President Janet Baxter. “They will learn a lot about their own skills and about sailing in regattas in general and that is what the Junior Olympic Sailing Festivals are all about.”

About the USA Junior Olympic Sailing Festival - Orange Bowl (Dec. 27-30, 2004)
The USA Junior Olympic Sailing Festival – Orange Bowl is the largest Junior Olympic event in the country with more than 600 entries expected this year. Olympic gold medalist Magnus Liljedahl will present the awards to the top five finishers in each class as well as the Magnus Liljedahl Sportsmanship Trophy.
Classes:       Club 420, Laser, Laser Radial, Laser 4.7, and Optimist
Contact:       Coral Reef Yacht Club 305-858-1733 or orangebowlregatta@coralreefyachtclub.org
Registration: Registration accepted online and via regular mail (late fees apply, see event website)
Website:       www.coralreefyachtclub.com/youth/ob/index.html

About the USA Junior Olympic Sailing Festival – Martin County (Jan. 15-17, 2005)
Classes:       Club 420, Laser, Laser Radial, Laser 4.7, Optimist, and Sunfish
Contact:       Susan Bailey at 772-334-2997 or susan@usscmc.org
Registration: Registration accepted through Jan. 14, 2005 (late fees apply)
Website:       www.usscmc.org/regattas

About the USA Junior Olympic Sailing Festival Program
The USA Junior Olympic Sailing Festival program is organized by US SAILING, national governing body for the sport of sailing and sailboat racing. This year, more than 4,500 junior sailors will participate in 24 Junior Olympic events hosted by yacht clubs and community sailing programs across the country. Since the program first began in 1997, more than 21,000 youth sailors have participated in the program.

West Marine, Official Marine Retailer of US SAILING, is presenting sponsor of the program, as it has been since the program’s inception. “West Marine is proud to be the National Sponsor of US SAILING’s USA Junior Olympic Sailing Festivals. We believe kids are the future of sailing and supporting youth boating is a primary focus of our donations program,” said Randy Repass, West Marine founder and chairman of the board.

For more information about USA Junior Olympic Sailing, please contact Lee Parks, US SAILING Inshore Director, at 401-683-0800 or via e-mail at juniorolympics@ussailing.org. More information on these events can also be found at www.ussailing.org/youth/racing/jo.

About West Marine
West Marine, Inc. is the nation’s largest specialty retailer of boating supplies with 365 stores in 38 states, Canada and Puerto Rico, and more than $660 million in annual sales. The company’s successful catalog and Internet channels offer customers approximately 50,000 products – far more than any competitor – and the convenience of being able to exchange catalog and Internet purchases at its retail stores. The company’s Port Supply division is the country’s largest wholesale distributor of marine equipment serving boat manufacturers, marine services, commercial vessel operators and government agencies. For more information on West Marine’s products and store locations, or to start shopping, visit www.westmarine.com or call 1-800-BOATING (1-800-262-8464).

About Gill
As supplier of technical apparel for the USA Junior Olympic Sailing Festivals, Gill demonstrates its commitment to youth sailing. Gill clothing systems are designed for competitive sailing. Gill gear is available through hundreds of dealers nationally, including West Marine, and its products range from a performance base and mid-layer garments and deck jackets to full on offshore and ocean suits. More information on Gill can be found at www.gillna.com.

The United States Sailing Association (US SAILING) is the national governing body for sailing and sailboat racing. Headquartered in Portsmouth, Rhode Island, the organization’s mission is to encourage participation and promote excellence in sailing and racing in the U.S. US SAILING offers training and education programs, supports a wide range of sailing organizations and communities, and provides administration and oversight of competitive sailing across the country, including the US Sailing Teams and the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Sailing Teams. For more information, please visit www.ussailing.org.

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