TEAM FROM SEAWANHAKA CORINTHIAN YACHT CLUB SAILS TO FIRST PLACE AND WINS U.S. MATCH RACING CHAMPIONSHIP

Portsmouth, RI (September 27, 2004) – The weather gods seemed to be on the side of US SAILING and St. Petersburg Yacht Club in Florida last week and the U.S. Match Racing Championship was held as planned, finished just in time before the arrival of Hurricane Jeanne. The team from Seawanhaka Corinthian Yacht Club, with skipper Karl Ziegler (Norwalk, Conn.) and crew Dean Brenner (Wallingford, Conn.) and Michael Welch (Boston, Mass.) got to take home US SAILING’s Prince Of Wales Bowl after defeating ten other teams at the National Championship. The winning team got the last flight out of the area before Hurricane Jeanne arrived. For Brenner, this is a record fourth U.S. Match Racing Championship title. The U.S. Match Racing Championship is sponsored by Rolex Watch U.S.A. (which sponsors all US SAILING Adult National Championships), as well as by Chubb.

The U.S. Match Racing Championship was raced in the following format: one full 11-team round robin, followed by the top eight teams from that round robin moving into the second round, and then followed by the top four teams from round two competing in semifinals and then a final. Team Seawanhaka Corinthian Yacht Club was 9-1 in the first round robin, 7-0 in the second round robin, and then defeated Southern Yacht Club 2-0 in the semifinals. In the finals, Seawanhaka Corinthian Yacht Club demonstrated great teamwork, both in strategy and sail handling, and had three straight wins against the San Diego Yacht Club Team of skipper Bill Hardesty (San Diego, Calif.) and crew Jeff Nelson and Brian Bessel. Last year’s winner Nathan Hollerbach and his team from Bayview Yacht Club won two straight against Southern Yacht Club for the third spot.

For complete results, daily reports, and photos from the U.S. Match Racing Championship, please visit www.ussailing.org/championships/pow.

The event is part of US SAILING’s National Championships. For more information about US SAILING’s National Championships, visit www.ussailing.org/championships or contact US SAILING’s championships manager Liz Walker at championships@ussailing.org.

About Rolex Watch U.S.A.
Since Rolex Watch U.S.A. first presented timepieces to America’s Cup defenders in 1958, the company has consistently recognized and encouraged excellence in every important arena of competitive sailing, including Olympic Games preparation, US SAILING championships, disabled sailing, and offshore, one-design and women’s events. In 2004, Rolex returns for its eighth year of sponsoring US SAILING's adult sailing competitions. The 10-event series provides unparalleled competition in identically matched boats where winning is a matter of teamwork and strategy, not design and equipment. Since 1997, Rolex’s sponsorship has provided grants to host clubs for the purpose of improving competition and subsidizing clinics.

About US SAILING
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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