SAILORS MIX IT UP AT ROLEX MIAMI OCR

Champions to be Named Tomorrow

MIAMI, FLORIDA (January 29, 2004) — With one racing day left at the 2004 Rolex Miami OCR, some leaders in the 11 Olympic and Paralympic classes competing here are holding their breath. Today's light breezes, shifty like yesterday, provided plenty of power for several races on each of six courses, but scrambled the standings and, in some cases, left very little room for mistakes tomorrow.

After two races today, Mark Reynolds and Steve Erickson have a seven-point lead in the 58-boat Star fleet. The margin is anything but comfortable, however, since the team sailed its throwout race -- a 46th -- today. Erickson explained that Australia's Colin Beashel and crew David Giles, who are using this event as a qualifier for their Olympic Team, rose in the ranks today to second overall, winning today's first race while counting a 15th in the second race as their throwout. "That's easily a race to count. Anyone else in the top nine can't have a bad race."

Though Erickson is a new crew for Reynolds, he -- like Reynolds -- is a fixture in the Star class. He won two world championships -- with Bill Buchan in 1985 and with Paul Cayard in 1988.  He also won the Star Olympic Gold Medal crewing for Buchan in 1984. Reynolds made U.S. Olympic sailing history as a four-time consecutive representative in the same event. He is a two-time Star world champion ('00, '95) and three-time Olympic medalist (1992 gold,1988 silver, 2000 gold) in arguably the most competitive one-design class in the world.

In Tornados, Puerto Rico's Olympic representative Enrique Figueroa retained his lead from yesterday, but Austria's Roman Hagara is closing in, only three points behind.

"The top ten Tornado sailors in the world are here," said Figueroa, noting that Hagara is the 2000  Olympic Bronze Medallist.  Lars Guck (Bristol, R.I.) slipped from third to fifth today, while fellow countryman John Lovell (New Orleans, La.) got back into the game after breaking equipment yesterday that forced him off the racecourse. Despite winning the last of today's three races Lovell sits 15th in the overall standings.

Denmark's Jonas Hoegh Christensen lost his lead to 1996 Finn Olympic Gold medallist Mateus Kusznierewicz when the Polish sailor won three of four races today and pulled ahead in the overall scoring by 12 points. "I just had a bad day," said Christensen. "Winning is pretty much out of my reach, now. It's going to be a battle for second between me, Ewenson and Hall." Geoff Ewenson (Annapolis, Md./Newport, R.I.) sits in third, only two points behind Christensen, with Kevin Hall (Ventura, Calif.) in fourth, again two points behind.

Asked about his strategy for tomorrow, Ewenson said, "This isn't as important to me as the Trials (this February). Kevin and I have been training together, so we're used to pushing each other pretty hard."

In the 49er fleet, Tim Wadlow (San Diego, Calif.) increased his team's lead over Switzerland's Chris Rast to 15 points after winning three of four races today, while New Zealand's Sharon Ferris decreased her lead on the Yngling fleet. Only five points behind Ferris is Hannah Swett (New York, N.Y./Jamestown, R.I.), who toppled Sally Barkow (Nashotah, Wisc.) from the runner-up position. (Barkow is now in eighth overall.)

In Paralympic action, Udo Hessels of The Netherlands is only one point ahead of Rick Doerr (Clifton, N.J.) in the Sonar class.  Jeff Madrigali, (San Francisco, Calif.) an able-bodied sailor and 1996 Soling Olympic Bronze Medallist, leads in the 2.4 Metre class over world champion Stellan Berlin. Madrigali and Berlin have been coaching and training with Tom Brown (Northeast Harbor, Maine).  Brown, in fifth overall, is the 2000 2.4 Metre Paralympic Bronze Medallist and will represent the USA at the 2004 Paralympic Games. "The best way to coach someone is to sail the same boat they sail," said Madrigali.

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