NOMINEES ANNOUNCED FOR THE
2004 ROLEX YACHTSMAN AND YACHTSWOMAN OF THE YEAR AWARDS

PORTSMOUTH, R.I. (December 16, 2004) – US SAILING, national governing body for the sport, has announced the final list of nominees – nine women and 13 men -- who will be considered for the 2004 Rolex Yachtsman and Yachtswoman of the Year awards. Established in 1961 by US SAILING and sponsored by Rolex Watch, U.S.A. since 1980, the Rolex Yachtsman and Yachtswoman of the Year awards recognize outstanding on-the-water achievement in the calendar year just concluded. Generally acknowledged as the sport’s highest individual accolade in the United States, the Rolex Yachtsman and Yachtswoman of the Year awards have honored such sailing standouts as Ed Adams, Betsy Alison, Dave Curtis, Dennis Conner, Courtenay Dey, JJ Isler, John Kostecki, Ken Read and Ted Turner, all of whom have won the coveted award multiple times.

The nominees, determined by the membership of US SAILING, will be reviewed by a panel of noted sailing journalists, who together will discuss the merits of each nominee and vote by secret ballot to determine the 2004 Rolex Yachtsman and Yachtswoman of the Year. The winners will be announced in January and honored during a luncheon at the New York Yacht Club in New York City, on February 25, 2005, where they will be presented with Rolex timepieces.

Nominees for the 2004 Rolex Yachtsman of the Year are: Congressional Cup Champion Ed Baird (St. Petersburg, Fla.); 2.4 Metre Paralympic Silver Medallist Tom Brown (Northeast Harbor, Maine); J/80 and J/105 North American Champion Glenn Darden (Ft. Worth, Texas); Interlake National Champion Skip Dieball (Toledo, Ohio); 470 Men’s Olympic Gold Medallists Paul Foerster (Rockwall, Texas) and Kevin Burnham (Miami, Fla.); around-the-world sailing record holder Steve Fossett (Chicago, Ill.); Rolex Farr 40 World Champion Terry Hutchinson (Annapolis, Md.); Lightsurf International 505 World Champion Morgan Larson (Santa Cruz, Calif.); Tornado Olympic Silver Medallists John Lovell (New Orleans, La.) and Charlie Ogletree (Houston, Texas); Rolex Farr 40 World Champion Jim Richardson (Boston, Mass./Newport, R.I.); and Sonar Paralympic Bronze Medallist John Ross-Duggan (Newport Beach, Calif.).

Nominees for the 2004 Rolex Yachtswoman of the Year are: ISAF Women’s World Match Racing Champion Sally Barkow (Nashotah, Wis.); Olympians Lanee Beashel (Aliso Viejo, Calif.), Carol Cronin (Jamestown, R.I.), Meg Gaillard (Pelham, N.Y./Jamestown, R.I.), Katie McDowell (Barrington, R.I.) and Isabelle Kinsolving (New York, N.Y.); U.S. Jr. Women’s Singlehanded Champion Paige Railey (Clearwater, Fla.); U.S. Women’s Match Race Champion Cory Sertl (Rochester, N.Y.); and Lightning North American Champion Jody Swanson (Buffalo, N.Y.)

For additional information on the accomplishments of each nominee this year, please visit www.ussailing.org/awards/rolex.

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.

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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