Seven USA Junior Olympic Sailing Festivals
Scheduled For August Nationwide

Portsmouth, R.I. (July 26, 2005) – Summer is the busiest time of year for most junior sailing programs across the country and this is certainly the case for the host clubs of the seven USA Junior Olympic Sailing Festivals taking place in August. More than 1,000 young sailors are expected to get on the water and have fun sailing while enjoying educational clinics and good racing during a Junior Olympic Sailing event. The only program of its kind in the country, the USA Junior Olympic Sailing Festival program, organized by US SAILING and presented by West Marine, consists of a series of 24 USA Junior Olympic Sailing Festivals that are taking place at sailing organizations nationwide throughout the year. The program is also sponsored by Gill.

The USA Junior Olympic events scheduled for August are:

Aug 6-7
USA Junior Olympic Sailing Festival – Northern California
San Francisco Yacht Club, Belvedere, Calif.
Classes: Laser, Laser Radial, Byte, 29er, CFJ, Club 420, Optimist
Website: www.sfyc.org/Regattas2005/NOR/05jrolympicNOR.doc  
Contact: Richard Feeny, youth@sfyc.org  

Aug 12-14
USA Junior Olympic Sailing Festival – Rochester
Rochester Yacht Club, N.Y.
Classes: Laser, Laser Radial, Byte, Club 420 (spin & non-spin), Optimist
Website: www.rochesteryc.com  
Contact: RYC, staff@rochesteryc.com

Aug 12-14
USA Junior Olympic Sailing Festival – Lake Erie
Edgewater Yacht Club, Cleveland, OH
Classes: Laser, Laser Radial, CFJ, Club 420, Thistle, Optimist
Website: www.lakeboats.com/JO2005  
Contact: Mike Vining, mvining@att.net

Aug 13-14
USA Junior Olympic Sailing Festival – Long Island
Sayville Yacht Club, N.Y.
Classes: Laser, Radial, Sunfish, Club 420, Optimist
Website: www.sayvilleyachtclub.org  
Contact: Doug Shaw, SayvilleYCJO@aol.com

Aug 15-17
USA Junior Olympic Sailing Festival – Mass Bay Sailing Youth Regatta
Cottage Park Yacht Club, Winthrop, Mass.
Classes: Laser, Laser Radial, Club 420, Optimist, N-10/Turnabout
Website: www.cpyc.org/jrolympics  
Contact: David O’Brien, jrolympics@cpyc.org  

Aug 16-18
USA Junior Olympic Sailing Festival - Narragansett Bay Jr. Race Week
Sail Newport, Newport, R.I.
Classes: Laser, Laser Radial, Optimist, Club 420 (spin. & non-spin)
Website: www.nbya.org/junior_sailing/RaceWeek2005/index.htm
Contact: Kim Cooper, Kimc@sailnewport.org  

Aug 27-28
USA Junior Olympic Sailing Festival – Northwest Youth Sailing Championship
Shilshole Bay/Seattle & Corinthian Yacht Clubs, Wash.
Classes: Laser, Laser Radial, Optimist, Club 420
Website: www.seattleyachtclub.org
Contact: Brain Ledbetter, brianl@seattleyachtclub.org

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 24,000 youth sailors have participated in the program. West Marine, official marine retailer of US SAILING, is presenting sponsor, as it has been since the inception of the program. Gill is official supplier of technical apparel.

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, as presenting sponsor of USA Junior Olympic Sailing and Official Marine Retailer of US SAILING, demonstrates its continued support to youth sailing. West Marine, Inc. is the nation’s largest specialty retailer of boating supplies with 383 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
Gill NA, Exclusive Technical Apparel Supplier/Sponsor of the US Sailing Teams, has been an apparel and accessories leader in the worldwide marine industry for over two decades, specializing in high tech, breathable waterproof clothing. 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.  

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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