US SAILING Announces 2005
USA Junior Olympic Sailing Festival Schedule

Portsmouth, R.I. (April 28, 2005) – Thousands of young sailors from across the country will get on the water this sailing season thanks to US SAILING’s USA Junior Olympic Sailing Festivals program. This year’s calendar of Junior Olympic Sailing Festivals includes 24 events hosted by sailing organizations in 18 states. Created to help young sailing enthusiasts develop their sailing skills while having fun on and off the water, the program is organized by US SAILING, national governing body for the sport. West Marine, continuing its support of youth sailing, is presenting sponsor of the program, has it has been since the program’s inception in 1997. The program is also supported by Gill.

Many sailors’ dreams of competing in the Olympic Games begin in junior programs. The USA Junior Olympic Sailing Festival program provides a perfect launching pad for sailors with those dreams. It is a grassroots youth development program created for youngsters to become involved in sailing and develop their skills, with a goal of making sailing a life-long sport. While all Festivals incorporate elements of fun and learning, each features different levels of competition with fun clinics. In 2004, more than 4,500 young sailors participated in the nationwide program. Overall, more than 24,000 young sailors have gone out on the water as a Junior Olympic competitor. The largest event in the program is the Orange Bowl Regatta, held each year in December in Miami, Fla. More than 660 competitors from 11 countries participated in the event last year.

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., Official Marine Retailer of US SAILING, 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, an apparel and accessories leader in the worldwide marine industry for over two decades, specializes in high tech, breathable waterproof clothing. The company tests, designs and markets a variety of performance-oriented, award-winning apparel and accessories for virtually every type of boating activity with product lines that include foul weather gear; interactive layering systems; footwear; gloves; yachting watches; bags; junior gear; scholastic gear; and team wear. 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 Team. For more information, please visit www.ussailing.org.

(Calendar attached)

2005 USA Junior Olympic Sailing Schedule

June 18-19      USA Junior Olympic Sailing Festival – Upper Midwest
                      Wayzata Yacht Club, Minn.

June 18-19      USA Junior Olympic Sailing Festival – Midwest
                      Island Bay Yacht Club, Springfield, Ill.

June 25-26      USA Junior Olympic Windsurfing Festival
                      Calema Windsurfing School, Merritt Island, Fla.

July 2-4           USA Junior Olympic Sailing Festival – Gulf Coast
                      Pensacola Yacht Club, Fla.

July 9-10         USA Junior Olympic Sailing Festival – Chesapeake Bay
                      Fishing Bay Yacht Club, Deltaville, Va.

July 11-15        USA Junior Olympic Sailing Festival – Hawaii
                       Hawaii & Waikiki Yacht Clubs, Honolulu, HI

July 12             USA Junior Olympic Sailing Festival – Southern New England
                       Niantic Bay Yacht Club, Niantic, Conn.

July 12-14        USA Junior Olympic Sailing Festival – Northeast Youth Championship
                      Portland, ME

July 15-17       USA Junior Olympic Sailing Festival – South Atlantic
                      Savannah Yacht Club, Ga.

July 16-23       USA Junior Olympic Sailing Festival – Texas Youth Race Week
                     Texas Corinthian, Lakewood & Houston YCs, TX

July 22-24       USA Junior Olympic Sailing Festival – Southern California
                      San Diego Yacht Club, Calif.

July 23-24       USA Junior Olympic Sailing Festival – Colorado
                      Union Sailing Club, Longmont, Colo.

July 25-26       USA Junior Olympic Sailing Festival – Mid-Atlantic
                      Island Heights Yacht Club, N.J.

Aug 6-7          USA Junior Olympic Sailing Festival – Northern California
                     San Francisco Yacht Club, Belvedere, Calif.

Aug 12-14      USA Junior Olympic Sailing Festival – Rochester
                     Rochester Yacht Club, N.Y.

Aug 12-14       USA Junior Olympic Sailing Festival – Ohio
                      Edgewater Yacht Club, Cleveland, OH

Aug 13-14       USA Junior Olympic Sailing Festival – Long Island
                      Sayville Yacht Club, N.Y.

Aug 15-17       USA Junior Olympic Sailing Festival – Mass Bay Sailing Youth Regatta
                      Cottage Park Yacht Club, Winthrop, Mass.

Aug 16-18       USA Junior Olympic Sailing Festival - Narragansett Bay Jr. Race Week
                      Sail Newport, Newport, R.I.

Aug 27-28       USA Junior Olympic Sailing Festival – Northwest Youth Sailing Championship
                      Shilshole Bay/Seattle & Corinthian Yacht Clubs, Wash.

Sept 24-25      USA Junior Olympic Sailing Festival – Michigan
                      Macatawa Bay Yacht Club, Holland, Mich.

Oct 15-16        USA Junior Olympic Sailing Festival – River Romp Regatta
                      Edison Sailing Center, Fort Myers, Fla.

Dec 27-30        USA Junior Olympic Sailing Festival – Orange Bowl International Youth Regatta
                       US Sailing Center & Coral Reef Yacht Club, Miami, Fla.

January 14-16   USA Junior Olympic Sailing Festival
2006                US Sailing Center of Martin County, Jensen Beach, Fla.

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