SOUTH AFRICA ROAD TO ROLEX CLINIC A SUCCESS
Provoyeur Wins Race and is Granted Free Entry in September’s
Rolex International Women’s Keelboat Championship

Cape Town, South Africa (May 23, 2005) – Over the weekend of May 14-15, in Cape Town, South Africa, 26 women sailors took part in the Road to Rolex Clinic at the Royal Cape Yacht Club. Designed to prepare women sailors for US SAILING’s Rolex International Women’s Keelboat Championship (Rolex IWKC), the two-day clinic featured drills on the water in International J/22s, as well as classroom learning about keelboat sailing. At the conclusion of the clinic, organizers held a short series of races where the team of Dominique Provoyeur, Penny Alison, Lucy Norton and Tania Coetzee was victorious. Provoyeur’s team will have its entry fee waived for the Rolex IWKC, scheduled for September 17-23 at the Annapolis Yacht Club in Annapolis, Md., USA.

“There was a positive attitude from all participants, everyone was keen to get onto the boats and on the water and learn,” said Dominique Provoyeur, clinic organizer. “There were eight ladies in the group who had never been on a boat in their lives, so there was a range of experience.”

Coaches included South African single-handed sailor JJ Provoyeur, Anthony Spillebeen and Michael Giles and Dave Hudson.

On winning the Road to Rolex Clinic’s race and gaining entry into the Rolex IWKC, Provoyeur commented: “Racing was hard and most boats were pushing for fast and perfect crew work, which often lead to pressure situations. The course revolved more around the racing aspect of sailing, which might not have suited all participants - but Rolex is all about racing!!”

Each participant received a copy of the “Road to Rolex” clinic manual written by Betsy Alison, a five-time Rolex Yachtswoman of the Year. Alison has won the biennial Rolex IWKC five times and is an internationally recognized sailing educator and coach.

Competitors included: Natalie Burl, Lisa Coop, Mary Da Costa, Suzanne Du Toit, Heather Fisher, Tiffany Baring Gould, Karina Haines, Nelleke Langevok, Cathy Largier, Jenny Lloyd, Nikki Lyrics, Deidre Mace, Romy Matthes, Pippa Mclaren, Isabel Meyer, Allyson Purdy, Dale Rae, Lisa Scriven, Mary Anne Sharwood and Nicola Withycombe

The “Road to Rolex” clinics were initiated in 1997 to provide women sailors with additional opportunities to hone their sailing skills. Locations where past clinics have been held include a dozen U.S. locations, South Africa and Holland.

About the Rolex IWKC: Inaugurated in 1985 at the instigation of the US SAILING’s Women’s Championship Committee, the Rolex International Women’s Keelboat Championship quickly became the premier women’s sailing event in the U.S. and worldwide. Held biennially, the event provides women keelboat and offshore sailors high-quality racing and an opportunity to compete with top national and international sailors. Rolex Watch U.S.A. has sponsored the regatta since its inception. The event is part of US SAILING’s Adult National Championships series.

The Notice of Race is available online at www.ussailing.org/riwkc. For more information about the 2005 Rolex IWKC, register for email alerts at www.ussailing.org/riwkc and www.race.annapolisyc.org/2005rolex.

About US SAILING: The United States Sailing Association (US SAILING) is the national governing body for sailing and sailboat racing. Headquartered in Portsmouth, R.I., 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, visit www.ussailing.org.

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