YOUTH SAILORS TRAVEL TO PANAMA CITY, FLA.,
TO COMPETE IN U.S. MULTIHULL CHAMPIONSHIP –
QUALIFIER FOR YOUTH WORLD SAILING CHAMPIONSHIPS

Portsmouth, R.I. (August 23, 2005) – More than 30 young sailors between the ages of 13 to 18 are on their way to Panama City, Fla., to compete in the US SAILING’s U.S. Youth Multihull Championship, which will be hosted by St. Andrew Bay Yacht Club from August 25 to 28. Competitors will be sailing in Hobie 16s to vie for the National Championship title and a spot on the 2006 US Youth World Team, which represents the U.S. at the 2006 Volvo Youth Sailing ISAF World Championship in Weymouth, England. The winner of the U.S. Youth Multihull Championship will receive US SAILING’s Arthur J. Stevens Trophy.

Several competitors from last year are scheduled to come back this year for another chance at the National Championship title, including last year’s winning crew Jerry Tullo (Staten Island, N.Y.), who is returning this year with a different skipper, Graham Todd (Royersford, Pa.). Tullo made history last year when he and his brother TJ were the first pair of siblings to win the U.S. Youth Multihull Championship. By winning the event, the Tullos qualified to compete at the Youth World Championships which were held earlier this summer. The two brothers came back with impressive results, taking 7th place. With TJ aging out of youth competition, Jerry decided to take another shot at qualifying for the World Championships by defending his title at the U.S. Youth Multihull Championship.

For more information on the U.S. Youth Multihull Championship, including online registration, please visit the event’s website at www.ussailing.org/championships/youth/multihull. The event is part of US SAILING’s National Championship series. For more information about the National Championship series, visit www.ussailing.org/championships or contact US SAILING’s championships manager Liz Walker at 401-683-0800.

The U.S. Youth Multihull Championship is US SAILING’s newest National Championship, first held in 2001. The winner of the event will receive the US SAILING Arthur J. Stevens Cup, named in recognition of the efforts of Art Stevens, former Chairman of US SAILING’s Multihull Council, for developing youth multihull sailing in the United States.

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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