YNGLING TEAM OF BARKOW, HOWE, AND CAPOZZI WIN
AT PRINCESS SOFIA TROPHY REGATTA IN SPAIN

Palma de Mallorca, Spain (April 14, 2006) – The USA Yngling team of Sally Barkow (Nashotah, Wis.), Carrie Howe (Grosse Pointe, Mich.), and Debbie Capozzi (Bayport, N.Y.) kicked off their European sailing season with a major win today at the Princess Sofia Trophy in Palma de Mallorca, Spain. The reigning Yngling World Champions had one mission going into today’s final medal race: finishing ahead of the British team led by Sarah Ayton, who was just two points behind when the teams got on the water this morning. The USA team, which won the Women’s World Match Racing Championship last year, used its match racing skills to cover the British team, crossing the finish line two spots ahead of Ayton.

“Sally and her team came out prepared to do some match racing today and their experience paid off,” said US Sailing Team Head Coach Gary Bodie who was on the water watching the race today. “Sally’s team was ahead of the British the entire race, it got tight in the end when the breeze started to build, but Sally, Carrie and Debbie did a fantastic job staying in front of them.” The team crossed the finish line in eighth place today, while the British finished last in tenth place.

Later today, the winners will receive their medals from Queen Sofia of Spain. This weekend, the USA sailors are heading to France to compete in Hyères at French Olympic Sailing Week, which starts April 22 and runs through April 28.

For complete results from the Princess Sofia Trophy, including results from the other ten USA teams who competed in the event, please visit the event website at www.trofeoprincesasofia.org.  

The US Sailing Team is managed by US SAILING, national governing body of the sport. Headquartered in Portsmouth, Rhode Island, US SAILING’s mission is to encourage participation and promote excellence in sailing 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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