CONSISTENCY PAYS OFF FOR ROBERT HOBBS
AT U.S. OFFSHORE CHAMPIONSHIP

Long Beach, Calif. (October 10, 2006) – With just ten points after five races at the U.S. Offshore Championship, sailed at Long Beach Yacht Club on Catalina 37s, Robert Hobbs (Tampa, Fla.) and his team from Davis Island Yacht Club won the regatta and the Lloyd Phoenix Trophy last Sunday. This marks the first time in the 21-year history of the Championship that a team from Florida won the event. Led by Robert Hobbs, the team consisted of James Traun (Valrico, Fla.), Mike Gable (Grasonville, Md.), Cory Thompson (Valrico, Calif.), Alan Thompson (Lithia, Fla.), Josh Wilus (Tampa, Fla.) and Cameron Salmon (Tampa, Fla.).

The lead changed several times throughout the three-day regatta. Eventual champion Robert Hobbs started off the event with a fourth place, but managed to pick up the pace to finish the regatta with two race wins and two second place finishes. Washington D.C. sailor Erik Wulff took his team to second place overall while the team from the state of Washington led by John Buchan finished third overall. Proving that local knowledge did not pay off at this year’s event which was plagued by flaky winds, the highest finishing Californian team, led by Claudia Wainer, finished fourth overall.

For complete results, photos and daily reports from the U.S. Offshore Championship, please visit the event website at www.ussailing.org/championships/adult/usoffshore. The U.S. Offshore Championship is part of US SAILING’s National Adult Championships, all of which are sponsored by Rolex Watch U.S.A.

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 National Championships, the US Sailing Teams and the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Sailing Teams. For more information, please visit www.ussailing.org.  

Final results (skipper, race finishes, overall points):
1. Robert Hobbs: 4-1-2-2-1: 10 points
2. Erik Wulff: 2-4-3-1-5: 15 points
3. John Buchan: 1-6-1-7-2: 17 points
4. Claudia Wainer: 3-2-5-6-9: 25 points
5. Joe Campbell: 9-3-7-4-6: 29 points

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