US SAILING TEAM MEMBER PAIGE RAILEY NAMED TO
SHORTLIST FOR WORLD SAILOR OF THE YEAR AWARD

Portsmouth, R.I. (September 28, 2006) – The International Sailing Federation (ISAF) and Rolex announced today that US Sailing Team member Paige Railey (Clearwater, Fla.) has been named to the shortlist of the ISAF Rolex World Sailor of the Year award. The only USA sailor on the shortlist, Railey joins ten other world-class sailors nominated for this prestigious award. This is the second consecutive year that 19-year-old Railey has been named to the Sailor of the Year shortlist. The winners will be announced on November 7 in Helsinki, Finland.

The 121 ISAF Member National Authorities - the national governing bodies for sailing around the world - will now be invited to vote for the one female nominee and one male nominee whom they feel deserves the honor of receiving the ISAF Rolex World Sailor of the Year Award.

Railey was recognized for the World Sailor of the Year award for her outstanding performance in the Laser Radial during the nomination period (September 1, 2005-August 31, 2006).

“Ever since the Laser Radial was selected as the women’s single-handed dinghy for the 2008 Olympic Sailing Competition, Paige Railey has shown the world that she means business,” reads the announcement by ISAF. “At her first event in the current nomination period she claimed the 2005 Laser Radial World Championship title in Brazil and went on to claim five more top spots at ISAF Graded events in 2006.”

The ISAF Rolex World Sailor of the Year award is not to be confused with US SAILING’s Rolex Yachtsman and Yachtswoman of the Year award, for which nominations are currently accepted at www.ussailing.org/awards/rolex. These awards are specifically for U.S. sailors and the eligibility period is for the 2006 calendar year.

For more information on the ISAF Rolex World Sailor of the Year award, Railey’s accomplishments and the other sailors named to the shortlist, please visit the ISAF website at www.sailing.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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