Record Number of Sailors Expected at
US SAILING's 2007 Rolex Miami OCR

Portsmouth, R.I. (January 3, 2007) – Less than three weeks before the start of US SAILING's 2007 Rolex Miami OCR, event organizers expect the largest number of competitors in 10 years. As of today, 556 of the world's top Olympic and Paralympic class sailors representing 43 countries are registered to compete on the waters of Biscayne Bay from January 21 to 27, 2007.

As the only International Sailing Federation (ISAF) Grade-One ranking event in the U.S. for competition in all 14 Olympic and Paralympic classes, US SAILING's Rolex Miami OCR attracts elite sailors from around the globe. The event, with five days of fleet racing from Monday, January 22 through Friday, January 26, and one day of medal racing (for Olympic classes only) on Saturday, January 27, celebrates its 18^th year in 2007 as one of the world's top competitions for sailors training for the Olympic and Paralympic Games. Saturday's medal races follow the new Olympic format lining up the top 10 teams in each class on the starting line on the final day of racing.

Who's Coming
2006 Rolex Miami OCR gold medal winners who have already registered include: 470 Women - Ingrid Petitjean and Nadège Douroux (France); 49er - Pietro Sibello and Gianfranco Sibello (Italy); Laser - Paul Goodison (Great Britain); Laser Radial - Anna Tunnicliffe (USA); RS-X Women - Bryony Shaw (Great Britain); Star - Xavier Rohart and Pascal Rambeau (France); Tornado - John Lovell (USA) and Yngling - Sally Barkow, Carrie Howe and Debbie Capozzi. The Sibello brothers, Goodison and Tunnicliffe are all currently ranked #1 in the world by ISAF and will share the international stage with another #1-ranked entrant, Jonas Hoegh-Christensen (Denmark) in the Finn class. Rohart and Rambeau have the distinction of being 2005 world champions and 2004 Olympic bronze medalists, while Barkow and crew are two-time Yngling world champions and Lovell is a 2004 Olympic silver medalist. The entry list features headliners such as 2006 world champion Star skipper Hamish Pepper (New Zealand), three-time North American Finn skipper Christopher Cook (Canada), 2004 bronze medalists Chris Draper and Simon Hiscocks (Great Britain) in the 49er class and ISAF Rolex World Sailor of the year Paige Railey (USA). In addition, 470 women's division sailors Xuechao Chen and Fei Du are the first ever team to represent China at this regatta.

Registration Deadline
Competitors must register on-line before January 15, 2007 to receive discounted entry fees. Registrations received after this date will be subject to late fees. Online registration and a list of entrants and their hometowns are available at www.RolexMiamiOCR.org. On-site registration is not available this year.

New Partnership
The City of Miami has partnered with regatta organizers to help with the expansion of the sailing venues. They will provide access and support from several city departments, which will further ensure the event’s success this year. 

On-line Information and Resources
For complete and up-to-the-minute regatta information and resources, including the Notice of Race, entry list, on-line registration, schedule, hosts and area information, please visit: www.RolexMiamiOCR.org.

About US SAILING's 2007 Rolex Miami OCR
Established in 1990 by US SAILING, the Rolex Miami OCR annually draws elite sailors Olympic and Paralympic medalists and hopefuls from around the world. The regatta is especially important as a ranking regatta for sailors hoping to qualify for the US Sailing Team and the US Disabled Sailing Team, which annually distinguish the top three sailors in each Olympic or Paralympic class.

Regatta Headquarters for US SAILING’s 2007 Rolex Miami OCR are at the US Sailing Center, with classes hosted by other area sailing organizations and parks, which include: Coral Reef Yacht Club, Key Biscayne Yacht Club, Miami Yacht Club, Coconut Grove Sailing Club, Shake-A-Leg Miami, and Crandon Park Marina. The City of Miami and the Miami Dade Sports Commission also support the event.

The competition will be raced in all events selected for the next Olympic Games: 49er, 470 (Men & Women), Finn, Laser, Laser Radial, Neil Pryde RS:X (Men & Women), Star, Tornado, and Yngling. In addition, racing will be held for all the classes selected for the 2008 Paralympic Games: 2.4mR, SKUD-18, and Sonar.

In addition to title sponsor Rolex Watch U.S.A., the 2007 Rolex Miami OCR is also sponsored by all the partners that support the US Sailing Team: Nautica, Vanguard Sailboats, Zodiac, Gill, Harken, Sperry Top-Sider, Nikon, New England Ropes, Extrasport, and McLube. Rolex is also a sponsor of the US Sailing Team.

About Rolex Watch U.S.A., Inc.
Since Rolex Watch U.S.A. first presented timepieces to America's Cup defenders in 1958, the company has consistently recognized and encouraged excellence in every important arena of competitive sailing, including Olympic Games preparation, US SAILING championships, disabled sailing, and offshore, one-design and women's events. In 2007, Rolex will sponsor over 20 prestigious yachting events globally, including Block Island Race Week and the US-IRC Rolex National Championship, Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup, Rolex Big Boat Series, Rolex Capri Sailing Week, Rolex Farr 40 World Championship, Rolex Fastnet Race, and the Rolex International Women's Keelboat Championship.

About US SAILING
The Rolex Miami OCR is organized 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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