US SAILING

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Marlieke de Lange Eaton
401-683-0800

Florida's Casey and Williams Win
U.S. Multihull Championship

Melbourne, Fla. (April 29, 2007) - Racing at the U.S. Multihull Championship was exciting until the last day, Saturday, when no wind showed up on the waters off host club Melbourne Yacht Club in Melbourne, Fla. For John Casey (Longwood, Fla.) and John Williams (Jacksonville, Fla.), that was good news. The two Floridians demonstrated a very consistent performance throughout the regatta by winning every race they competed in, earning the National Championship title and US SAILING's Hobie Alter Cup.

It wasn't as easy for the winners as it sounds, Casey/Williams were closely followed by Olympic medalist and US Sailing Team member John Lovell and his wife Katy Pilley-Lovell (both from New Orleans, La.), who finished second in every race. Third place went to John and Tiffany Tomko (both from Canyon Lake, TX). The Hoyt Jolley Sportsmanship Trophy was awarded to Matt McDonald (Merritt Island, Fla.).

First held in 1987, the U.S. Multihull Championship is sailed annually, each year in a different multihull class at a different venue. The U.S. Multihull Championship is sponsored by Rolex Watch U.S.A., which sponsors all of US SAILING’s National Adult Championships. This year’s Championship was sailed on Blade F16s, supplied by Vectorworks. For complete results, photos, and daily reports from the event, please visit the event website at www.ussailing.org/championships/adult/usmhc.

For more information about US SAILING’s National Championships, visit www.ussailing.org/championships or contact US SAILING’s Championships Director Liz Walker at championships@ussailing.org.  

The perpetual trophy was presented and named the Alter Cup in 1986 in honor of Hobie Alter, Sr. and his extraordinary promotion of one-design multihull sailing and racing programs. Over the years, the event has become one of the nation's major sailing championships, having featured world champions from numerous classes, Olympic medalists and several national champions from the multihull ranks.

The United States Sailing Association (US SAILING) is the national governing body for sailing. Founded in 1897 and headquartered in Portsmouth, Rhode Island, the organization provides leadership for the sport of sailing in the U.S. US SAILING offers training and education programs for instructors and race officials, supports a wide range of sailing organizations and communities, issues offshore rating certificates, and provides administration and oversight of competitive sailing across the country, including National Championships and the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Sailing Teams. For more information, please visit www.ussailing.org.  

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