Rains Dampen Miami Racing, But U.S. Olympic Selection Series Intensifies

Pictured: Stuart McNay (Providence, R.I.) and David Hughes (Miami, Fla.), Men’s 470.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

January 28, 2016

Miami, Fla. – After a lengthy storm delay in Miami, which saw US Sailing Team Sperry Olympic and Paralympic hopefuls restlessly await breeze onshore, all classes completed at least one race on Day Four of Sailing World Cup Miami, Presented by Sunbrella. Once racing resumed, the wind increased rapidly until the ongoing rains acquired a driving force of over twenty knots, challenging sailors in all fleets. For nine of thirteen classes, this event represents the first half of US Sailing’s Rio 2016 athlete selection series.

Sailing World Cup Miami presented by Sunbrella Day 4

Pictured: Beijing 2008 silver medalist Zach Railey (Clearwater, Fla.), Finn.

The Finn class regatta continues to be a hard-fought affair. Overnight leader Caleb Paine (San Diego, Calif.) notched an 11th in the only race, but most of his closest competitors, including Zach Railey (Clearwater, Fla.) finished at the top of the pack. Railey, a Beijing 2008 silver medalist, finished second, just behind London 2012 silver medalist and overall leader Jonas Hogh-Christensen of Denmark. “It was rough,” said Paine. “I wasn’t able to get in touch with what ended up being the top group off the starting line. The leaders went hard left, and I couldn’t quite get over there. That kind of tactically lopsided race can happen frequently in Miami.” Railey is now in 2nd overall, with Paine in 6th, but only one point separates the top Americans, who are both vying for U.S. Olympic team selection.

Pictured: Caleb Paine (San Diego, Calif.), US Sailing Team Sperry, Finn.

In the Laser Radial, the top American sailors continued to be US Sailing Team Sperry teammates and rivals Paige Railey (Clearwater, Fla.) and Erika Reineke (Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.). Both Floridian sailors finished mid-fleet in the day’s only race, with Railey (15th overall) slightly widening her lead over Reineke (24th). “We had some whiteout conditions today on the course, with all the rain,” said Railey. “At one point it was almost impossible to see the marks.”

Men’s Laser sailor Charlie Buckingham (Newport Beach, Calif.) recorded a 15th today in the first day of gold fleet action, and is now 11 spots ahead of the second-ranked American athlete, Erik Bowers (Excelsior, Minn.). “It was crazy out there,” said Buckingham. “I was glad to get a keeper score though. The breeze was all over the place.” The Laser North American Champion said that the level of difficulty increases markedly once the feet separates into gold and silver divisions. “Yeah it’s pretty hard, and the biggest difference is that small mistakes are punished a lot more quickly and severely.”

In the 49erFX, the battle for an Olympic berth and country qualification remains close between the top American teams. The US Sailing Team Sperry’s Paris Henken (Coronado, Calif.) and Helena Scutt (Kirkland, Wash.) recorded the best finish of their regatta so far, a 6th, and added 19 points between them and Emily Dellenbaugh (Easton, Conn.) and Elizabeth Barry (Riverside, Conn.). Scutt noted that the squall-like conditions added an unpredictable and high-octane element to the race. “I don’t know that I’ve ever gone that fast in the FX,” said Scutt. “We kept it simple, and minimized all maneuvers. We were fast, and our settings were good. We recognized that we had a left shift right after the start, tacked early, and knew how to work the waves downwind. We still have a long way to go, however.” The U.S. Virgin Islands team, which is competing against the American boats for the final North American 49erFX berth for Rio 2016, is now five spots and 41 points behind Henken and Scutt.

Sailing World Cup Miami presented by Sunbrella Day 1

Pictured: Pedro Pascual (West Palm Beach, Fla.), US Sailing Team Sperry, RS:X. Photo: Jen Edney.

In the Men’s RS:X, the contending nations for the last available North American Rio 2016 berth will settle the matter on Friday. Neither the USA, Canada or Aruba are in contention for Saturday’s medal race, and so the issue will be decided tomorrow. The US Sailing Team Sperry’s Pedro Pascual (West Palm Beach, Calif.) will go into the day having to erase the 14-point lead carved out by Zachary Plavsic (Canada) on Day Four in order to win the berth. In the women’s RS:X, Marion Lepert (Belmont, Calif.) won the final race of the day in heavy conditions, narrowing the gap between her and London 2012 Olympian Farrah Hall (Annapolis, Md.) in the overall standings.

In the Nacra 17, top Americans Bora Gulari (Detroit, Mich.) and Louisa Chafee (Warwick, R.I.) fell slightly in the standings after an OCS (over the start line early) penalty, and now stand in 7th overall. The next highest U.S. boat is Mark and Carolina Mendelblatt (St. Petersburg, Fla.), in 19th overall.

Sydney Bolger (Long Beach, Calif.) and Carly Shevitz (Santa Barbara, Calif.), the only American boat in the Women’s 470 fleet, recorded a 5th in the day’s race, which kept them in 5th overall. “We probably had opportunities to win the race today, but we made a few mistakes,” said Shevitz. Bolger added that their team was “pushing hard to get into top three by the end of the event.” The pair is currently 14 points from 3rd.

In the men’s 470, North American and European Champions Stuart McNay (Providence, R.I.) and David Hughes (Miami, Fla.) continue to be locked in a tight battle with the Spanish team of Onan Barreiros and Juan Curbelo Cabrera, who retained their overall lead. McNay and Hughes recorded a 5th to the Spaniard’s 2nd, and remain in 2nd overall. “We had a good first leg, and rounded the first mark in first,” said Hughes. “However, we got behind a couple of [wind] transitions, got on our back foot, and missed a few opportunities.” The Men’s and Women’s 470 classes begin Olympic selection at next month’s 470 World Championship.

Pictured: Sydney Bolger (Long Beach, Calif.) and Carly Shevitz (Santa Barbara, Calif.), US Sailing Team Sperry, Women’s 470.

LIVE Video Coverage on ESPN3: Saturday, January 30 at 11:00AM EST

Racing at Sailing World Cup Miami, Presented by Sunbrella, continues on Tuesday, January 26th and runs through Saturday, January 30th, which will feature medal races and the closing ceremony. World Sailing will produce and broadcast live video coverage of most of Olympic-class medal races. In North America, the racing will be broadcast online via ESPN3.

The racing will be available to watch in 2D and 3D via World Sailing’s live tracking system. Live tracking via the Sailviewer-3D Tablet app will also be available for devices with 7″ or greater screens. This app comes in iOS and Android versions.

Sailing World Cup Miami: USA Results

Sailing World Cup Miami is a U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Team Selection event for the following classes: 2.4mR, 49er, 49erFX, Finn, Laser, Laser Radial, Nacra 17, RS:X Men, RS:X Women.

Full Results

Finn (Men’s One-Person Heavyweight Dinghy):  46 boats

2nd overall, Zach Railey (Clearwater, Fla.)
6th overall, Caleb Paine (San Diego, Calif.), US Sailing Team Sperry
14th overall, Luke Muller (Ft. Pierce, Fla.), US Sailing Development Team

Men’s 470 (Men’s Two-Person Dinghy):  21 boats

2nd overall, Stuart McNay (Providence, R.I.) and David Hughes (Miami, Fla.)

Nacra 17 (Mixed Two-Person Multihull): 47 boats

7th overall, Bora Gulari (Detroit, Mich.) and Louisa Chafee (Warwick, R.I.), US Sailing Development Team
19th overall, Mark Mendelblatt and Carolina Mendelblatt (St. Petersburg, Fla.)

2.4mR (Open One-Person Paralympic Keelboat): 10 boats

4th overall, Charlie Rosenfield (Woodstock, Conn.), US Sailing Team Sperry
6th overall, Dee Smith (Annapolis, Md., pictured), US Sailing Team Sperry

Sonar (Open Three-Person Paralympic Keelboat): 9 boats

5th overall, Rick Doerr (Clifton, N.J.), Brad Kendell (Tampa, Fla.) and Hugh Freund (South Freeport, Maine), US Sailing Team Sperry
6th overall, Andrew Fisher (Greenwich, Conn.) Daniel Evans (Miami, Fla.) and Tom Brown (Northeast Harbor, Maine), US Sailing Team Sperry

Women’s 470 (Women’s Two-Person Dinghy):  17 boats

5th overall, Sydney Bolger (Long Beach, Calif.) and Carly Shevitz (Santa Barbara, Calif.), US Sailing Team Sperry

Women’s RS:X (Women’s Board):  37 boards

16th overall, Farrah Hall (Annapolis, Md.), US Sailing Team Sperry
17th overall, Marion Lepert (Belmont, Calif.), US Sailing Team Sperry

49er (Men’s Two-Person High Performance Skiff):  61 boats

7th overall, Thomas Barrows (St. Thomas, U.S.V.I.) and Joe Morris (Annapolis, Md.)
18th overall, Judge Ryan (San Diego, Calif.) and Hans Henken (Coronado, Calif.)
19th overall, Brad Funk (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.) and Trevor Burd (Marblehead, Mass.)
29th (Canada*), David Mori and Justin Barnes
31st (British V.I.*) Alec Anderson and Chris Brockbank

* USA, CAN & IVB looking to win final North American qualifying berth for Rio 2016 in the 49er.

Laser (Men’s One-Person Dinghy):  98 boats

11th overall, Charlie Buckingham (Newport Beach, Calif.), US Sailing Team Sperry
22nd overall, Erik Bowers (Excelsior, Minn.), US Sailing Development Team

Laser Radial (Women’s One-Person Dinghy):  60 boats

15th overall, Paige Railey (Clearwater, Fla.), US Sailing Team Sperry
24th overall, Erika Reineke (Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.), US Sailing Team Sperry

49erFX (Women’s Two-Person High Performance Skiff): 34 boats

18th overall, Paris Henken (Coronado, Calif.) and Helena Scutt (Kirkland, Wash.)
21st overall, Emily Dellenbaugh (Easton, Conn.) and Elizabeth Barry (Riverside, Conn.), US Sailing Development Team
23rd overall (U.S.V.I*) Mayumi Roller, Agustina Barbuto
31st overall, Genny Tulloch (San Francisco, Calif.) and Maggie Shea (Chicago, Ill.)
32nd overall (Aruba*) Odile van Aanholt and Philipine van Aanholt

* USA, ISV, ARU looking to win final North American qualifying berth for Rio 2016 in the 49erFX.

Men’s RS:X (Men’s Board):   48 boards

25th overall, Pedro Pascual (West Palm Beach, Fla.), US Sailing Team Sperry
24th (Canada*), Zachary Plavisc
30th overall, Carson Crain (Houston, Texas), US Sailing Team Sperry
33rd (Aruba*) Mack van den Eerenbeemt

* USA, CAN, ARU looking to win final North American qualifying berth for Rio 2016 in Men’s RS:X.

Previous Reports

Event Information

Follow the US Sailing Team Sperry

US Sailing Team Sperry Home
Sign Up For Team News

About the US Sailing Team Sperry

The US Sailing Team Sperry is managed by the United States Sailing Association (US Sailing), the national governing body for the sport of sailing and sailboat racing. The top boats in each Olympic and Paralympic class are selected annually to be members of the US Sailing Team Sperry. US Sailing helps these elite athletes with financial, logistical, coaching, technical, fitness, marketing and communications support. The title sponsor of the team is Sperry; other sponsors include Gold-Level partner Sunbrella and Silver-Level partners Harken, Team McLube and Groupe Beneteau. Yale Cordage is a team supplier. The US Sailing Center Miami is an Olympic training site. Oakcliff Sailing and Clearwater Community Sailing Center are US Sailing Team Sperry Training Centers. Chubb Personal Insurance and the Gowrie Group sponsors US Sailing’s National Team Tour, a nationwide presentation program for US Sailing Team Sperry athletes. For more information, please visit www.ussailing.org/olympics

The United States Sailing Association (US Sailing), the national governing body for sailing, provides leadership, integrity, and growth for the sport in the United States. Founded in 1897 and headquartered in Portsmouth, Rhode Island, US Sailing is a 501(c) (3) non-profit organization. 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 US Sailing Team Sperry. For more information, please visit www.ussailing.org

– end –

Press Contact: Will Ricketson, Olympic Communications Manager, US Sailing. willricketson@ussailing.org, +1 (978) 697-2384.