Event Website – Live Twitter Updates
OYSTER BAY, N.Y. (July 12, 2014) – The table is set for Sunday’s showdown at the U.S. Women’s Match Racing Championship, hosted by Oakcliff Sailing. Saturday was a long day out on the water with many closely contested match-ups, as teams battled to be in position for Sundays semifinals.
The eight teams completed Round Robin 1 this morning and Round Robin 2 in the evening. The top four teams have advanced to Sunday morning’s semifinal knock-out series in a mad dash to stake claim to the Allegra Knapp Mertz Trophy.
Stephanie Roble (East Troy, Wis.) collected 11 wins through 14 races and easily advanced to the semifinals. Joining Roble with 11 wins is Nicole Breault (San Francisco, Calif.) who also advanced. These teams split their two Round Robin matches.
Placing third and fourth overall and moving on to the semifinals is Katie Maxim (Napa, Calif.) and Sandy Hayes (Scituate, Mass.), respectively. Roble will face Hayes and Breault will take on Maxim in two outstanding seminfinal match ups. The first to two points in each semifinal series advances to the finals.
Conditions were very light this morning with the breeze clocking at approximately 3 knots. A 180 degree southerly shift on West Oyster Bay Harbor provided more wind for the sailors later in the day. Wind speeds built up throughout the afternoon, ranging from 12 to 20 knots.
Crews changed from genoas to jibs before the 13th flight. The races were postponed for an hour late this afternoon.
Local sailor Madeline Gill (Oyster Bay, N.Y.) had this to say about the day’s conditions: “Racing today was typical of Oyster Bay with the sea breeze that filled in this afternoon. We had to adjust quickly from the light stuff earlier today to the heavier wind. It takes a while to make that adjustment. We were close to land on all sides, so there was some funny things happening out there today.”
Access the full sailor list with crew.
The winning skipper receives an automatic invitation to the 2014 U.S. Match Racing Championship, which will be sailed October 3-5, 2014 at St. Francis Yacht Club in San Francisco, Calif. and an automatic invitation to the 2014 Buddy Melges Challenge at Sail Sheboygan (Wis.) on September 23-28, 2014.
On Thursday, Oakcliff Executive Director Dawn Riley – a world-renowned sailor – conducted a match racing clinic for the competing teams. Oakcliff Sailing is one of the premier high-performance training centers in the country and was named a US Sailing Team Sperry Top-Sider National Training Center in 2013.
Venue and Schedule
- Racing will take place on Oyster Bay, Cold Spring Harbor or Long Island Sound.
- First signal for racing is scheduled for 10am EDT, July 11-13.
- The tentative last signal for racing on Sunday, July 13 is 2pm EDT.
* The intended course will be windward/leeward/windward/leeward with starboard rounding, finishing downwind.
Coverage and Media
- For results, standings, Live Twitter updates from the course, and more information on the 2014 U.S. Women’s Match Racing Championship, please visit the event website.
- For breaking news and race results, follow us on Twitter @USSailing. Use Twitter hashtag – #USWomensMRC – to participate in the conversation throughout the championship.
Prizes
- Perpetual Trophies will be awarded for first and second place: Allegra Knapp Mertz Trophy (winner), Mrs. Charles Francis Adams Memorial Trophy (runner-up)
- US Sailing Gold, Silver and Bronze medals will be awarded to the skippers and crews placing first through third, respectively.
- Only a US citizen may be declared U.S. National champion.
This US Sailing National Championship event is sponsored by Gill North America. The championship is a Sailors for the Sea – Clean Regattas certificated event.
For Immediate Release
Contact: Jake Fish, US Sailing Communications Manager, 401.683.0800 x614, jakefish@ussailing.org
About US Sailing
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 Top-Sider. For more information, please visit www.ussailing.org.
About Gill North America
Gill NA, with headquarters near Atlanta, GA is the exclusive importer and distributor of Gill-brand foul weather gear in North America including Caribbean, US and Canada. Gill is a worldwide apparel and accessories brand serving the marine industry with over three decades of experience. Gill specializes in high tech, breathable waterproof clothing. The company develops and markets a variety of performance-oriented, award-winning apparel and accessories for virtually every type of boating activity with product lines that include foul weather gear; interactive layering systems; footwear; gloves; bags; junior gear; scholastic gear and team wear. Gill products are available through hundreds of independent dealers and select West Marine Stores. For further information, please contact: Gary Barker at 941 505 2111 or gary.barker@gillna.com.
About Oakcliff Sailing
Oakcliff Sailing, Oyster Bay, NY is the only complete training and coaching center in the world. With two signature programs, the Sapling and Acorn, Oakcliff’s goal is to create complete sailors, who are capable of sailing in any position, fixing every aspect of a boat, and managing a small business. They train sailors in inshore racing including match, high performance, and fleet racing as well as offshore racing including fully crewed and short handed. Our sailors also have access to historically significant classic yachts. Oakcliff is a 501(c) 3 non-profit organization open to all sailors of all ages and levels. In 2013, Oakcliff has also been named an official US Sailing Team Sperry Topsider Training center with 8 each of the Olympic Classes: Nacra 17, 49er and 49er-fx.