ANNAPOLIS, MD (August 17, 2023) – The top women’s match racing teams in the US will battle for the US Women’s Match Racing Championship August 18-20 at Annapolis Yacht Club. The Championship, held in J/22s, gets underway with a clinic for competitors organized by US Sailing on Wednesday, August 17, and round robin racing beginning the next day.
The four teams with the best records upon completion of the round- robin advance to the semifinals and finals.
The four top ranked US Women’s Match racing skippers will be in attendance, with Team BAAM, skippered by USA #4 Allie Blecher, looking for a repeat win. Blecher led Team BAAM to victory in the 2022 event, beating Janel Zarkowsky in the final.
Zarkowsky, a local favorite, is gunning for a win on her home waters after placing second in 2022 and 2021.
“I’ve been coming to this event for more than a decade. This is where I started match racing and found confidence in my driving,” Zarkowsky said. “This championship has been critical to my development as a sailor.”
Four-time event winner Nicole Breault is stepping back from the tiller this year, crewing for newcomer and youth sailor Hailey Thomson. Thomson is fresh off the US Youth Triplehanded Championship where she and her team took second place in a tight finish.
Another youth sailor, Siena Nichols, skippering the Balboa Yacht Club team, will be participating in the event for the first time. Nichols is active on the youth racing circuit, competing in the ILCA 6.
US Sailing would like to thank national sponsors Goslings and Gill Marine, local sponsors Beneteau, Focus & Find, Gatorade Bolt, Visit Annapolis, and the Maryland Sports Commission; and host Annapolis Yacht Club for their support and help with the running of this event. Race fans can follow the racing on the US Sailing Instagram and Facebook, with stories keeping you up-to-the-minute on racing and daily posts recapping all the action. T2PTV Sailing media will also be making recap videos, published on the T2PTV YouTube channel.
Save this link for photos: https://usst.photoshelter.com/galleries/C00003Bra68PkBHg/2023-U-S-Womens-Match-Racing-Championship