Pictured: Sonar leaders Rick Doerr (Clifton, N.J.), Brad Kendell (Tampa, Fla.) and Hugh Freund (South Freeport, Maine), Sonar. Photo Sander van der Borch / Delta Lloyd Regatta.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 25, 2016
Medemblik, the Netherlands – Racing is complete on Day Two of the 2016 Para World Sailing Championships (May 24-28), an event running in tandem this year with the Delta Lloyd Regatta. The US Sailing Team Sperry Sonar team now sits atop the fleet, and the SKUD-18 Rio 2016 selection battle continued to take shape in Tuesday’s light air.
Rick Doerr (Clifton, N.J.), Brad Kendell (Tampa, Fla.) and Hugh Freund (South Freeport, Maine) have taken the overall lead in the Sonar class after four races, sitting two points clear of the the top British team, and three ahead of the Germans. “We really had great boat handling today, and we were changing gears like nobody’s business as the conditions evolved,” said Doerr, the helmsman. “We are really pleased with how today went, and hope to keep it going tomorrow.” Crew work was also a key part of the team’s success on day two, which saw the trio earn scores of 3,1. “We also were very aggressive in our weight placement and boat handling, with Hugh and I moving around constantly,” said Kendell.
2.4mR Dee Smith (Annapolis, Md.) also suffered boat damage and missed races on a breezy Day 1, but a frenzied overnight repair job succeeded in getting him back out on to the water on Wednesday. Smith’s highlight of the day was a 4th in Race 3, and he will enter Thursday in 23rd overall.
The 2016 Para World Sailing Championships (May 24-28) will will continue until Saturday in Medemblik, The Netherlands.
Note: All athletes selected for the Rio 2016 U.S. Paralympic Sailing Team are subject to approval by the U.S. Olympic Committee (USOC).
US Results: 2016 Para World Sailing Championships
Sonar (Paralympic Three-Person Keelboat)
- 1st overall, Rick Doerr (Clifton, N.J.), Brad Kendell (Tampa, Fla.) and Hugh Freund (South Freeport, Maine), U.S. Paralympic Team & US Sailing Team Sperry (national team)
SKUD-18 (Paralympic Two-Person Keelboat)
- 8th overall, Sarah Everhart-Skeels (Tiverton, R.I.) and Cindy Walker (Middletown, R.I.), US Sailing Team Sperry (national team)
- 12th overall, Ryan Porteous (San Diego, Calif.) and Maureen McKinnon (Marblehead, Mass.), US Sailing Team Sperry (national team)
Note: Everhart-Skeels/Walker must beat Porteous/McKinnon by two places or more to win Rio 2016 selection.
2.4mR (Paralympic One-Person Keelboat)
- 23rd overall, Dee Smith (Annapolis, Md.), U.S. Paralympic Team & US Sailing Team Sperry (national team)
Quick Links:
- Previous Event Reports:
- 2016 Para World Sailing Championships Homepage (Delta Lloyd Regatta)
- USA Image Gallery: 2016 Para World Sailing Championships
- US Sailing Team Sperry Social Media:
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
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Press Contact: Will Ricketson, Olympic Communications Manager, US Sailing. willricketson@ussailing.org, +1 (978) 697-2384.