PORTSMOUTH, R.I. (August 21, 2013) – The historic U.S. Adult Sailing Championship will unveil a new and exciting format for competitive adult women and men sailors this Friday through Sunday, August 23-25, hosted by the Rochester Yacht Club (N.Y.). The U.S. Adult Sailing Championship for the Clifford D. Mallory Trophy will be contended on the waters of Lake Ontario. Teams will compete in a J/24 round robin format with a minimum number of four crew including the helmsperson.
Women have always been racing at this championship, formerly known as the U.S. Men’s and Women’s Sailing Championships. In the U.S. Men’s Sailing Championship, women were permitted to race as only as crew. The new U.S. Adult Sailing Championship has no gender restrictions on helmsperson or crews. Teams will be limited by weight only.
Pat Toole and his team from Santa Barbara, Calif. are traveling coast to coast to make their third run at the Mallory Trophy. Toole, along with Dale Turley, George Witter, and Kent Pierce finished second in the 2011 event held in Mooresville, N.C. and third in 2008 event in San Francisco. In June, they placed fourth at the 2013 J/24 National Championship in Lake Minnetonka, Minn. Toole won the 2010 J/24 North American title in Seattle, Wash.
“We’ve been focused on calibrating our communication and boat handling by sailing numerous short courses,” said Toole. “The shifts and puffs we experienced in Rochester at the J24 Worlds were very challenging and very different than what we ever see in California. We are very excited about returning and giving it another try.”
Frank McNamara (Wenham, Mass.) was fifth in this year’s J/24 event at Charleston Race Week. He also placed second at the 2012 Rhodes 19 National Championships. McNamara will be sailing with crew Clinton Hayes (East Haddam, Conn.), Diane Economides (Ipswich, Mass.), and John Powley (Boxborough, Mass.).
“It’s just really exciting to have the opportunity to race against the level of competition you find at the Mallory,” said McNamara. “We will definitely have to sail our best to have a shot at winning, but we feel we know how to make the boats go pretty well. We need to get good starts, sail smart and avoid mistakes.”
McNamara and his team look forward to racing the J/24 this week. “The fact that the event is in J/24s this year is an added bonus because we’ve been racing J/24s for a number of years. Rochester (Yacht Club) is a fantastic venue with all the talent and resources to host a terrific regatta, as we learned when we sailed in the J/24 Worlds in Rochester last year,” he explained.
Other notable skippers in Rochester this week will be 2004 J/24 North American Champion David Klatt (Oxnard, Calif.) and 75 year old former Snipe Champion Russell Cook (Liverpool, N.Y.).
Visit the official event website throughout this week’s championships for a full roster, Notice of Race, video highlights courtesy of Chris Love Productions, real-time Twitter updates, daily recaps, photos, and more.
The U.S. Adult Sailing Championships is a US Sailing National Championship regatta and sponsored by Gill North America and Old Pulteney Single Malt Scotch Whiskey. The championship is a Sailors for the Sea – Clean Regattas certification event.
Championship Notes:
A practice race and skippers meeting will take place Thursday, August 22.
Racing is scheduled to begin at 10 am EST each morning (subject to change).
Twenty races are scheduled for the regatta… It is intended for each team to race each boat one once… A maximum of five races will be sailed in one day, with three races constituting a series… Courses will be windward-leeward.
The top three teams will receive and US Sailing Gold, Silver and Bronze medals… The first place team will be awarded the Clifford D. Mallory Trophy… The Royal Victoria Trophy will be awarded for excellence in Seamanship… The Staton J. Peele, Jr. Trophy will be awarded based on a vote by the sailors for Sportsmanship. Charles Mallory, grandson of Clifford D. Mallory will present the trophy to the winning team.
For Immediate Release Contact: Jake Fish, US Sailing Communications Manager, jakefish@ussailing.org, 401.683.0800 x614
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 Old Pulteney
Old Pulteney Single Malt Scotch Whisky is crafted at Pulteney Distillery in Wick, Scotland. The distillery was founded in 1826 by James Henderson at the height of Wick’s herring boom. The distillery lies in the heart of “Pulteneytown,” which was one of the largest and most important herring fishing ports in Europe. Old Pulteney has a long standing association with the sea and is the official scotch of US Sailing. Its carefully crafted taste carries the windswept and rugged character of the North, the salty and fresh air of the North Sea, and the distillery’s rich maritime heritage runs through every drop of this fine malt.