Newport Beach, Calif. (August 16, 2015 ) – Newport Beach offered another spectacular backdrop for match racing once again this weekend, as the U.S. Women’s Match Racing Championship came to a climactic finish on Sunday. Janel Zarkowsky and Nicole Breault clashed in a winner-take-all final series after Sunday’s semifinal knock-out round and two round robin stages completed by the seven teams Friday and Saturday.
In the end, it was Breault (San Francisco, Calif.) and crew Molly Carapiet (San Francisco, Calif.), Karen Loutzenheiser (Santa Cruz, Calif.), and Emily Hill (Miami, Fla.) who earned the right to hoist the Allegra Knapp Mertz Trophy in Southern California on Sunday. The win for Breault was extra special after placing second last year to Stephanie Roble.
“A lot of the challenges with the racing had to do with getting used to the boats and light air,” said Breault. “We were trying to learn enough to be confident in our pre-starts and our speed. When we were doing the pre-start in the first finals race I got a good feeling. We talked a lot about possibly shifting to more fleet racing tactics and decisions. We made tactical decisions to lay the mark, get air on them, sail high to give them shadow, and keep extending boat lengths.”
The win for Breault earned her a bid to race at the 2015 Buddy Melges Challenge on September 17-20 at Sail Sheboygan (Wis.) and the 2015 U.S. Match Racing Championship on October 10-12 at Oakcliff Sailing (N.Y.).
They defeated a very talented and experienced match racing team comprised of Zarkowsky (Annapolis, Md.) and crew Rebecca Dellenbaugh (Easton, Conn.), Amanda Callahan (Portsmouth, R.I.), and Isabelle Luzuriaga (Charleston, S.C.). Zarkowsky crewed for Roble last year and Callahan crewed for Sally Barkow’s 2011 championship team. Zarkowsky, Dellenbaugh, and Callahan crewed for Dave Dellenbaugh’s 2013 U.S. Match Racing Championship team.
“This was only my second match racing event as the driver,” said Zarkowsky. “I’m still learning a lot. Stephanie couldn’t accept the invite this year, but she wanted someone from our team to represent us. We were not intimidated going into the finals because we beat them twice. We misjudged time and distance in the pre-starts, and it was lumpy and light, so we made some critical errors in those first two races. The third race was close but they got the cross on us at the second windward mark, and she was on layline and we went a little further past and she was gone.”
Zarkowsky and Breault each advanced to the finals after sweeping their semifinal opponents, 3-0. Breault defeated Morgan Wilson (Port Washington, N.Y.), while Zarkowsky beat Sandy Hayes (Scituate, Mass.).
Zarkowsky won the two round robin match-ups against Breault. Zarkowsky was the number one seed entering the semifinals with an 11-1 record. Breault was the number two seed with a 10-2 mark. Zarkowsky’s only loss came against Wilson.
By placing runner-up, Zarkowsky’s team earned the Mrs. Charles Francis Adams Memorial Trophy.
The 2015 edition of the U.S. Women’s Match Racing Championship was hosted by the Newport Harbor Yacht Club. Seven talented teams of four raced Governor’s Cup 21 sailboats over three days after two days of clinics and practice. This weekend’s racing took place in the Pacific Ocean offshore of the Balboa Peninsula in Newport Beach.
For an outstanding play-by-play account of today’s finals and semifinals, including photos, visit the Tweeter feed at #WomensMatch15.
For results, standings, list of teams, and more information on the 2015 U.S. Women’s Match Racing Championship, please visit the event website. This championship is sponsored by Gill North America, Old Pulteney, and Switlik Survival Products.
Social Media Highlights:
And that’s a wrap! Breault killed it finishing 3-0 and taking first overall!@ussailing #WomensMatch15 pic.twitter.com/sWj3kEqt3p
— GiGi Arias (@sailixx) August 16, 2015
They’re off! Breault v. Zarkowsky in a very defining race, we will see who comes out on top @ussailing #WomensMatch15 pic.twitter.com/5Ph5DQoeM8
— GiGi Arias (@sailixx) August 16, 2015
And that is Nicole Breault finishing first for her second win of the finals! @ussailing #WomensMatch15 pic.twitter.com/H42EXizWmo
— GiGi Arias (@sailixx) August 16, 2015
Breault is going right hand turn in the lead! @ussailing #WomensMatch15 pic.twitter.com/oADFTPsyeZ
— GiGi Arias (@sailixx) August 16, 2015
What a close start between Breault and Zarkowsky, this race will be a close one! @ussailing #WomensMatch15 pic.twitter.com/vR5WMEoNDy
— GiGi Arias (@sailixx) August 16, 2015
Day 2 was another great day of racing at the USWMRC. Another complete round-robin was finished and now we head into the…
Posted by Newport Harbor Yacht Club on Saturday, August 15, 2015
Day 1 is in the books at the USWMRC with one round-robin completed. It was a nice SoCal day of racing with 5-12 knots of…
Posted by Newport Harbor Yacht Club on Friday, August 14, 2015
Meet the Teams! US Sailing – US Women’s Match Racing Championships!
Posted by Newport Harbor Yacht Club on Friday, August 14, 2015
US Sailing Media Contact: Jake Fish, jakefish@ussailing.org
About US Sailing
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About Gill North America
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About Old Pulteney
Old Pulteney Single Malt Scotch Whisky is strongly rooted in the whisky’s nautical heritage and is commonly referred to as ‘The Maritime Malt.’ Old Pulteney is the Official Scotch of US Sailing and recently released a limited-edition ‘Navigator’ expression, commemorating the brand’s sponsorship of the 2013-2014 Clipper Round the World Yacht Race. Crafted in Pulteney Distillery in Wick, Scotland, the distillery was founded in 1826 by James Henderson in the heart of “Pulteneytown,” one of the largest fishing ports in Europe. Each Old Pulteney expression is carefully crafted and carries the windswept and rugged character of the North and the salty, fresh air of the North Sea. It is distributed by International Beverage, Inc. Visit Old Pulteney on Facebook or at www.oldpulteney.com for more information.
About Switlik Survival Products
Established in 1920, Switlik Parachute Co. has been owned and operated by the Switlik family for four generations and is known worldwide as a manufacturer of the highest quality sewn and heat sealed inflatable safety and survival products for the aviation, marine, and military/government markets. Our capabilities include a wide variety of anti-exposure and anti-g suits, inflatable life rafts, inflatable life vests, inflation systems and other specialty textile-based military equipment all manufactured at our 85,000 sq. ft. facility located in Trenton, NJ USA. www.switlik.com