U.S. Disabled Sailing Championship Day 1 Report

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GALVESTON, Texas (October 30, 2014) – The 2014 U.S. Disabled Sailing Championships, hosted by Community Sailing Center Galveston, got underway Thursday on Offats Bayou following two days of development racing in Sonars.

To increase participation and drive more awareness to the opportunities in adaptive sailing, US Sailing incorporated a new development regatta earlier this week. These participants were also encouraged to race in the championship if they wish. US Sailing’s Paralympic Coach Betsy Alison also conducted a clinic in conjunction with this event.

Three-time U.S. Disabled Singlehanded Champion Charles Rosenfield (Woodstock, Conn.) is off to another solid start in the 2.4 mR fleet. He won three of four races today to take a four point lead. Also winning three of four races in the Sonar fleet was the team of Steven Hammer (Riverview, Fla.), Kathy Champion (Gulfport, Fla.), and Brian Bohne (Boulder, Colo.), who took a five point advantage.

Sailors raced under cloud coverage, temperatures in the mid-60s, and wind at 8-10 knots.

Quote of the Day:

Peter Cabral (Somerset, Mass.), US Air Force, on his participation in the development regatta and today’s racing: “Before coming down here I told the recruiter as far as a contribution to the team is concerned I could hold on for dear life and maybe blow a whistle. But after a day of training they made me a skipper. Who would have thought!”

Results & Standings – U.S. Disabled Singlehanded Championship, 2.4mR
1. Charles Rosenfield, 2-1-1-1- ; 5
2. Daniel Evans, 1-2-3-3- ; 9
3. Timothy Ripley, 3-3-2-2- ; 10
4. Audrey Kobayashi, 4-5-4-4- ; 17
5. Kevin holmberg, 5-4-5-5- ; 19

Results & Standings – U.S. Disabled Triplehanded Championship, Sonars – A Fleet
1. Steven Hammer/Kathy Champion/Brian Bohne, 1-2-1-1- ; 5
2. Sarah Everhart-Skeels/Cindy Walker/Hugh Freund, 4-1-2-3- ; 10
3. Dylan Young/Christopher Childers/John Wallace, 2-3-4-2- ; 11
4. Gary Pierce/Patrick LoDuca/Charles McClure, 5-5-3-4- ; 17
5. Steven Muse/Colin Smith/Steven Edenson, 3-4-6-7- ; 20
6. John Greener/Henrik Hartz/Larry Young, 6-6-5-6- ; 23
7. Chris Livesay/Scott Ford/Sammy Lugo, 7-7-7-5- ; 26

Results & Standings, Sonars – B Fleet
1. JR Hudson/Brian Miller/Eric Von Culbertson, 2-1-1-2- ; 6
2. Nathan Deneault/Brian Dean/Ryan Moore, 1-4-2-1- ; 8
3. Peter Cabral/Chris Doggett/Anthony Webster, 3-2-4-5- ; 14
4. David Wear/Arthur Montross/David Whitely, 4-3-5-3- ; 15
5. Arbie Parnell/Edward LeRoy/Ken Patterson, 5-6/DNF-3-4- ; 18

A sample of social media coverage from Thursday’s racing:

 

Post by US Sailing Team Sperry Top-Sider.

 

Media & Coverage

  • For results and standings, photos, Twitter updates, and more information on the 2014 U.S. Disabled Championships, please visit the event website.
  • For breaking news and race results, follow us on Twitter @USSailing. Use Twitter hashtag – #USDisabledChamps – to participate in the conversation throughout the championship.

Schedule & Race Course

  • The race course has been set up on Offats Bayou directly adjacent to Sea Base Galveston.
  • The first warning signal Friday and Saturday is 10:30 am CDT. No warning signals after 1:00 pm on Saturday.

Scoring Format

  • Three races are required to be completed to constitute a regatta.
  • When fewer than six races have been completed, a boat’s regatta score will be the total of her/his race scores.
  • When six or more races have been completed, a boat’s regatta score will be the total of her/his race scores excluding her worst score.

This US Sailing National Championship is one of the oldest sailing regattas in the U.S. for sailors with disabilities. The talented field includes Paralympians, US Sailing Sperry Top-Sider members, and new contenders. This year’s championship consists of a Sonar and 2.4 mR fleet, all of which are adapted for disabled sailing.There is also a Sonar B-fleet.

First established in 1986, the U.S. Independence Cup became US Sailing’s National Championship for sailors with disabilities in 1989. In 2007, the regatta moved under the championships division of US Sailing and was renamed the U.S. Disabled Sailing Championship. Many competitors at the U.S. Disabled Sailing Championships have gone on to represent the United States at the Paralympics Games including Nick Scandone, gold medalist at the 2008 Paralympics, and Jennifer French, silver medalist at the 2012 Paralympics.

The U.S. Disabled Sailing Championship is sponsored by Gill North America and is a Sailors for the Sea – Clean Regattas certified event.

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.