PORTSMOUTH, R.I. (July 19, 2014) – Sophia Reineke made a strong statement on Friday by posting a perfect score through four races to take a 12-point lead in field of 33 Laser Radial sailors at the 2014 U.S. Junior Women’s Singlehanded Championship, hosted by the Mission Bay Yacht Club in San Diego. The question for Saturday was who would make a move on Reineke to stay in contention for Sunday’s final round?
The fleet was greeted with grey skies and light wind early this afternoon on Mission Bay. There was a brief postponement prior to racing. Breeze filled in from the Northwest at 6 to 8 knots and racing was cleared to start. The wind continued to build throughout the afternoon, reaching over 12 knots before dropping to 4 later in the day. Sailors contended with more chop on Saturday.
Enjoying a strong outing on the racecourse Saturday was Simone Staff (Los Angeles, Calif.), who bounced back after a mechanical breakdown in Race 4 on Friday. Staff won Race 5 and 7 to cap strong performance today. She is in second place tie with Lindsay Baab (Saratoga, Calif.). However, Reineke (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.) also posted a pair wins in Race 6 and 8 to take a 16-point lead and is in prime position for Sunday’s finale. Reineke has won 6 of 8 races this week.
Staff reflected on her first two days at the championship. “I just tried to shake off my bad day yesterday and start fresh. I was able to notice shifts early before the other sailors in a couple races today and played them well. I was not feeling well yesterday, but today I had more focus. I want to make the most of it Sunday and put everthing I have into my final Leiter Trophy.”
Unofficial Top 5 Through 8 Races
1. Sophia Reineke: 1-1-1-1-[3]-1-2-1- ; 8
2. Simone Staff: 7-5-2-[33/DNF]-1-3-1-5- ; 24T
3. Lindsey Baab: [6]-3-4-3-2-2-6-4- ; 24T
4. Claire Havig: 3-6-7-5-[16]-6-11-2- ; 40
5. Jessica McJones: 5-4-9-[17]-7-12-5-3- ; 45
The top three boats will qualify for early acceptance to the 2015 U.S. Youth Championships, hosted by Eastern Yacht Club (Mass.), which is a qualifier for the 2015 ISAF Youth World Championships, provided they meet the eligibility criteria and submit an application.
The U.S. Junior Women’s Singlehanded Championship is an open event that offers tremendous opportunities, skill development focus, and outstanding competition in a fun, safe, high-quality racing environment.
Coverage and Media
- For results, standings, photos, Twitter updates, and more information on the 2014 U.S. Junior Women’s Singlehanded Championship, please visit the event website.
- For breaking news and race results, follow us on Twitter @USSailing. Use Twitter hashtag – #JrWomensSingle – to participate in the conversation throughout the championship.
Schedule and Venue
- First warnings for racing is scheduled for 11:30 am PDT.
- Sailors are racing in the Pacific Ocean across the street from Mission Bay Yacht Club approximately 1.0 NM offshore.
Racing Format
- Ten races are scheduled.
- Three races are required to be completed to constitute a series.
- When six or more races have been completed, a boat’s series score will be the total of her race scores excluding her worst score.
Prizes
- US Sailing Championship medals will be awarded to competitors who finish first through fifth.
- Keeper trophies will be awarded to competitors finishing in the top three.
- The Nancy Leiter Clagett Memorial Trophy is the perpetual trophy presented to the winner.
- The C. Thomas Clagett Jr. Sportsmanship Prize will be awarded to a competitor based on the results of the competitors’ ballots.
Support of the U.S. Junior Women’s Singlehanded Championship, as well as the clinics, is made possible by funds provided by the late C. Thomas Clagett, Jr. This support is intended to encourage young American women to enhance their sailing ability, with emphasis on sportsmanship, by providing the opportunity to compete in national-level competition with guidance from high-level coaching.
The U.S. Junior Women’s Singlehanded Championship is sponsored by Gill North America. This Championship is a Sailors for the Sea – Clean Regattas certificated event.
For Immediate Release
Contact: Jake Fish, US Sailing Communications Manager, jakefish@ussailing.org
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.