US Sailing Team Battles Light Air, Nerves On First Day of Sailing World Cup Miami

Pictured:  Brad Funk (Clearwater, Fla.) and Trevor Burd (Marblehead, Mass.), 49er, US Sailing Team Sperry. Photo: Jen Edney.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

January 25, 2016

Miami, Fla. – Light and variable winds challenged the international fleet of over 500 boats on the first day of Sailing World Cup Miami, Presented by Sunbrella, and threw tough tactical choices at US Sailing Team Sperry athletes vying for Olympic and Paralympic Team selection in nine classes. For many, the unpredictable weather conditions meant that the main goal was to live to fight another day.

Three American boats are in the top five of their fleets, including Charlie Rosenfield (Woodstock, Conn.) in the 2.4mR, Stuart McNay (Providence, R.I.) and David Hughes (Miami, Fla.) in the Men’s 470, and Mark and Carolina Mendelblatt (St. Petersburg, Fla.) in the Nacra 17. Overall, Americans are in the top ten in nine of twelve classes.

See Also: Key USA Names and Facts To Know For The U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Sailing Team Selection Series

In the 49er class, US Sailing Team Sperry athletes Brad Funk (Clearwater, Fla.) and Trevor Burd (Marblehead, Mass.) had some early success with scores of 4,8 (7th overall). “We saw light but not massive shifts, and you could see where the pressure was,” said Burd. “Good speed makes it easy once you’re clear of the starting line.”

Burd noted that their mental approach to this event had been carefully considered, and it seemed to be paying off early. “You have to acknowledge that since it’s a [U.S. Olympic Team] selection event, it’s not just another regatta. It’s important, but this week and next month’s 49er Worlds (the second and final selection event) are basically one big regatta, since they’re so close together. We are looking at this thing long term, and keeping it as chill as possible. We did our homework, and are doing a good job of keeping pressure low and doing what we have to to.”

In other classes, American athletes put setbacks in context with the fact that it is still quite early in the regatta. “I had a good first race, but a tough second one. It was hard to stay consistent,” said Laser North American Champion Charlie Buckingham (Newport Beach, Calif.) of the US Sailing Team Sperry, in what seemed to be a common theme across the boat park. His coach, three-time Olympic Medalist Mark Reynolds (San Diego, Calif.) added that “We were happy to escape with a keeper score, a 6th, in the first race. It was pretty tough out there.” The US Sailing Development Team’s Erik Bowers (Excelsior, Minn.) scored an impressive 9,8 in the Laser and leads all Americans in 9th overall.

Pictured: Sarah Newberry (Miami, Fla.) and Matthew Whitehead (Panama City, Fla.), Nacra 17, US Sailing Team Sperry. Photo: Jen Edney.

Sailing World Cup Miami: USA Results

Sailing World Cup Miami is a U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Team Selection event for the following classes: 2.4mR, 49er, 49erFX, Finn, Laser, Laser Radial, Nacra 17, RS:X Men, RS:X Women.

Full Results

2.4mR (Open One-Person Paralympic Keelboat): 10 boats

• 2nd overall, Charlie Rosenfield (Woodstock, Conn.), US Sailing Team Sperry
• 4th overall, Dee Smith (Annapolis, Md., pictured), US Sailing Team Sperry

Men’s 470 (Men’s Two-Person Dinghy):
 21 boats

• 4th overall, Stuart McNay (Providence, R.I.) and David Hughes (Miami, Fla.)
• 8th overall, Dillon Paiva and Ryan Davidson
• 10th overall, Wiley Rogers and Jack Parkin

Nacra 17 (Mixed Two-Person Multihull): 47 boats

• 5th overall, Mark Mendelblatt and Carolina Mendelblatt (St. Petersburg, Fla.)
• 7th overall, Bora Gulari (Detroit, Mich.) and Louisa Chafee (Warwick, R.I.), US Sailing Development Team
• 15th overall, Sarah Newberry (Miami, Fla.) and Matthew Whitehead (Panama City, Fla.), US Sailing Team Sperry
• 22nd overall, Michael Easton (Bedford, Mass.) and Katie Pettibone (Port Huron, Mich.), US Sailing Team Sperry

Finn (Men’s One-Person Heavyweight Dinghy):
 46 boats

• 7th overall, Luke Muller (Ft. Pierce, Fla.), US Sailing Development Team
• 8th overall, Caleb Paine (San Diego, Calif.), US Sailing Team Sperry
• 12th overall, Phil Toth (Los Angeles, Calif.), US Sailing Team Sperry
• 13th overall, Zach Railey (Clearwater, Fla.)

49er (Men’s Two-Person High Performance Skiff):
 61 boats

• 7th overall, Brad Funk (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.) and Trevor Burd (Marblehead, Mass.)
• 10th overall, Judge Ryan (San Diego, Calif.) and Hans Henken (Coronado, Calif.)
• 13th overall, Thomas Barrows (St. Thomas, U.S.V.I.) and Joe Morris (Annapolis, Md.)

Sonar (Open Three-Person Paralympic Keelboat): 9 boats

• 8th overall, Rick Doerr (Clifton, N.J.), Brad Kendell (Tampa, Fla.) and Hugh Freund (South Freeport, Maine), US Sailing Team Sperry
• 6th overall Andrew Fisher (Greenwich, Conn.) Daniel Evans (Miami, Fla.) and Tom Brown (Northeast Harbor, Maine), US Sailing Team Sperry

Women’s 470 (Women’s Two-Person Dinghy):
 17 boats

• 8th overall, Sydney Bolger (Long Beach, Calif.) and Carly Shevitz (Santa Barbara, Calif.), US Sailing Team Sperry

Laser Radial (Women’s One-Person Dinghy):
 60 boats

• 9th overall, Lindsay Baab
• 15th overall, Erika Reineke (Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.), US Sailing Team Sperry
• 29th overall, Paige Railey (Clearwater, Fla.), US Sailing Team Sperry

Laser (Men’s One-Person Dinghy):
 98 boats

• 9th overall, Erik Bowers (Excelsior, Minn.), US Sailing Development Team
• 18th overall, Scott Rasmussen
• 32nd overall, Charlie Buckingham (Newport Beach, Calif.), US Sailing Team Sperry

49erFX (Women’s Two-Person High Performance Skiff): 34 boats

• 11th overall, Emily Dellenbaugh (Easton, Conn.) and Elizabeth Barry (Riverside, Conn.), US Sailing Development Team
• 21st overall, Genny Tulloch (San Francisco, Calif.) and Maggie Shea (Chicago, Ill.)
• 23rd overall, Paris Henken (Coronado, Calif.) and Helena Scutt (Kirkland, Wash.)

Women’s RS:X (Women’s Board):
 37 boards

• 16th overall, Farrah Hall (Annapolis, Md.), US Sailing Team Sperry
• 27th overall, Marion Lepert (Belmont, Calif.), US Sailing Team Sperry

Men’s RS:X (Men’s Board):

 48 boards

• 18th overall, Pedro Pascual (West Palm Beach, Fla.), US Sailing Team Sperry
• 23rd overall, Carson Crain (Houston, Texas), US Sailing Team Sperry

Previous Reports

• Event Preview: Key US Sailing Team Sperry Names and Facts Heading Into Miami

Event Information

• Homepage: Sailing World Cup Miami, Presented by Sunbrella
• Results

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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.