Palma de Mallorca, Spain – Whitecaps, short chop, a hazy horizon and a fresh southerly breeze characterized the racecourses off Palma on Day Four of the 2015 Trofeo Princesa Sofía. American athletes are in the top ten in four classes, and each of those four teams improved their overall standing today.
The US Sailing Team Sperry’s best performance of the day came from 470 athletes Stu McNay (Providence, R.I.) and Dave Hughes (San Diego, Calif.), who bounced back after a tough set of races and a breakdown on Wednesday. “Last night went a bit late while we repaired our mast, but today we managed to enter the day well-rested,” said Hughes. “We hit the water as early as we could, did our homework, and stuck to our normal routine. We enjoyed the racing, and that’s always the most important ingredient.” McNay and Hughes finished 3,4 in two races, and jumped up to 8th overall. “We had good wheels and went in the right direction. Never a bad combination,” added two-time Olympian McNay.
Pictured: Paige Railey, Laser Radial class. Photo: Jen Edney/US Sailing
In the Laser Radial, Paige Railey (Clearwater, Fla.) continues to move closer to the top three, and after gold fleet scores of 3,16 on Day Four, lies in 5th overall. “I’m very happy that I moved up today” said Railey. “I’m going out tomorrow with a clear and focused mindset, and I’m excited for the possibilities.”
Pictured: Caleb Paine, Finn class. Photo: Jen Edney/US Sailing
American athletes also moved up a notch in the Finn and women’s 470 classes. In the men’s heavyweight Finn dinghy, Caleb Paine (San Diego, Calif.) earned scores of 18,5 and is now in 6th overall. Women’s 470 sailors Annie Haeger (East Troy, Wisc.) and Briana Provancha (San Diego, Calif.) recorded a steady 8,6 which raised them to 7th overall.
With a significant amount of racing left to complete on Friday and Saturday, much movement in the standings is possible, and the US Sailing Team Sperry is looking to finish strong at the first event of the 2015 European racing season.
The final day of gold, silver and bronze fleet racing continues for all classes on Friday, April 3 at the Trofeo Princesa Sofía in Spain. The medal races will take place on Saturday, April 4.
Notable US Results, Overall: Day 4
Full Results: http://bit.ly/1absKiX
Laser Radial Women (108 boats)
- Paige Railey, 5th overall
Finn Heavyweight Men (74 boats):
- Caleb Paine, 6th overall
470 Women (62 boats):
- Annie Haeger and Briana Provancha, 7th overall
470 Men (75 boats):
- Stu McNay and Dave Hughes, 8th overall
Laser Men (150 boats):
- Charlie Buckingham, 14th overall
49erFX Women (40 boats)
- Paris Henken and Helena Scutt, 15th overall
Media Guide:
Event Website: http://www.trofeoprincesasofia.org
US Sailing Team Live Updates: www.Twitter.com/USSailingTeam
US Sailing Team Daily Reports: www.ussailing.org/olympics
Social Media (Facebook): www.Facebook.com.USSailingTeam
Social Media (Instagram): www.Instagram.com.USSailingTeam
Photos (Daily): www.usst.photoshelter.com
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 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 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