US SAILING's 2011 Chubb U.S. Junior Championships Day One Report

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact:
Jake Fish
US SAILING Communications Manager
jakefish@ussailing.org

TOMS RIVER, N.J. (August 10, 2011) - All three divisions at the highly competitive 2011 Chubb U.S. Junior Championships, began racing this morning on Toms River. These Championships feature top qualifying teams representing sailing organizations from around the country. Racing is comprised of three disciplines - singlehanded (Lasers), doublehanded (Club 420s with spinnaker and trapeze) and triplehanded (Flying Scots). This event is hosted by the Toms River Yacht Club.

Singlehanded Recap
Several skippers are jockeying for position atop the leaderboard in the Laser Radial Fleet for the Smythe Trophy. Nick Valente of the West Pants Sailing Club won three of the five races today to take a share of the lead. Consistent results propelled Gary Prieto of the Old Cove Yacht Club into the lead with Valente. Prieto finished second in the first two races and followed up with third and fourth place finishes. The Seattle Yacht Club's Teddy Weaver is in third place and four points behind the leaders. He finished fifth out of 20 in last year's Championship. There are 20 skippers competing in the singlehanded division. The top finishing, eligible male and female in the singlehanded division will qualify for next year’s U.S. Singlehanded Sailing Championships.

Doublehanded Recap
The team from Rush Creek Yacht Club, skipper Stewart Draheim (Heath, Texas) and crew Allison Aughtry (Oklahoma City, Okla.) have asserted themselves as the day one leaders through five races. They finished second in races one and two and finished the day by winning the final two races. Their throwout race is currently a 19th place finish in race three. They were sixth out of 20 in last year’s Championship. Sail Newport’s Pearson Potts (Newport, R.I.) and crew Tristan Sess (Center Moriches, N.Y.) trail by four points after posting a solid scoring line of 3-4-1-2-[12]. They placed fifth last year. Draheim and Potts have been accepted to compete in the Club 420 fleet at next week’s US SAILING Youth Sailing Championships. William La Dow and Cutter O'Connel of the San Diego Yacht Club are just five points back. Twenty Club 420 teams are competing for the F. Gregg Bemis Trophy.

Triplehanded Recap
In the Flying Scot fleet, the team from the Mystic River Mudhead Sailing Association, skipper O.J. O’Connell (Niantic, Conn.) and crew members Ben Wilkinson (Noank, Conn.) and Kyle Seniff (Glastonbury, Conn.) are in a tie for the lead after six races with the Chicago Yacht Club's Alex Curtiss (Lake Bluff, Ill.), Will Holz (Wilmette, Ill.) and Alex Woloshyn (Lake Forest, Ill.). O'Connell's team finished the day with a scoring line of [5]-5-3-1-1-2, while Team Curtiss posted results including, 2-2-1-2-5-[8]. O’Connell placed second in the triplehanded fleet at last year’s Championship.The Gulfport Yacht Club's Hugh Hawkins, Jacob Seicshnaydre and Grant Kalil is in third place and six points behind the leaders. There are 11 teams slated to compete in the triplehanded division for the Sears Cup.

Visit the event website at http://championships.ussailing.org/Youth/ChubbJrChampionships.htm for daily recaps, standings, videos, photo galleries and more. To get up-to-the-minute updates from the championship, follow us on Twitter and Facebook. 

Sailing conditions were ideal today on Toms River. Sailors were greeted with sunny skies and temperatures in the mid-80s. Wind was blowing in from the west all day at 10 knots this morning to 18 knots this afternoon.

Racing resumes at 9:30 a.m. ET on Thursday. The final day of the Championship ends Friday, August 12. Sailors race in provided boats, each identically rigged and the Championship is a true test of sailing abilities as everyone is racing on a level par.

Competition is just a part of the experience associated with this great series. Clinics will be held for each fleet, including the Gill College Night seminar featuring Frank Ustach, US SAILING’s Junior National Coach. Watch highlights from the Gill College Night.

US SAILING’s Chubb U.S. Junior Championships is sponsored by Chubb Insurance Group, LaserPerformance, Gill North America and SWITLIK Survival Products. The Championship is a Sailors for the Sea - Clean Regattas certification event.  

Championship Notes 
• Three races are required to be completed to constitute a series. When fewer than six races have been completed, a boat’s series score will be the total of her race scores. 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. Ten races are scheduled (this is a limiting maximum) with the exception of the triplehanded fleet.
• The sailing area for the single- and doublehanded fleets will be on the western half of the body of water known as the Wanamaker Course.
• The sailing area for the triplehanded fleet will be on the eastern half of the body of water known as the Wanamaker Course.
• Spectator boats may be available via sign-up at Toms River Yacht Club each race day.
• US SAILING Championship medals will be awarded to competitors who finish first through third.
• Sportsmanship and Seamanship Awards will be presented as follows: Singlehanded – Faye Bennet Sportsmanship Award; Doublehanded – Bemis Sportsmanship Award; Triplehanded – Cox Sportsmanship Award.
• The Seamanship Trophy will be awarded to the triplehanded team that receives the greatest number of points for neatness and general ship-shape condition of their boats.