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

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

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


TOMS RIVER, N.J. (August 12, 2011) - All signs are pointing towards an exciting finish to the 2011 Chubb U.S. Junior Championships following Thursday’s set of races on day two of the regatta. Today proved to be a turning point for skippers Nick Valente, Pearson Potts and O.J. O’Connell, who have leads going into Friday’s grand finale.

U.S. Junior Singlehanded Championship (Laser) Recap
The Laser fleet completed three more races today and eight total for the Championship. Nick Valente (Oakdale, N.Y.) of the Wet Pants Sailing Club no longer shares the lead with Gary Prieto (Southold, N.Y.) of the Old Cove Yacht Club. He was sixth, fifth and ninth today to take over sole possession of the lead. Prieto trails by four points after posting an 11-16-6 line. His throwout race is the 16th place finish he recorded, compared to the ninth place throwout result for Valente. Morgan Merrill (Honolulu, Hawaii) of the Waikiki Yacht Club and Jack Swikart (Rumson, N.J.) from the Shrewsbury Sailing and Yacht Club are tied for third and eight points behind Valente. Swikart and Merrill propelled themselves into position by finishing first and second, respectively in race six. There are 20 skippers competing in the U.S. Junior Singlehanded Championship for the Smythe Trophy. The top finishing, eligible male and female in the singlehanded event will qualify for next year’s U.S. Singlehanded Sailing Championships.

U.S. Junior Doublehanded Championship (Club 420) Recap
Sail Newport’s Pearson Potts (Newport, R.I.) and crew Tristan Sess (Center Moriches, N.Y.) trailed by four points after the first five races on Wednesday. They now lead by a commanding 11 points after bulleting the final of three races today, while finishing third in the first two races. The fleet has completed eight races total. The team from Rush Creek Yacht Club, skipper Stewart Draheim (Heath, Texas) and crew Allison Aughtry (Oklahoma City, Okla.) have dropped to second place after posting a scoring line of 8-8-6. William Godfrey (Denver, Colo.) and Abby Godfrey (Denver, Colo.) of the Beverly Yacht Club also had a good day on the water. They finished first, fourth and third today. The Godfrey’s are 12 points behind the leaders. Twenty Club 420 teams are competing for the F. Gregg Bemis Trophy.

U.S. Junior Triplehanded Championship (Flying Scot) Recap
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 control of the Flying Scot fleet. They took an eight point lead today after winning races seven and nine. They were second in race eight. The Chicago Yacht Club's Alex Curtiss (Lake Bluff, Ill.), Will Holz (Wilmette, Ill.) and Alex Woloshyn (Lake Forest, Ill.) are in second place after finishing the day with a 3-6-3 line. There are 11 teams competing this week in the U.S. Junior Triplehanded Championship for the Sears Cup. The fleet has completed nine races.

Sailors raced under sunny skies and temperatures in the mid-80s again today on Toms River. Consistent light breezes at 10 knots came in from the southeast.

Racing resumes at 9:30 a.m. ET on Friday. 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.

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. 

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

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 
• The sailing area for the single- and doublehanded fleets is on the western half of the body of water known as the Wanamaker Course.
• The sailing area for the triplehanded fleet is 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.