US SAILING's 2011 Chubb U.S. Junior Championships Begins in New Jersey on Tuesday

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

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

PORTSMOUTH, R.I. (August 8, 2011) - The US SAILING National Championships season continues this week in Toms River, N.J. at the 2011 Chubb U.S. Junior Championships, hosted by the Toms River Yacht Club. These Championships are US SAILING’s oldest and this will be the 90th year of racing for the triplehanded division’s Sears Cup. Racing is comprised of three disciplines - singlehanded (Lasers), doublehanded (Club 420s with spinnaker and trapeze) and triplehanded (Flying Scots), and the Championship is held between sailing organizations. Racing begins Tuesday, August 9 and ends on Friday, August 12.

Each Area within US SAILING can send at least one team to compete in each of the fleets providing an Area semifinal is held. 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.

Seattle Yacht Club’s Teddy Weaver (Gig Harbor, Wash.) and Morgan Merrill of Waikiki Yacht Club (Honolulu, Hawaii) both return to the Chubb U.S. Junior Championships this year to compete in the singlehanded fleet for the Smythe Trophy. Weaver placed fifth and Merrill placed sixth out of 20 competitors last year. Joining these contenders is Kaitlyn Baab (Saratoga, Calif.) of the St. Francis Yacht Club who placed third out of 57 competitors at the U.S. Junior Women’s Singlehanded Championship in Point Richmond, Calif. last June. 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.

Notable teams in the doublehanded fleet include the team from Rush Creek Yacht Club, skipper Stewart Draheim (Heath, Texas) and crew Allison Aughtry (Oklahoma City, Okla.). 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.) 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. Twenty doublehanded teams will vie for the F. Gregg Bemis Trophy.

In the Flying Scot fleet, the team from the Mystic River Mudhead Sailing Association, skipper O.J. O’Connell (Niantic, Conn.) returns to compete for another shot at the Sears Cup. O’Connell placed second in the triplehanded fleet at last year’s Championship. He is sailing with crew members Ben Wilkinson (Noank, Conn.) and Kyle Seniff (Glastonbury, Conn.). There are 11 teams slated to compete in the triplehanded division in a round robin format.

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.

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. 

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
• Racing begins on Tuesday, Aug. 9 (2:00 p.m. ET)in the triplehanded division and the single- and doublehanded divisions start racing on Wednesday, Aug. 10 (9:30 a.m. ET). Start times are subject to change.
• 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.