Semifinalists Decided on Saturday at the 2011 U.S. Match Racing Championship
Contact:
Jake Fish
US SAILING Communications Manager
jakefish@ussailing.org
401.683.0800 x614
CORONA DEL MAR, Calif. - (October 15, 2011) – The field of 12 teams was trimmed to four semifinalists on day three of the 2011 U.S. Match Racing Championship. Saturday marked the first full day of racing for teams competing for this year’s Prince of Wales Bowl in Governor’s Cup 21 boats.
The final four flights of Stage One’s Single Round Robin were completed by early afternoon. The top eight seeds advanced and raced in a first-to-two-wins Knockout Series to decide the four semifinalists. Skippers Taylor Canfield (St. Thomas, USVI), Chris Nesbitt (San Diego, Calif.), Dave Perry (Southport, Conn.), and Brian Angel (El Segundo, Calif.) won their respective series to advance to Sunday’s semifinals.
Canfield and his crewmates Tod Reynolds (Chicago, Ill.), Stephanie Roble (East Troy, Wis.) and Jennifer Wilson (Chicago, Ill.) finished the Single Round Robin as the number one seed and a 10-1 record. They dispatched the eight seed skipper Mark Johnson (Appleton, Wis.) 2-0 in the Knockout Series.
Nesbitt and crew Travis Wilson (Chula Vista, Calif.) and Steven Pickel (San Diego, Calif.) finished the first round as the number two seed with an 8-3 record. Nesbitt defeated the seven seed skipper Dan Aeling (San Diego, Calif.) 2-1 in an exciting Knockout Series match-up.
Angel, a two-time U.S. Match Racing Champion, and crew Michael Delanty (Redondo Beach, Calif.) and Steven Natvig (Redondo Beach, Calif.) finished the Single Round Robin as the sixth seed at 6-5. Angel beat the third seed skipper Nevin Snow (San Diego, Calif.) 2-0. Snow was 8-3 in the first round and defeated Angle in the Round Robin.
Perry, a three-time U.S. Match Racing Champion and the top ranked U.S. match racing skipper by the International Sailing Federation (ISAF), was 8-3 in the Single Round Robin and finished as the four seed. Perry is joined by familiar crewmates Mike Rehe (Harper Woods, Mich.) and Chris Museler (Portsmouth, R.I.). Perry beat skipper Shawn Ryan (Metairie, La.), the fifth seed, 2-0. Ryan received three penalties in the pre-start of the second ra
ce and was disqualified.
Sunday’s semifinals and finals will be a first-to-three-wins Knockout Series. A Petit Final Knockout Series, first to score at least 2 points, will determine third and fourth place in the Championship. Canfield will race Angel and Perry will race Nesbitt in the semifinals. Visit the results site for standings and Sunday’s pairings.
Breezes ranged from 5 to 8 knots throughout most of the day on the race course, located between Balboa Pier and Newport Pier.
The winning skipper of this event will receive an invitation to race in the 2012 Knickerbocker Cup, a Grade 2 event and World Tour Qualifier. Also, the highest placing skipper at the 2011 U.S. Match Racing Championship who does not receive an invitation to the Congressional Cup will receive an invitation to race in the 2012 Ficker Cup, a Congressional Cup Qualifier and Grade 2 event. The U.S. Match Racing Championship is an International Sailing Federation (ISAF) Grade 3 event.
The U.S. Match Racing Championship is sponsored by Rolex Watch U.S.A. and Gill North America, Hobie Polarized Sunglasses and Old Pulteney Single Malt Whisky. Please visit the event website at http://championships.ussailing.org/Adult/USMRC.htm for results, standings, daily reports and more. Also, follow us on Twitter at twitter.com/ussailing for regular updates from Corona del Mar, Calif. The Championship is a Sailors for the Sea - Clean Regattas certification event.
Championship Notes:
• Eligible skippers qualified or were offered a select invitation to compete.
• Stage 4 - A Semifinal knockout series, first to score at least 3 points. The winners will advance to Stage 6. The others will advance to Stage 5.
• Stage 5 – A Petit Final knockout series, first to score at least 2 points, to determine places 3-4 in the regatta.
• Stage 6 – A Finals knockout series, first to score at least 3 points, to determine places 1-2 in the regatta.
• The course will be windward/leeward, windward/leeward, with starboard rounding, finishing downwind.
• Racing will be conducted in the Pacific Ocean adjacent to Newport Beach.
• The skippers and their crew members placing first, second and third in this regatta will be awarded US SAILING Gold, Silver and Bronze medals, respectively.
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 AlphaGraphics. For more information, please visit us at www.ussailing.org .
About Rolex Watch U.S.A.
Since Rolex Watch U.S.A. first presented timepieces to America's Cup defenders in 1958, the company has consistently recognized and encouraged excellence in every important arena of competitive sailing, including US Sailing Team AlphaGraphics preparation, US SAILING championships, disabled sailing, offshore, one-design and women's events. For more information, please visit us at www.rolex.com.
About Gill North America
Gill NA, with headquarters near Atlanta, Ga. is the sole distributor and licensee of Gill-brand foul weather gear in North America including Caribbean, Central America, US and Canada. Gill is an apparel and accessories leader in the worldwide marine industry for over three decades and specializes in high tech, breathable waterproof clothing. The company tests, designs and markets a variety of performance-oriented, award-winning apparel and accessories for virtually every type of boating activity with product lines that include foul weather gear; interactive layering systems; footwear; gloves; bags; junior gear; scholastic gear and team wear. Available through hundreds of dealers nationally, Gill NA is the sole distributor and licensee of Gill-brand foul weather gear in North America, where it is the top selling yachting clothing brand. For more information on Gill NA, visit the company website at http://www.gillna.com/orcontactLanceJonesatGill NA, (678) 730-5581 / e-mail: lance@gillna.com.
About Hobie Polarized
Hobie Polarized is a leading designer, developer, marketer and distributor of polarized eyewear. The brand’s innovative lens technology allows total glare reduction, 100% UV protection, enhances contrast and provides optimum visual acuity. The company’s products are sold worldwide and are used by watermen at all skill and lifestyle levels. The Hobie Polarized headquarters is located in Plainview, New York. For further information, please visit the company’s website at www.hobiepolarized.com.
Old Pulteney Single Malt Whisky
Old Pulteney Single Malt Whisky is crafted at Pulteney Distillery in Wick, Scotland. The distillery was founded in 1826 by James Henderson at the height of Wick’s herring boom. The distillery lies in the heart of ‘Pulteneytown’, which was one of the most important and biggest herring fishing ports in Europe.
Old Pulteney Single Malt whisky has a long standing association with the sea and is known as the “Maritime Malt.” Its carefully crafted taste carries the windswept and rugged character of the North, the salty and fresh air of the North Sea, and the distillery’s rich maritime heritage runs through every drop of this fine malt. For more information on Old Pulteney please visit http://www.oldpulteney.com/.