Vranizan and Neville Win 2011 U.S. Singlehanded Championships on Sunday

Contact:
Jake Fish
US SAILING Communications Manager
401.683.0800 x614
jakefish@ussailing.org

CASCADE LOCKS, Ore. (July 24, 2011) – Frederick Vranizan (Shoreline, Wash. / Seattle YC) dominated the men's Laser fleet from start to finish and Christine Neville (Oakland, Calif. / ILCA) came from behind on Sunday to win the women's Laser Radial fleet at the 2011 U.S. Singlehanded Championship, a US SAILING National Championship event hosted by the Columbia Gorge Racing Association.

Vranizan won five out of the nine races and finished in the top five in all but the final race of the Championship. He won race eight and finished eighth in race nine on Sunday. Vranizan won by a 16-point margin over fellow Seattle Yacht Club member Michael Karas (Kirkland, Wash.), who solidified second place by posting a pair of fifth place finishes. Vranizan raced well in all conditions this weekend, including the strong winds on Friday and the light, shifty breezes on Saturday and Sunday. The men's Laser fleet consisted of 21 sailors.

"I tried my best to have conservative starts and either take an early lead or put myself in position to climb into the lead," said Vranizan. "I love the sailing here at the Gorge. I sailed fast in the downwind here at the Gorge where it is shifty and tricky," he added.

Vranizan is a graduate of St. Mary's College of Maryland, where he competed on the sailing team from 2005 to 2009. He raced in the Gold Fleet at the 2010 Laser World Championships. Currently, Vranizan is campaigning in the Laser for the Olympics as a member of the US Sailing Development Team. He is also preparing for the ISAF World Championships in Perth, Australia this December.

The women's fleet managed just one race on Sunday. Neville's fifth place finish was good enough to surpass Hanne Weaver (Gig Harbor, Wash. / Seattle YC) for the lead who finished 13th in today's only race. Weaver dropped to third and Sky Adams (Santa Barbara, Calif. / Santa Barbara YC) slipped into second after finishing third. Neville finished fourth out of 12 at last year's U.S. Singlehanded Championship. There were 18 sailors competing at this year's women's division.

"This is pretty surprising and really exciting," said Neville. "It's an honor because this Championship was so competitive."

Neville also discussed her keys to success this weekend. "I had good speed upwind, especially in the first day. It was important not to fall back, because there were no throwouts. I was able to keep the boat flat when it was windy and take the lead before the downwind shift, which was going against the current."

For more details on the U.S. Singlehanded Championships, including a list of competitors, results, final standings, recaps, photos, Notice of Race, Preliminary Sailing Instructions, history and more, please visit the event website at http://championships.ussailing.org/Adult/USSinglehandedChampionship.htm.

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The U.S. Singlehanded Championship is sponsored by Rolex Watch U.S.A., LaserPerformance, Gill North America and Hobie Polarized. The Championship is a Sailors for the Sea - Clean Regattas certification event.

Championship Notes
The U.S. Singlehanded Championship is a qualification and select invitation event... Racing took place on the the Columbia River Gorge... Last year marked the first-ever women’s division for the U.S. Singlehanded Championship… Competitors took part in Rolex Clinics on Thursday, July 21… US SAILING Medals were awarded to the top three in each division… Frederick Vranizan will have his name engraved on the George O’Day Trophy... Tracy Usher (Montara, Calif. / St. Francis YC) of the men's division won the Peter Barrett Sportsmanship Trophy.