US Naval Academy Wins College Match Race Nationals

(San Francisco, CA)- A revolution in the making?  US Navy Midshipmen learning how to sail, plus sail fast and smart?  No one would've predicted that outcome in the recent College Sailing Match Race Nationals this fall.  After all, the US Naval Academy has been known over time for fielding some good dinghy teams, occasional good women's teams and were, of course, expected to win, place or show in their own regatta held in those massive lead-mines known as Navy 44s (hardly a sailboat, some say, as they drag half the world's Seven Seas behind them once they achieve 6.666 knots of boat speed).

Nevertheless, the "Middies" pulled off what many see as the "coup of the century", at least in this relatively young 21st century (just 88 more years to go to break more records).  Co-hosted by the California Maritime Academy and St. Francis Yacht Club the top college sailing teams in America gathered together on the infamous San Francisco Bay to challenge one another in StFYC's matched J/22 one-design fleet to determine the top intercollegiate match racing team in America.

As some of the older college sailors will recall, the Sloop Nationals used to be a fleet-racing regatta often sailed in various locations in J/24s, Shields and what not.  Recently, the decision to change over to match-racing to reflect the times and interests of college sailors seeking new and different challenges led to this new format.  It was a popular decision that led to renewed enthusiasm for this fall classic.

Ten teams representing all seven ICSA conferences sailed the J/22s with spinnakers; each team had one skipper and two crew members aboard. Racing took place in front of the Golden Gate Bridge under a range of weather conditions including light wind, rain and strong current (to be expected, of course).

The first day of racing began with a southwest breeze 8 – 12 knots with shifts, a variety of puffs and an ebbing current. As the day progressed the current got stronger making pre-start techniques between the boats more difficult because they had to fight with the current and position themselves properly to beat one another at the start. The current played such a role in the start that at times boats were starting on port because they could not make the line on starboard tack, a highly unusual situation. It was a long day of racing with the race committee and volunteers completing 45 races. The US Naval Academy team of Jason Carminati skippering with team-mates Taylor Vann and Killian Corbishley lead after the first day of racing with a record of eight wins and one loss.  Roger Williams University team skippered by Alec Anderson with crew Annie Schmidt and Dylan Vogel was second with seven wins winning a tie-breaker over Tufts University-- they were skippered by sophomore Will Haeger with crew Maggie Bacon and Dave Liebenberg also with seven wins. Stanford University was in fourth with six wins.

Day two racing was postponed all morning due to a lack of wind. The breeze was only 2 – 4 knots, which was not enough for the boats to sail in given the strong current on the course. At about 2 p.m. racing resumed and the format of the regatta had to be amended due to the late start. A Gold Round Robin was eliminated for the top six teams, which would have determined the seeding for them in the quarterfinals. The Repechage round instead began the day’s racing with the teams in 7th – 10th places competing for the last two spots in the quarterfinals. University of Michigan and the University of Wisconsin advanced to the quarterfinals with the original top six teams. The light winds continued and the current remained a challenge for the teams especially on the downwind leg where the current swept the boats sideways across the course.

The third and last day of the event sailors were again greeted by light breeze on the Bay and the usual strong current. Sailing resumed with the remaining races in the quarterfinals as boats fought the current and light wind. The teams who advanced to the semi-finals were Navy, Stanford, Roger Williams and University of Southern Florida. In a repechage semi-final round the remaining teams sailed for 5th – 8th place. Simultaneously, a knockout round between the University of Oregon and the University of Texas A&M took place with the teams finishing 9th and 10th respectively in the event.

After all of the semi-finals racing completed it was on to the finals with a match-up between Roger Williams and Navy and University of Southern Florida (USF)(skippered by Bill Stocke with Abagail Featherstone and Chris Stocke as crew) and Stanford (skippers by Nick Dugdale with crew of Kevin Laube and McKenzie Wilson).  After the first few races there was a large wind shift and some rain came in which caused the finals and petit finals racing to be postponed. With everything re-set the racing continued with Stanford and USF in the petit finals and Roger Williams and Navy in the finals. Stanford won the petit finals placing third at Nationals and USF therefore finished 4th.  Going into the third finals race the racing was close and Navy and Roger Williams were all tied up. The breeze had increased with the wind shift making for better sailing at this point. In the end Navy took the last race winning Match Race Nationals and Roger Williams finished second in some fantastic sailing.

Ian Burman, head coach for the US Naval Academy Sailing Team attributes their success to having a strong keel boat skipper Jason Carminati ‘12, who placed third at Sloop Nationals two years ago and great crew work on the boat by Taylor Vann ‘13 and Killian Corbishley ‘14. “Really a great deal of the credit for our success goes to our assistant coach Brendan Healy who lead the charge in match racing and was with the team every step of the way. It was a real team effort and we also had a lot of people practice with us and give us a lot of help so that we were prepared for anything at this event,” explains Burman.

St. Francis Yacht Club and California Maritime put on a great event along with the help of volunteers and umpires who are an integral part of match racing. The racing was competitive and in challenging conditions, but the Chicago Match Race center kept viewers up to date with live video feed and Twitter updates.    Sailing photo credits- Chris Ray  For more ICSA College Match Racing sailing results.

J/22 & J/80 Sailors- ISAF World Sailors of the Year

* Two sailors who have raced J/22s and J/80s extensively over the course of the past half-dozen years were just awarded the ISAF Rolex World Sailors of the Year- namely, Anna Tunnicliffe for Women and Iker Martinez and Xabier Fernandez for Men.  While Iker and Xabier have raced 49ers and other classes, they also share some of their time with family and friends sailing J/80s in Spain-- right now they're in a horse-race to win the Volvo Ocean Race on their V70 TELEFONICA.  Likewise, Anna has sailed J/22s in many women's events with her team, most recently finishing 2nd in the Rolex Women's Worlds in Rochester, NY and winning the Santa Maria Cup in Annapolis, MD.  For more ISAF Rolex World Sailors of the Year award information

J/22 East Coasts Whipped By HOT TODDYs!

(Annapolis, MD)- A wild and windy day on Saturday prompted both the J/22 and J/80 fleets to call for cancellation of racing in their respective East Coast Championships.  The prognosis Saturday was pretty dire, so most of the fleet retired to the BBQ at EYC, or the Boatyard Bar & Grille, or to McGarvey's to watch college football on TV, while still others rambled on over to the Annapolis YC and downtown on Saturday.

Sunday dawned with a gorgeous day and the thirteen boat J/22 fleet took to the waters in great anticipation of going all out to grab bragging rights for the 2011 season as top dog on the East Coast.  After three races, it was pretty clear that Jeff Todd's team on HOT TODDY had the shifty northwesterly breezes pretty well dialed in- smoking the fleet with a 1-2-1 to win by a nifty 3 points.  Second was Brad Julian's JULIAN ASSOCIATES with a 4-1-2 for 7 pts.  The next three boats had a tough fight for third on the podium.  But yet another J/22 champion managed to emerge from the scuffle to snag third, with Todd Hiller's team on LEADING EDGE sailing a 3-3-5 for 11 pts.  Fourth was Jim McKenna with a 2-7-4 for 13 pts and fifth was Sandy Adzick on HOT TICKET, fresh off a good performance at the Rolex Women's Worlds in Rochester, NY, sailing to an 8-4-3 for 15 pts.  Sadly, M.I.A. was Albie Terhune on the infamous DAZZLER-- someone thinks they got sidelined coming back from the J/22 Worlds in Norleans (or, in fact, never left New Orleans's infamous Bourbon Street!).  No question, the locals missed such an entertaining, fun-loving crew!   For more J/22 East Coasts sailing information

Johnston Wins J/22 Worlds

(New Orleans, LA)- Rob Johnston of Heath, TX won the Allstate Sugar Bowl J/22 World Championship by six points over Jim Barnash of Rochester, NY with a fifth-place finish on the last race of the regatta. Racing hull #203, team DIESELSNACK sailed a consistent regatta with all top 20 tallies, dropping a 19 in race 3. Sixty-four boats competed in the event in New Orleans, LA, and 12 races were completed.

Barnash went into the last day of the four-day regatta in the lead but finished 26th to Johnston’s third in the first race. He came back strong, however, with a win in the second race while Johnston finished 12th bringing the championship into play on the last race. Johnston’s fifth place in the last race of the regatta was enough to earn him the winner’s trophy.

Allan Terhune from Arnold, MD rounded out the top three with 103 points overall, including two firsts in the last two races Friday. Saturday’s race winners were Zak Fanberg, Barnash and J. Dwight LeBlanc, III.

On the first day, competitors were postponed on shore due to a lack of wind, and the first gun was rescheduled for 11:55 a.m. CT out of Southern Yacht Club. During the day’s races, breeze started at 5-8 knots but decreased throughout the afternoon, with sunny skies and temperatures around 80 degrees.

Local Benz Faget scored two bullets and a sixth-place tally to lead the fleet.  With crew Randall Richmond and Thomas Sweeney, Fats stood with a solid lead of 8 points.  Jim Barnash, helming his Rochester, NY team, had 14 points in second place; Fred Hunger from Cleveland, OH was in third with 23 points.  Faget opened the regatta with a victory in Race 1, trailed by a fellow New Orleans boat skippered by Zak Fanberg in second and Barnash in third. Race 2 saw another local winner in Richard “Boo” Heausler, followed by Hunger and then Southern Yacht Club commodore J. Dwight LeBlanc, III. In the day’s final, race, Faget took the victory again, with Brant Koepke (Texas) in second and Nick Turney (Ohio) in third.

On the second day of racing, competitors enjoyed a gorgeous day of racing on Lake Pontchartrain with breeze at 10-15 knots, brilliant sunshine and temperatures staying around 80 degrees.  It seemed the "playbook" again favored New Orleans native Benz Faget, who held on to his first-place position. With consistent finishes in the top 12 (dropping the 12), Team Fats tallied just 26 points over the first seven races of the regatta. With crew Randall Richmond and Thomas Sweeney, Faget was four points ahead of Texan Terry Flynn who registered consistent scores of 3, 5, 5, 1 (with a drop from day 1 of 18 points).  Max Scott opened day two with a victory in Race 4, pursued by Chris Doyle in second and Flynn in third. Race 5 was won by Travis Odenbach, with Faget and Chad Wilson in the next two slots. Rob Johnston took the top position in Race 6, trailed by Chris Doyle and Dave Kerr, who just returned to the race course after a repair needed from an incident in the day’s first race. In Thursday’s fourth and final contest, Flynn nailed first place, and Zak Fanberg and Mike Farrington followed.

The J/22 Class extends appreciation to PRO Hank Stuart and his Race Committee, the staff of Southern Yacht Club and all sponsors including the title sponsor Allstate Sugar Bowl.  For more J/22 Worlds sailing information

  

Sailing "Friends & Mentors"- Why They're Important

"Friends & Mentors" - Dawn Nelson, who sails out of Chandlers Landing Yacht Club in Rockwall, Texas, is a Child & Family Therapist and a sailing mom. Here she provides her professional and personal experience regarding one design fleet growth:

Ever walked into a party and felt like the whole room stopped and stared at you?

If you're part of a fleet that is trying to encourage kids to sail with you, being a "strong fleet" won't help at all if everyone is staring at the kids when they come to the big party, aka the regatta. There are two things you should consider:

1) Are you making the kids feel welcome, off the water as well as on the water? It's easy for adults to sail with the kids, teach them during the races, and then at the dock, walk over to the keg and talk 'above' the kids. If they aren't welcome at your table, they won't want to be on the boat for very long. If you answered 'yes', are the kids being included in the sailing discussions at the table? Are adults talking to them, not condescending down to them?

2) Speaking of condescending, when you get an experienced youth sailor in a regatta, cheating is a really good way to get kids to choose a different boat class. That kid at the helm of that keelboat, the one that another boat's skipper is yelling at, trying to intimidate him to get off the starting line, has probably sailed in more regattas because he doesn't have to work all summer. If he wanted to, the kid could quote the RRS sections and numbers, and successfully protest for violating his right-of-way and lack of sportsmanship. But he won't do that; he'll just never sail your boat class again (true story)!

At 9, 7, and 4 years old, my sons fell in love with sailing on a J/22; just them and one extremely patient skipper. The boys have since raced in national and international championships in eight different boat classes in eight years. Yes, they love high-tech and speed, and are currently begging for a Nacra F18, but on any given Wednesday night, you'll find a 17 year old working spin on a J/92, the 15 year old on the helm of a J/22, and the 12 year old cranking sheets on a Hunter 35.... because it's the relationships that make the difference.

The sailing crowd are friends AND mentors.   Thanks for contribution from SailingScuttlebutt.com

  

Thoughts on One-Design Growth- by Dawn Nelson

*  "Friends & Mentors" - Dawn Nelson, who sails out of Chandlers Landing Yacht Club in Rockwall, Texas, is a Child & Family Therapist and a sailing mom. Here she provides her professional and personal experience regarding one design fleet growth:

Ever walked into a party and felt like the whole room stopped and stared at you?

If you're part of a fleet that is trying to encourage kids to sail with you, being a "strong fleet" won't help at all if everyone is staring at the kids when they come to the big party, aka the regatta. There are two things you should consider:

1) Are you making the kids feel welcome, off the water as well as on the water? It's easy for adults to sail with the kids, teach them during the races, and then at the dock, walk over to the keg and talk 'above' the kids. If they aren't welcome at your table, they won't want to be on the boat for very long. If you answered 'yes', are the kids being included in the sailing discussions at the table? Are adults talking to them, not condescending down to them?

2) Speaking of condescending, when you get an experienced youth sailor in a regatta, cheating is a really good way to get kids to choose a different boat class. That kid at the helm of that keelboat, the one that another boat's skipper is yelling at, trying to intimidate him to get off the starting line, has probably sailed in more regattas because he doesn't have to work all summer. If he wanted to, the kid could quote the RRS sections and numbers, and successfully protest for violating his right-of-way and lack of sportsmanship. But he won't do that; he'll just never sail your boat class again (true story)!

At 9, 7, and 4 years old, my sons fell in love with sailing on a J/22; just them and one extremely patient skipper. The boys have since raced in national and international championships in eight different boat classes in eight years. Yes, they love high-tech and speed, and are currently begging for a Nacra F18, but on any given Wednesday night, you'll find a 17 year old working spin on a J/92, the 15 year old on the helm of a J/22, and the 12 year old cranking sheets on a Hunter 35.... because it's the relationships that make the difference.

The sailing crowd are friends AND mentors.   Thanks for contribution from SailingScuttlebutt.com

  

J/22 Worlds Preview

(New Orleans, LA)- As one of their first major regattas to be hosted in the new club facilities post-Hurricane Katrina, Southern Yacht Club is planning a memorable event for J/22 World's sailors, both on and off-the-water.  For starters, Allstate Sugar Bowl has traditionally been a strong supporter of sailing in the New Orleans area, sponsoring the annual Allstate Sugar Bowl Regatta for college sailors. Their support of the J/22 Worlds is very significant and symbolic, the "re-birth" of world-class events hosted by one of the most gracious clubs to host events in the American "South".  Off the water, the regatta promises an experience that only New Orleans can deliver.  The entertainment starts Tuesday, October 11 with a competitors’ meeting and reception at Southern Yacht Club with hors d’oeuvres featuring local seafood and other tastes of New Orleans.  Wednesday, October 12 will feature a French Quarter party for participants, scheduled at the famous Tropical Isle Bar’s balcony overlooking Bourbon Street. There is nothing like a "Tropical Isle Hand Grenade".  Before racing starts on Thursday morning, the famous Café Du Monde will serve "café au alit" and "beignets" to all competitors to get the regatta going in a traditional New Orleans style. That evening, Southern Yacht Club will host a seafood party on the lawn of the club featuring south Louisiana’s finest offerings of shrimp, jambalaya and other tasty examples of local cuisine.  The French creole influence is unmistakable, and delicious!

On the water, October on Lake Pontchartrain generally offers excellent sailing conditions, with warm temperatures and breezes that can range from 5-25 knots. Because Lake Pontchartrain is very shallow, averaging 14 feet deep, north winds with a 25-mile fetch can kick up a short, steep chop that challenges the best sailors.  With sixty-six boats from the Cayman Island, Canada, Germany and the USA, the fleet looks to be as competitive as it's been in years.  In fact, several notable World Champion and Olympian sailors are well-represented in the stellar field of sailors.  For starters, Soling and Star World Champion John Dane is sailing with a family crew!  And, another local sailor, Dwight and Beau LeBlanc- former Star and 12 Meter America's Cup veterans- are sailing as a team.  Renowned Annapolis J/22 sailor Albie Terhune has a strong team attending.  Local "Norleans" star Benz Faget is fielding a strong crew.  Class stalwart and past President, Galen Freeman, from Brentwood, TN, promises he won't hit anybody (although he may assert "senior moment rights" at appropriate opportunities!  Travis Odenbach, fresh from winning the J/24 COC in Lake George, is hoping to not embarrass himself and finish in the top 3.  Both Doyles, Kevin and Chris from upstate Kenmore, NY hope to be a factor amongst the leaders.  Another J-class champ, Travis Weisleder- from Richmond, VA- may or may not have the horsepower to keep all these champions in check to grab the brass ring.  The Hiller family gang from Annapolis (Todd and crew) are always a factor.  Then, of course, you can't forget the fact that Terry Flynn from Houston, TX- past J/22 World Champion may have designs to ensure they're at the top of the leader-board, too!    For more J/22 Worlds sailing information

  

A DAZZLING J/22 Northeast Championship

(Lake George, NY)- Dazzle or be DAZZLER'd!  Such was the operative phrase on that spectacular venue high up in New York State's Adirondack Mountains- Lake George.  Surrounded by magnificent mountains, the spectacular "changing of colors" during the fall providing a back-drop of dazzling reds, burnt oranges, vibrant yellows and verdant greens, it's hard not to be dazzled by the Van Gogh-like landscape surrounding the fleet as they dash around the race course.

And so it was.  Really.  The Lake George Club is known to be a wonderful host.  In fact, like the lucky J/24 sailors who have secretly enjoyed the Changing of the Colors Regatta for decades, the J/22s have also been able to grow their presence enough to command their own weekend of racing!  Forty J/22s on a gorgeous fall weekend of sailing makes for lots of fun sailing and even better social events and parties later at the Club, starting in the infamous "Cave" (or Dungeon, or Grotto).  A star-studded cast of J/22 sailors couldn't wait to enjoy another Lake George reunion for more fun and games.  This time, yet another "newbie" showed up and stole the show.

Al Ternhune, Mike Coe and Jim Barnash simply dazzled everyone with their incredibly fast starship (er, J/22) called, appropriately, DAZZLER!  Their 1-8-1-2-3 record for 15 pts outclassed the fleet by six points.  The fight for second place came down to the exciting, dazzling, last race between the recent J/22 Rolex Women's Worlds winner Cory Sertl sailing LUCY (with husband Mark Sertl and Mike Marshall) and Chris Doyle steering CLAUDIA JEAN (with sailing rock-star Will Harris and Adam Burns).  In the end, Doyle's CLAUDIA JEAN won the last race to take second, beating Sertl's LUCY by one point!  Fourth was the top Canadian team sailed by Stephen Jones (sailing with Breck McFarlane and Chris Hobbs).  Fifth was another J/22 and J/24 Champion, Travis Odenbach racing INSTIGATOR (sailing with Bill Farmer and John Newell).    For more J/22 Northeast Championship sailing information

  

Women Superstars @ Santa Maria Cup

(Annapolis, MD)-  One of the favorite events on the Women's International Match Race Association (WIMRA) tour has always been racing the fun-to-sail J/22s in the Santa Maria Cup sailed in Annapolis, MD.  Hosted by Eastport YC, the EYC members and Maryland's capitol city of Annapolis roll-out the red carpet to welcome top women's match race teams from around the world, an invitational-only event.

While the match racing begins on Wednesday, September 28, Tuesday the 27th is filled with Santa Maria Cup excitement. The Boatyard Bar & Grill PRO-AM pits regional challengers from industry, sailing clubs, colleges and high schools against the Santa Maria Cup women super-stars in fleet-racing.  What fun, eh?? Afterwards at the Opening Ceremonies on the City Dock, Eastport Yacht Club Commodore Rick Jackson and Annapolis Mayor Josh Cohen welcome the women's teams to Annapolis and proclaim "Celebrate Women's Sailing Week".

Then, on Wednesday the racing begins in earnest.  Top billing goes to recent Rolex Women's Sailor of the Year, Anna Tunnicliffe and her team who are also fresh from finishing 2nd in the Rolex Women's Worlds in Rochester, NY. Also a clear favorite, despite a currently low WIMRA ranking, is Liz Baylis, she was the Santa Maria Cup winner in 2003.  Also factoring into the leader-board will be Silja Lehtinen from Finland, she should prove tough to beat and her current #11 ranking in WIMRA means she will be a factor on the race  course.  Likewise, one of the top women match race sailors from France, Julie Brossard, ranked #12 in WIMRA will also be in the hunt for the Finals on Sunday.   Sailing photo credits- Fried Elliott/ Friedbits.com   For more Santa Maria Cup sailing information

  

Texas Two-Stepping "J/Fests"

(Houston, TX)- Texas likes'em big.  Regattas. Parties. Cars. Mechanical Bulls. Trucks. Girls hair. Guys hats. College football.  Longhorns.  Rattlesnakes.  Tumbleweed.  Trucks, did I mention them already?  Doh.  But, most of all, Texans LOVE people and friends.  So, it's no wonder ya'all out there are just "family" to them.  Big hearts is what Texans are all about, that's why the gals call you "love" or "sweetie" the first time they see you.  Join in any BBQ with a case of beer and you're a hero and friend for life.  Their sailing is simply an extension of that fun-loving, simple philosophy on life.  Ever wonder why they're renown for their fabulous hospitality?  Wonder no further.  Just jump in the car, toss the family (and dogs) inside, head on down to warmer climes (BTW, it's no longer 100+ degrees down there) and have a blast.  The combination of warm weather, cheap boat storage, cheap lodging, cheap tickets on Southwest Airlines into Houston-Hobby might entice some northern folk who may already be shivering to come on down.  (Note- one of the Dillon J/80 owners leaves his J/80 in Houston over the winter and gets $60.00 round trip tickets and comes every weekend)!!  There are three events to whet your whistle and strum along on any available ukelele or "geetar" at the saloon:

- The Compass Regatta- October 1-2- open to all boats, one-design and PHRF.  The J/111 will be racing in this one along with the J/109 fleet, J/105's, J/120's, etc.  Online Registration here.

- Harvest Moon Regatta- October 13-16- hosted by Lakewood YC in Houston.  This is a 120 nm race from the Galveston Bay jetties to Port Aransas. It's the "Texas Chicago-Mac".  Last year there were 250 boats, racing everything from Grandma's old bathtub to the latest racing machines, J/105s to J/44s.  Like the Chi-Mac, it's the voyage that counts, so you can tell the story at the party later!  Is their a "Pink Pony" in Port Aransas?  Register on-line here.

- J/Fest Southwest- October 29-30th- also hosted by Lakewood YC as a J/Boats only event.  There will be one-design classes for J/22 (J/World Annapolis on the water coaching for this fleet), J/24 (circuit stop), J/80 (circuit stop), J/105 (Regional invitational), J/109 (regional invitational) and J/PHRF, and J/Cruise.  On course video/ photography will also be streamed to TV's live during the day.  Friends and family not on the water can track their favorite J team or head over to the amusement park at Kemah or NASA/Johnson Space Center for the tour, or museum's shopping!  After racing, the J/24 fleet is sponsoring lawn games after Saturday's racing and Lakewood YC is putting on a Cajun feast Saturday night!  After dinner, boogie to some live music!  If you have a big boat we are offering free in-and-out launch/haul with a 50 ton crane!  Register on-line here.

  

J's Dominate "The HOOD" Regatta

(Houston, TX)- The Houston Yacht Club along with their neighbors in the "hood", Lakewood and Texas Corinthian YCs, always seem to be favorites amongst sailors for hosting regattas.  For all the reasons outlined above when talking about our friends in Texas, they pull out all the stops and make sure everyone is welcome-- and, most importantly, do it in a "big" way so everyone is happy!  This past weekend's HOOD Regatta (Houston Offshore One-Design) was an epochal, history-making event for the region.  There were one hundred boats that showed up and the J sailors simply dominated the proceedings, showing up with 48 J's in total spread across J/22s (19), J/24s (12), J/80s (13) and J/105s (4)- by a country furlong the most dominant "brand" at the regatta- 50% of the fleet!  Might as well have been called "J/Fest Pre-Regatta"!

In the biggest fleet of the event, the J/22s saw some excellent racing across the board with a few surprises, twists and turns thrown in for good measure.  Past J/22 World Champion Terry Flynn had a rough go of it, sailing his J/22 TEJAS to a hard fought third place with a 2-3-1-2-5-11 record for 24 pts, losing out any chance at first because of the "slow" last race.  Reigning supreme was a long-time road warrior Rob Johnston from Dallas' Rush Creek YC, sailing his J/22 DIESEL SNACK to a pretty convincing first overall, snagging four bullets, a 3rd and 6th to win by 8 pts.  Second was another Dallas team, Max scott racing FAST LANE to a 4-5-2-3-2-5 for 21 points, holding off the indomitable Terry Flynn for one more regatta.  Fourth was Brank Koeopke sailing RICH SKANK (?) and fifth was Ruthie Lambert skippering OUT OF SIGHT.

The J/24s had a real donnybrook for the top three, with all scores being settled between the teams in the last race.  Emerging from the dust bowl of a scrum was Bobby Harden's team on MR HAPPY, their 3-1-3-3-2-3 for 15 pts being the most consistent of the top teams.  Winning going into the last two races was Bryan Dryer on RUM LINE, but Bryan's team couldn't hold it together, adding a 7-5 to their previous 1-2-2-2 record to finish second with 19 pts.  After starting slowly with a 4-6, Doug Weakly's team on AMBASSADOR screamed into contention with three straight bullets, only to blow it in the last race with an 8th for 21 pts to secure third overall.  Lying fourth was Corey Harding on another "happy" boat- HAPPY DANCE.  And, fifth was Dov Kivlovitz on USA 93!

There was a great turnout for the J/80s in this event.  Bill Rose's team on KICKS simply did "kick up their heels" and show their transom to the fleet, amassing an impressive two 1sts and three 2nds for 8 pts to win by the healthiest margin in the entire regatta- 12 pts in five races!  Paul Parsons raced PARSONS PROJECT to a 1-2-6(scp)-5-6 for 20 pts, good enough for second.  Just behind them it was a full-on wild ride for four boats, all of whom nearly all tied each other after the last race!  Winning the tie-breaker for third was Claude Welles on JACKRABBIT, fourth was Forbes Durdin on MOJITO.  Winning the tie-break for fifth was Al Poindexter skippering ANDALE, sixth was Alan Bates on WHISKEY TANGO.

While the J/105s may have had one of the smallest fleets in the regatta, it might as well have been a three-way match race for top honors.  No quarter given here, or there, or anywhere!  At the end, the top three boats finished just three points apart after five races.  Emerging from the scuffles in the last race was Bob Brann's RADIANCE, winning with a 3-2-2-1-1 for 9 pts.  Missing out a strong opportunity to win was Uzi Ozeri's INFINITY.  Uzi's team started by firing off a 1-1-1, then succumbed perhaps to a case of missing brain cells (or "slows") on Sunday, amassing a 3-4 for 10 points to drop into second.  Hanging tough all regatta long was Malcolm Brenner's BABE, sailing to a 2-3-3-2-2 for 12 pts to snag the bronze on the podium.

Finally, "Thanks" must be given to the amazing program laid out by the event's sponsors.  Mount Gay Rum had a bevy of Mt. Gay Girls running around serving up Rum drinks.  The HYC Ragnots also supported the event with "Weinerfest", raising money for the HYC Youth programs-- no question the crowds seem to be pleased with the delicious combination of wieners and Mt Gay for dinner!    Sailing photo credits- Lacy Photos   Sailing photo credits- Byrne Photo   For more J/80 & J/105 sailing information.    For more J/22 & J/24 sailing information

  

J Sailors Dominate New York YC Rolex Invitational

* Friend, 470, J/24 and J/105 sailor- Terry McLaughlin along with fellow friend, J/24 sailor John Hele (owner of DARING), won the NYYC Invite Cup on Swan 42s.  In fact, the entire top FIVE finishers in the NYYC Invite Cup were all comprised of top J sailors in various J classes.  Besides John and Terry, Ken Colburn and Phil Lotz were champion J/105 sailors themselves racing for NYYC; Peter McChesney and friends from Annapolis YC in third were champion J/22 and J/24 sailors (many in the crew); Billy Lynn and friends from Eastern YC in fourth were champion J/22, J/24 and J/105 sailors; and in fifth was Jim Madden from Newport Harbor YC of STARK RAVING MAD fame (J/125) and BRAND NEW DAY (J/65 Bermuda winner).  Apparently, unless you had some form of "J/One-Design" experience, you were "toast" in this event-- the evidence is clear and unmistakable.

For Terry Mclaughlin and John Hele, it was a "redemption" regatta.  In a reversal of fortunes from the inaugural event two years ago, they cleaned-out their competitors starting from the very first day. Terry/ John and crew sailed a nearly flawless series with seven top five finishes out of eleven races. In races where they were deep in the fleet, they inevitably overhauled the boats ahead. Terry said, “I think we came back quite well this series. It's important because you can’t get off the line in great shape or get around the first mark in great shape for eleven races in a row.”

McLaughlin won a silver medal in the Flying Dutchman class in the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics and was the skipper of CANADA I in the 1983 America’s Cup challenger series. These days Terry's business is importing the famous DUBARRY clothing and footwear from Ireland, and his sailing more relegated to occasional racing with friends-- like J/105s for serious competition with Ken and other friends in Toronto! Gotta test out those boots, eh!?

In a new addition to the event, the team leading in points at the end of each day flew a “gold” spinnaker in the following day’s races (e.g. a "borrowed" idea from that famous French bike race- The TOUR DE FRANCE- remember the famous "yellow jersey"?).  Cute!  The Royal Canadian team quickly took that honor after the first day and never relinquished it for the week (one wonders, was it as fast, or faster?).

  

J/22 HOT TICKET Report- Rolex Women's Worlds

A Refreshing POV from the Rolex Women's Worlds- from Sue Mikulski and Sandy Adzick:

The HOT TICKET Team, comprised of skipper Sandy Adzick and crew members Hilary Armstrong, Debbie Gibbons-Neff and Sue Mikulski, had a fantastic time sailing in the Rolex International Women's Keelboat Championship held at Rochester Yacht Club at the end of August. There were 36 all-women teams participating from the Netherlands, Great Britain, Canada and 16 US states with sailors ranging from ages 11 to 65. Where else can women sailors of such diverse back grounds, have a chance to sail against past Olympians, Rolex Yachtswomen of the Year, All-American Collegiate sailors and recent Quantum Female College Sailors of the Year. The depth of the competition was among one of the strongest it has been in a long time. This may have been a result of the seven Road to Rolex clinics held at various locations this year and the Junior Next Step to Rolex Program that was run two days before the event. Our seasoned team of the “over 50 Ladies Club” had many combined years of sailing wisdom and knowledge but the younger teenage sailors definitely showed us what they had recently learned.

Saturday was a day of measurements, weigh-ins and rigging our boats. Some of the sailors even had the opportunity to tune up on Lake Ontario during a quiet afternoon on the water. That all changed on Sunday when Hurricane Irene edged by the club with 45 mph winds and waves crashing over the bulkhead forcing RYC to close the hoists and cancel the practice races for the day. Mother Nature was to be respected. Competitors with their new bright red vests donated by Gill could be seen through out the Rochester area. Some of the substitute activities for the day included "retail therapy", food shopping at Wegmans, going to the movies, a visit to Niagara Falls and wine tasting at a local winery until the Opening Ceremonies that evening.  One of the highlights of the evening was keynote speaker, Dawn Seymour, a pilot in the United States Air Force and a former WASP (Women Airforce Service Pilot) in World War II. Mrs. Seymour, who is 94 years old, was an incredible inspiration to the women sailors as she spoke about her passion for flying, comparing it to our enthusiasm for sailing. Her daughter Amy Moran, sailing with Cory Sertl, and granddaughter Merritt Moran, crewing for Katja Sertl, were present as she received many standing ovations from the crowd.

As it seems to happen at most regattas, a day of too much wind is followed by no wind the next day. With extremely light air on Monday we all floated around for six hours checking in with old friends and making some new ones. A few us even reminisced about two years ago when we played Bingo on the water. (By the way, the Coast Guard found that the use of a VHF radio for that purpose is against regulations!). That evening, ROLEX hosted a unique and entertaining dinner at the Artisans Works, a 40,000 sq. ft. facility with over 500,000 pieces of artwork and art objects to explore and ponder.

On Tuesday, due to the extended forecast for the rest of the week, PRO Hank Stuart ran five excellent races in 8-12 knot breezes.  With four different winners that day the battle for the top position had begun.  Anna Tunnicliffe (defending ‘09 champion and Gold medalist in Laser Radials at the ‘08 Olympics), Sally Barkow (‘08 Olympian and Rolex champion in ’03, ’05, ’07), Carol Cronin, (’04 Olympian) and Cory Sertl (two-time Rolex Yachtswoman of the Year, ’88 Olympian & ’01 Rolex champion,) with all exceptional and talented crew, were now vying for the top spot.

Wednesday competitors experienced winds in many directions, and competitors sailed three races complete with course changes on almost every leg.  Marieke Poulie from Amsterdam, Jo Ann Fisher, Kirsten Werner, College All American Sailors Ann Haeger and Allie Blecher and even Cory Sertl’s 18 year old daughter Katja, all challenged the ladies at the top.

As Thursday racing began it was the first time in Rolex IWKC history that the leader had to sail the last race due to the close scores with throw outs. PRO Hank Stuart was able to get in a third race 30 minutes before the deadline. This was the deciding race for the Championship. Cory Sertl lead most of the race but Sally Barkow edged her out followed by Cory’s 18-year-old daughter Katja Sertl, Anna Tunnicliffe and then Cory. Word spread quickly when we arrived back at the yacht club that a protest had been filed by Sertl against Barkow for a foul at the start. With Barkow being disqualified from this race which now became her throw out, Cory Sertl won her third Championship with crew members Amy Moran, Annemarie Cook, and Jane Mastrandrea.

The final evenings’ ROLEX Gala began with competitors enjoying a lovely breeze outside on the veranda. While we waited for the awards to be presented sailors discussed the next regattas they were traveling to. Kathy Parks, Sue McIntyre and Susan Turhham discussed their trip to New Orleans for the J/22 Worlds. Others were off to sail in International Match races and 470 trials for the 2012 Olympics. Awards were presented to the top 10 teams with each team being honored with a photo taken with Helen Ingerson, the founding member of this event. Cory Sertl accepted the US Sailing’s Bengt Julin Trophy and a Rolex timepiece thanking her team and also mentioning what a thrill it was to compete against her own daughter, who pushed her even harder to sail faster. This was also a special day for Linda Hiller and Sandy Adzick who were both celebrating their birthdays. Only at an all women’s event would all the competitors sing Happy Birthday at an awards ceremony and then dance the night away with their former competitors, celebrating a well-run regatta from every perspective.

The camaraderie between the teams, the sailors of all ages and different sailing levels, the depth of competition, and the lifelong friendships are what keep competitors returning each year. The keelboat championship is a first class event, and truly promotes women's sailing, giving newer competitors the opportunity to sail against some of the best in our sport, where they learn about themselves, team and skill building, and have an experience on and off the water that we all will remember for a very long time.

A huge thanks again to Regatta Event Chairman Chris Dorsey, and all of the wonderful volunteers from Rochester YC, the US Sailing representatives, the international judges, PRO Hank Stuart and his Committee, and ROLEX that made this regatta a great pleasure to sail in.

The 2013 Rolex IWKC will be held in October out of St. Francis Yacht Club in San Francisco where they have a new fleet of J/22s. There is always a terrific breeze in the Bay at that time of year with incredible views of the city, Alcatraz, Angel Island and the Golden Gate Bridge, which will make for a spectacular venue to sail and race. The HOT TICKET ladies are marking our calendars now! See you all there!  BTW, Stu J, we know you love the Bay. Can you help us?  The girls.  :)

  

French Win J/22 German Masters By A Whisker!

(Mohnesee, Germany)- Hosted by Yacht Club Mohnesee on a gorgeous German lake, thirteen J/22s from across Europe sailed four in a wide variety of conditions (typical for most Alpine lakes!).

To say the competition was tight would not even begin to describe what happened amongst the top four boats.  In short, they nearly all finished in a tie for first!  Just one point separating first from fourth and all four positions determined by a tie-breaker.  At the end, the French team of Reiner Brockerhoff, Christophe Declercq and Charlex Michaux sailing FRA 1444 won with a 1-4-5-1 record.  Second was the GER 1562 team of Thomas and Christian Rieckborn and Helge Wolpers with a 2-1-3-7, losing the 6 pt tie-break.  Third was Peter Karle, Falko Braun and Gina Hess Chrissi Bohnke on GER 1328 sailing to a 4-2-1-5 record. Losing the tie-break, finishing fourth was Reinhold Groh, Thomas Hanf and Dirk Sundermann on GER 1513 with a 8-3-2-2.  Fifth was Thomas Roth, Klaus Dressgacker and Jan Roth on GER 1439.  For more J/22 German Masters sailing information

  

Rolex Women's World J/22 Sailing Videos

Rolex Women's Worlds on J/22s- this event had a lot of good media products going on from various teams.  In particular, check out the summary music video by T2P Productions.  There are additional links below for your video enjoyment and pleasure.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-_wrogto2No

Rolex Womens Worlds- J/22s Recap-
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Og2CKMssvKM&feature=related

Rolex Womens Worlds- J/22s- 2nd day
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m98fwE_ErzU&feature=related

Rolex Womens Worlds J/22- 3rd day
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ohiSsMKU7c&feature=related

Rolex Womens Worlds J/22- 4th day
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lb32YLBQIzo&feature=related

  

Sertl Wins Rolex Women's Worlds

(Rochester, NY)-  Only Hollywood could have scripted a more dramatic and exciting finale as racing for the Rolex International Women’s Keelboat Championship (Rolex IWKC) sailing J/22s came to its nail-biting conclusion on Lake Ontario.

When the 36 teams of all-women sailors – who hail from 16 U.S. states, Canada, Great Britain and The Netherlands – left Rochester Yacht Club this morning, there were eight races on the scoreboard and a very tight point spread among the top-three in the standings.  First overall was skipper Anna Tunnicliffe (Plantation, Fla.), the defending champion, followed by Sally Barkow (Nashotah, WI.), equal on points at 24.  Just five points back was local favorite Cory Sertl (Rochester, NY), while Carol Cronin (Jamestown, RI) and JoAnn Fisher (Mt. Pleasant, SC), rounded out the top-five tied on 38 points.

The first race got started in roughly eight knots of breeze and Sertl was in the lead by the weather mark; going on to handily win the race.  She was followed across the line by Kirsten Lane (San Francisco, Calif.), Meghan Jordan (East Amherst, N.Y.) and Sally Barkow.  Anna Tunnicliffe was eighth.  Barkow’s fourth put her back on top of the standings with 28 points, while Sertl was second with 30.  Tunnicliffe was third with 32 points.

Racing was postponed after storms in the area sucked away the breeze, and two general recalls took place before the Race Committee was able to start race 10 in roughly eight knots of breeze.  Kirsten Lane (San Francisco, Calif.) won the race, followed across the line by Katie Coleman Nicoll (Etobicoke, CAN) and Carol Cronin (Jamestown, R.I.).  Katja Sertl (Rochester) was fourth, JoAnn Fisher (Mt. Pleasant, S.C.) fifth and Cory Sertl sixth.  Barkow was eighth, and Tunnicliffe, who had a bad start and went to the wrong side of the course, picked up an 18th place finish that became her drop score.  The recalculated overall standings saw Sertl take over the lead ahead of Barkow, although they were tied with 36 points.  Tunnicliffe remained third overall with 42 points.

With only 30 minutes left before the 3:00 p.m. deadline after which no race could be started, the 11th and final race of the day began in 10-11 knots of breeze from the east.  Sertl led for much of the race, but Barkow edged past her to cross the line first followed by Sertl’s daughter, 17-year-old Katja Sertl, and Anna Tunnicliffe, before Cory Sertl heard the horn for her own third-place finish.  Barkow’s subsequent disqualification for an incident at the start not only added 37 points to her scoreline but also thwarted her from winning the championship.  She finished third with 54 points, behind Anna Tunnicliffe with 44 points, and Cory Sertl with 39.

“It’s pretty exciting,” said Sertl of her third win of this championship title.  “To do this with all four of us from Rochester Yacht Club, and especially since our focus this summer has been on taking our kids to events and not so much on our own personal sailing.  To be able to relax and pull together our experiences – sailing together, sailing here and sailing the J/22 – is just really satisfying.”

Sertl had given her boat to her daughter to sail, and had chartered another boat to race herself which her husband, Mark, set up like her boat so that she could be very comfortable in it.  “It’s so great to see Katja and the girls do so well,” said Sertl.  “I know my boat’s fast, but she really made it go real fast.”

Sertl and her team – Amy Seymour Moran (Pittsford), Annemarie Cook (Rochester) and Jane Mastrandrea (Webster) – competed together at both the 2007 and 2009 Rolex Women’s International Keelboat Championship.  A two-time Rolex Yachtswoman of the Year, Sertl has competed in the Rolex IWKC 11 out of the 14 times it has been held in the 26 years since its inception, winning twice previously:  as crew for Betsy Alison at the first running of this event in 1985 at Ida Lewis Yacht Club in Newport, R.I.; and as skipper in 2001 when the event was held at Annapolis Yacht Club in Maryland.  For more Rolex Women's Worlds sailing information.   For Rolex Women's sailing videos by T2P TV

  

Rolex Women's Worlds Videos

Rolex Women's Worlds on J/22s- this event had a lot of good media products going on from various teams.  In particular, check out the summary music video by T2P Productions.  There are additional links below for your video enjoyment and pleasure.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-_wrogto2No

Rolex Womens Worlds- J/22s Recap-
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Og2CKMssvKM

Rolex Womens Worlds- J/22s- 2nd day
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m98fwE_ErzU

Rolex Womens Worlds J/22- 3rd day
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ohiSsMKU7c

Rolex Womens Worlds J/22- 4th day
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lb32YLBQIzo

  

Annapolis J/22 sailor- Sue Mikulski Women's Worlds interview

* J/22 sailor from Annapolis, Sue Mikulski,
a long time veteran competitor and key contributor to the Rolex Women's
reflects on how this special event has impacted her life. Over the
years, she has made it a personal goal of hers to grow competitive
women’s sailing and the Championship has played a major role in
achieving this.



Sue was the Outreach Coordinator for the Road to Rolex Clinics and Next
Step to Rolex from 2000 to 2005. Road to Rolex clinics are designed to
prepare competitors for the Rolex IWKC. Junior women sailors interested
in gaining international sailing experience participate in the Next Step
to Rolex Program.



“I spent many hours and many evenings contacting women sailors from
around the world explaining theses Rolex programs, how it draws women
into racing at all levels and that it is the opportunity of a lifetime,”
said Sue. “The Road to Rolex clinics helped promote women's sailing,
and especially those getting ready to do their first international
event.” 



Sue is ecstatic about the progress these programs have made on the
evolution of the Rolex IWKC and maintaining it as a first class event
with talent and diversity.



“It is extremely rewarding to see names of juniors from the Next Step
Program now competing in the upcoming RIWKC. I smile when I see those
names,” she said.



Sue trained for two years leading up to her first Rolex IWKC in 1995.
She joined the Liberty Sailing Club in Philadelphia, Pa. and the
Philadelphia Laser Fleet in the early 1990s and sailed close to 200
races a year from 1993 to 1995.



“I felt it important to give back to the sport of sailing, after so many
helped me get involved, and that US SAILING helped me get my start in
conjunction with Rolex. I had a great team who helped me pull it
together,” she said. Sue went on to skipper at the Rolex IWKC at
Annapolis in 2001, 2003 and 2005.



She is excited to return to competition this year after missing the 2009
and 2007 events. For the past five years Sue has battling the effects
of Chondromalacia. She has no cartilage behind her knee caps and two
torn meniscus in each knee. During this time she became very involved
with Race Committee at Annapolis Yacht Club, which she loves to be part
of. After hours of therapy, she is ready to make a return.



The Rolex IWKC is a unique event with a camaraderie unlike any event
I've ever done. Sailing with your girlfriends is fun, intense and such a
learning experience about yourself.  Racing, owning and skippering my
boat helped my confidence, helped my leadership ability and ability to
be a team player.”



US SAILING’s 2011 Rolex International Women’s Keelboat Championship
(Rolex IWKC), hosted by the Rochester Yacht Club (N.Y.), takes place on
August 29 - September 1. For team rosters, results, video, photos,
Facebook/Twitter updates and daily racing reports, please visit the
event website at http://riwkc.ussailing.org.

  

Rolex Womens Preview Shootout at the Women's OK Corral!

(Rochester, NY)- Talk about some fire-power. Two Rolex Women's Sailors
of the Year, two Women College Sailors of the Year, Women's Match Race
World Champions, four Women Olympians and multiple College Women
All-Americans? This year’s edition of the Rolex IWKC features 36 teams
representing 16 U.S. states and three foreign countries (Canada, Great
Britain and The Netherlands). This biennial regatta, marking its 14th
edition in 26 years, will offer these top sailors the opportunity to
experience high-level competition along with social activities designed
to promote camaraderie. The Rolex Gala, on Thursday, September 1, will
conclude the event with the presentation of US SAILING’s Bengt Julin
Trophy and a Rolex timepiece to the winning boat’s skipper.



Many world-renown sailors are returning to the event this year,
including the top three teams from 2009. The defending champion team is
back for another shot at the title. They compete full-time as “Team
Maclaren” for a 2012 Olympic berth in Women’s Match Racing as members of
the US Sailing Team AlphaGraphics. Team Maclaren includes Olympic Gold
medalist and Rolex Yachtswoman of the Year Anna Tunnicliffe (Plantation,
Fla.), Molly O’Bryan Vandemoer (Stanford, Calif.), Debbie Capozzi
(Bayport, N.Y.) and Liz Bower (Rochester, N.Y.).



After a break from the 2009 competition, three-time champion and
Olympian Sally Barkow (Nashotah, Wis.) returns with her US Sailing Team
AlphaGraphics crew Alana O’Reilly (Charleston, S.C.) along with Annie
Lush (Bournemouth, U.K.) and Jacqueline Campbell (Washington, D.C.).



They’ll face stiff competition from 2009 second-place finisher and top
hometown team of Rolex Yachtswoman of the Year Cory Sertl (Rochester,
N.Y.), Amy Moran (Pittsford, N.Y.), Annemarie Cook (Rochester, N.Y.) and
Jane Mastrandrea (Webster, N.Y.); and from third-place finisher,
Olympian and past champion Carol Cronin (Jamestown, R.I.) returns with
Margaret Podlich (Severna Park, Md.), Kim Couranz (Annapolis, Md.) and
new addition Karina Vogen Shelton (Watsonville, Calif.).



A number of promising young newcomers have entered to compete in this
talented and diverse fleet. Skipper Allie Blecher (Fullerton, Calif.) is
a four-time ICSA All-American and the 2010 Quantum Female College
Sailor of the Year. Blecher’s team includes, Alyssa Aitken (Sandwich,
Mass.), Molly Robinson (Sausalito, Calif.) and Sarah Somes (Grosse
Pointe Park, Mich.). All four have sailed, or are still sailing, for
College of Charleston. Blecher and Aitken won the 2010 ICSA National
Women’s Championship.



In her three years at Boston College, Anne Haeger (Lake Forest, Ill.)
has been named an ICSA All-American each year and was crowned the
Quantum Female College Sailor of the Year for 2011. She is currently
helming a 470 campaign for the 2012 Olympics and a member of the US
Sailing Development Team. Haeger’s crew includes, Stephanie Roble (East
Troy, Wis.), Maggie Shea (Wilmette, Ill.) and Darby Smith (Marblehead,
Mass.). Roble, also a three-time ICSA All-American at Old Dominion
University (class of 2011) and is currently driving a match race
campaign for the 2012 Olympics. Shea, a two-time ICSA All-American at
Connecticut College, is currently trimming main for a match race
campaign for the 2012 Olympics, while Darby, an outstanding crew from
the University of South Florida, is currently doing bow for the same
match race campaign.



Skipper Kristen Lane’s (Tiburon, Calif.) team features several standout
crew members, including current US Sailing Team AlphaGraphics member
Genny Tulloch (San Francisco, Calif.), who is campaigning in women’s
match racing for the 2012 Olympics. Also joining the team are Molly
Carapiet (Belvedere, Calif.) and Jennifer Morgan-Glass (Seattle, Wash.).



Not only will all four corners of the U.S. be represented with teams
coming from northern Massachusetts down to the tip of Florida and out
west from Washington state to southern California, but also Canada with
four teams and The Netherlands with the return of the sixth-place
finishers from the 2009 Rolex IWKC. The Netherlands team has been
sailing together for the past five years and skipper Marike Poulie
(Amsterdam), first sailed the Rolex IWKC in 1995 in Newport, R.I. Since
then she has sailed many J/22 events with Bregje Lodewikus (Haarlem),
Renske Verbeek (Amsterdam) and Leontien Benders (Hilversum).  For more Rolex Women's Worlds sailing information