Rolex Miami OCR - Day Three
Sailors Hit Their Stride at Halfway Mark

Posted Wednesday, January 27, 2010

 
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More than 600 athletes representing 45 nations have hit their regatta
halfway mark after today's racing at US SAILING's 2010 Rolex Miami OCR
<http://RMOCR.ussailing.org> , the second of seven stops of the
International Sailing Federation (ISAF) Sailing World Cup 2009-2010
<http://www.sailing.org/worldcup/> . The event, the only of its kind in
this country, started Monday and continues through Friday for three
Paralympic classes and Saturday for ten Olympic classes, which will have
been pared down to the top ten in each for medal races that day.

Today was a picturesque light-air day on Biscayne Bay, but many sailors
worked the conditions to their advantage. The unstoppable SKUD-18 team
of Scott Whitman (Brick, N.J.) and Julie Dorsett (West Chester, Pa./Boca
Raton, Fla.), who hope to have a repeat gold medal performance of last
year's Rolex Miami OCR, added two more bullets to their collection today
in the talented seven-boat fleet.

"Our speed was great, and we were really in sync," said Dorsett, who
noted they were happy with their starts, on which they've been focusing.
"In these conditions you don't want to make too many tacks, so we were
really trying to consolidate our tacks and make each one count."

Great Britain's Alexander Rickham and Niki Birrell finished the day in
second place with a 3-2 today, tied with Canada's John McRoberts and
Brenda Hopkin, who swapped scores with a 2-3. One point behind is USA's
Jennifer French (St Petersburg, Fla.) and JP Creignou (St Petersburg,
Fla.), a new SKUD-18 team that has made an impression in the fleet
despite sailing for only three months together.

Norway's Aleksander Wang-Hansen and crew Per Eugen Kristiansen and Marie
Solberg led the nine-boat Sonar fleet after five races, with a 1-3
today. "We've been trying to sail conservatively and consistently, and
it has paid off so far," said Wang-Hansen. "It's been very shifty, and
we've been trying to tack on the shifts and stay on the right side of
the fleet. We had fantastic down wind legs, and I think that helped a
lot."

A relatively new team - this is their fourth event together - the trio
happily traded Norway's seasonal icy waters for training on Biscayne Bay
for the past two weeks to get ready for the tough competition. "The wind
is steady in Miami: There is almost always some wind and very rarely too
much. It's shifty, but at least the wind is strong enough to sail in,"
said Wang-Hansen, who is new to the helm but not to the Sonar. As a
crew, he finished fourth at the 2008 Paralympic Games in Qingdao, China.
"The Paralympic class fleets may be small, but they are very deep, so I
think the competition will be fierce," said US Sailing Team
AlphaGraphics coach Betsy Alison (Newport, R.I.). "Places could change
in any one of the fleets."

After dropping his lowest score today, 2.4 mR World Champion and 2008
Paralympic Bronze Medalist John Ruf (Pewaukee, Wis.) continues to lead
his 27-boat fleet. He is followed by 2009 IFDS Disabled Sailing World
Champion Thierry Schmitter (NED) and 2008 Paralympic Gold Medalist Paul
Tingley (CAN). Ruf made a remarkable comeback today in his first race
after starting prematurely and having to restart. He swiftly recovered
to finish tenth, which ended up being his throw-out.

"The Rolex Miami OCR is a good regatta to see how you're doing vs. the
rest of the world," said Ruf, who won the open (able-bodied and
disabled) World Championship this year a day early and with one race to
spare. "I love big fleets," he added.

Biscayne Bay's flat conditions pleased Spain's Marina Alabau, who posted
finish positions of 4-2 in today's two Women's RS:X (board sailing)
races. The "shifty and gusty" 8-12 knot winds, however, made it
necessary to pump the sails, adding greatly to the physical demands for
both men's and women's divisions. "It is important to be in the gust; if
you pump really hard you stay in it, if you don't pump you fall back in
the fleet."

Alabau, the 2009 RS:X World and European Champion and also the defending
champion here, replaced yesterday's leader and Spanish teammate Blanca
Mancon at the top of the scoreboard while Mancon fell to fourth,
allowing France (Charline Picon) and Italy (Laura Linares) the luxury of
second- and third-place positions, respectively.

"I am watching nobody special, just trying to do my best," said Alabau.
"For sure I can win, but maybe there are five others who can win, too.
It's not going to be easy."

According to John Craig (San Francisco, Calif.), principal race officer
for the RS:X race course, both men's and women's fleets have been
aggressive on the line. Three of the last two days' four starts carried
the burden of a "black flag," flown by the race committee after
recalling too many starts due to premature starters. The penalty for
jumping the start on a black flag means disqualification from that race
- end of story.

"Racing among the top 10 in each class is very close," said Craig. "The
physical fitness of these top athletes is a big part of what's making
the difference."

In Men's RS:X, Dorian Rijsselberghe (NED), who won both races yesterday,
maintained his lead today with finish positions of 2-7 worth a
five-point lead over Ivan Pastor (ESP).

About US SAILING's 2010 Rolex Miami OCR
Established in 1990 by US SAILING, the Rolex Miami OCR annually draws
elite sailors, including Olympic and Paralympic medalists and hopefuls
from around the world. This is the second of seven events in the 2010
International Sailing Federation (ISAF) Sailing World Cup circuit. The
USA has the largest contingent of sailors with 169, followed by Canada
(83), France (46), Great Britain (41), The Netherlands (24), Germany
(23), Denmark (18), and Sweden (18). Medals will be awarded to the top
three boats in each Olympic and Paralympic event on Saturday, January
30.

The Rolex Miami OCR hosts the same 10 Olympic and three Paralympic
classes chosen for the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Sailing Competitions.
At the same time, it closely replicates the format and feel of what
sailors can expect at those regattas. The classes are: Laser Radial
(women), Laser (men), Finn (men), Men's RS:X, Women's RS:X, 49er (men),
Men's 470, Women's 470, Star (men) and Elliott 6m (women), 2.4mR (open,
able and disabled), SKUD18 (mixed, disabled) and Sonar (open, disabled).
Regatta Headquarters are located at the US Sailing Center Miami, an
official Olympic training center, in the Coconut Grove section of Miami,
Fla. Event organizers have partnered with the city of Miami to provide
world-class venues for competition. Additional hosts for the event
include Coral Reef Yacht Club, Key Biscayne Yacht Club, Coconut Grove
Sailing Club, Miami Rowing Club and Shake-a-Leg Miami. These sailing
organizations host classes onshore, as well as help run the on-the-water
racing. The Coral Reef Yacht Club also hosts the Opening and Closing
Ceremonies. In addition, the University of Miami Hospital will provide
on-site medical care during the event.

In addition to title sponsor Rolex Watch U.S.A., US SAILING's 2010 Rolex
Miami OCR is also sponsored by AlphaGraphics, Sperry Top-Sider, Atlantis
WeatherGear, Harken, Team McLube, and the University of Miami Hospital.

A complete roster can be viewed at the event web site,
rmocr.ussailing.org, where real-time regatta results, photos and updates
are posted daily. Video highlights, produced by T2Productions, will air
Wednesday through Saturday and can be viewed on the event web site. Fans
can also visit the Facebook fan page and Twitter page.

About the ISAF Sailing World Cup
The ISAF Sailing World Cup is an annual series that brings together the
existing major events on the Olympic and Paralympic sailing circuits,
starting in Australia (Sail Melbourne) in December before moving to the
U.S. (US Sailing's Rolex Miami OCR) in January and then on to Europe
(Trofeo SAR Princess Sofia MAPFRE in Palma, Spain; Semaine Olympique
Francaise in Hyeres, France; the Delta Lloyd Regatta in Medemblik, The
Netherlands; and Kieler Woche in Kiel, Germany) and Great Britain
(Skandia Sail for Gold Regatta at the 2012 Olympic sailing venue at
Weymouth). More than 2,000 of the world's leading sailors representing
65 nations competed in the first season of the World Cup, 2008-2009. By
scoring competitors across all events included in the season, the ISAF
Sailing World Cup offers a definitive guide to the best-of-the-best in
the Olympic and Paralympic sailing worlds.

About Rolex Watch U.S.A., Inc.
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 supporting the US Sailing Team AlphaGraphics, US SAILING
championships, disabled sailing, and offshore, one-design and women's
events. In 2010, Rolex will sponsor over 20 prestigious yachting events
globally, including the Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup, Rolex Big Boat Series,
Rolex Capri Sailing Week, Rolex Farr 40 World Championship, Rolex
Fastnet Race, Rolex Sydney-Hobart Yacht Race and the New York Yacht Club
Race Week at Newport presented by Rolex.

About US SAILING
US SAILING's Rolex Miami OCR is organized by the United States Sailing
Association (US SAILING), the national governing body for sailing, which
provides leadership 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
http://www.ussailing.org. For more information about the US Sailing Team
AlphaGraphics, please visit:http://sailingteams.ussailing.org

(end)

US SAILING's 2010 Rolex Miami OCR
Top-three Finishes
Day Three

49er (36 boats) - 9 races
1. Manu Dyen/Stephane Christidis (FRA), 2-6-3-7-9-1-(15)-6-1, 35
2. Nico LM Delle Karth/Nikolaus Leopold Resch (AUT),
3-5-4-(15)-11-8-3-5-7, 46
3. Will Phillips/ Sam Phillips (AUS), 1-1-1-2-13-12-13-7-(25), 50

Laser Radial (57 boats) - 5 races
1. Paige Railey (Clearwater, Fl., USA), 1-1-4-(10)-3, 9
2. Alison Young (GBR), 3-11-(16)-1-8, 23
3. Cecilia Carranza Saroli (ARG), 10-9-2-(58/BFD)-4, 25

Laser (104 boats)-6 races
1. Bruno Fontes (BRA), 5-1-4-3-(15)-2, 15
2. Nick Thompson (GBR), 1-6-1-1-(23)-13, 22
3. Andreas Geritzer (AUT), 8-5-7-(16)-1-1, 22

Elliott 6m (24 boats)- Ties Unresolved
Gold
1. Lucy Macgregor (GBR), 3
2T. Sally Barkow (Nashotah, Wis.,USA), 2
2T. Anna Tunnicliffe (Plantation, Fl., USA), 2
4T. Claire Leroy (FRA), 1
4T. Nicky Souter (AUS), 1
6. Samantha Osborne (NZL), 0

Repechage
7. Lotte Meldgaard (DEN), 3
8T. Lucinda Whitty (AUS), 2
8T. Silke Hahlbrock (GER), 2
8T. Genny Tulloch (San Francisco, Ca., USA), 2
11T. Renee Groeneveld (NED), 0
11T. Anna Kjellberg (SWE), 0

Silver
13. Ulrike Schuemann (GER), 3
14T. Susanne Ward (DEN), 2

14T. Mandy Mulder (NED), 2
14T. Jen Provan (CAN), 1
14T. Katie Archer (GBR), 1
18. Linur Kliger (ISR), 0

Bronze
19. Ekaterina Skudina (RUS), 4
20. Juliana Senfft (BRA), 3
21T. Margarita Cameselle (ESP), 1
21T. Tania Zimmermann (PER), 1
23T. Katy Lovell (New Orleans, La., USA), 0
23T. Chita Wahlroos (FIN), 0

Finn (37 boats) - 5 races
1. Edward Wright (GBR), 1-2-(19)-1-4, 8
2. Giles Scott (GBR), 2-(7)-1-3-3, 9
3. Zach Railey (Clearwater, Fl., USA), 4-(5)-4-4-1, 13

470 Men (34 boats) - 6 races
1. Nic Asher/Elliot Willis (GBR), 8-9-(14)-1-4-1, 23
2. Panagiotis Mantis/Pavlos Kagialis (GRE), (35/OCS)-14-1-3-3-6, 27
3. Gideon Kliger/Eran Sela (ISR), 2-6-4-6-(13)-13, 31

470 Women (26 boats) - 6 races
1. Amanda Clark/Sarah Chin (Shelter Island Heights, Ny.,USA/Hoboken Nj.,
USA), (7)-6-2-1-3-1, 13
2. Camille Lecointre/Mathilde Geron (FRA), 1-(8)-6-2-2-3, 14
3. Ingrid Petitjean/Nadege Douroux (FRA), 10-2-1-(12)-5-2, 20

Star (26 boats) - 6 races
1. Andy Horton/James Lyne (Burlington, Vt., USA/Granville, Vt., USA),
2-1-3-1-4-(5), 11
2. Eivind Melleby/Petter Morland Pederson (NOR), 1-11-2-(20)-1-1, 16
3. Andrew Macdonald/Austin Sperry (Laguna Beach, Ca., USA/Gulfport,
Al.,USA), 3-5-12-(16)-5-3, 28

RS:X Men (37 boats) - 4 races
1. Dorian Rijsselberghe (NED), 1-1-2-7, 11
2. Ivan Pastor (ESP), 6-5-4-1, 16
3. Kevin Stittle (CAN), 2-3-7-12, 24

RS:X Women (25 boats) - 4 races
1. Marina Alabau (ESP), 2-2-4-2, 10
2. Charline Picon (FRA), 3-3-1-5, 12
3. Laura Linares (ITA), 6-4-2-1, 13

2.4mR (28 boats) - 5 races
1. John Ruf (Pewaukee, Wis.,USA), 2-1-2-(10)-3, 8
2. Thierry Schmitter (NED), 1-3-(6)-3-2, 9
3. Paul Tingley (CAN), 5-5-(7)-2-1, 13

Sonar (9 boats) - 5 races
1. Aleksander Wang-Hansen/Per Eugen Kristiansen/Marie Solberg (NOR),
1-(4)-1-1-3, 6
2. Bruno Jourdren/Eric Flageul/Nicolas Vimont-Vicary (FRA), (7)-1-3-2-2,
8
3. John Robertson/Hannah Stodel/Steve Thomas (GBR), 4-3-2-(6)-1, 10

SKUD-18 (7 boats)-5 races
1. Scott Whitman/Julia Dorsett (Brick, N.J., USA/Boca Raton, Fl., USA),
1-(3)-1-1-1, 4
2. Alexandra Rickham/Niki Birrell (GBR), (4)-1-4-3-2, 10
3. John McRoberts/Brenda Hopkin (CAN), 3-(4)-2-2-3, 10