Roelx Miami OCR - Day Four
Competition Heats up for Final Stretch

Posted Thursday, January 28, 2010

 
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Today was a critical day for sailors competing in 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/> Highlighted by both lead
changes and consolidations, it raised the heat for tomorrow's final
stretch: where medal winners in three Paralympic sailors will be named
and top-ten sailors in ten Olympic classes will be determined for entry
into Saturday's medal races. Representing 45 nations, 448 teams (633
athletes) are competing on Biscayne Bay for this annual event, which is
one of the most important preparation regattas for sailors gunning for
the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

US Sailing Team AlphaGraphics' Paige Railey (Clearwater, Fla.) finished
the day with an 18-point lead overall in the Laser Radial class,
followed by Spain's Alicia Cebrian. While it seemed like it was going to
be the steadiest day of the week, it ended up being another day of
difficult racing for the 57-boat fleet. Railey said she fought through
both of today's races, from start to finish, and made quick changes due
to continually shifting wind.

"We had crazy wind from all different sides," said Railey, the 2006 US
SAILING Rolex Yachtswoman of the Year and ISAF Rolex World Sailor of the
Year. "I saw some big comebacks and huge losses. You could go from last
to top-five in one shift."

In the first race, Railey said she played it conservative but got stuck
in the middle of two big shifts. She rounded deep, but then made a
comeback on the first run and grabbed the lead. The same thing happened
in the second race: she sailed conservatively, covered her bases sailing
down the middle but ended up lodged between the shifts. In the last
downwind leg, she broke free and took a commanding lead.

"Racing was incredibly hard today," she said. "It was easy to get
disheartened, but I kept fighting the whole time. Patience was key."

The UK's Nick Thompson, who yesterday trailed leader Bruno Fontes by
seven points in the Laser class, today soared past the Brazilian to take
a 26-point lead. Such was Thompson's fortune on the merit of posting two
victories in as many races today while Fontes suffered a 20-44, setting
him back to second place and tied on points with third-place finisher
Jean-Baptiste Bernaz (FRA).

"It was a tough day, real shifty, like yesterday," said Thompson, "and
you had to get in sync with those shifts. When you're in sync and you
know you're sailing well, sometimes it's easy to go off your own way and
sometimes you're able to pull well away to extend your lead, but once I
got ahead I just decided to be conservative and consolidate, so my leads
were not huge. There are three more races, so this certainly isn't
over."

In the high performance dinghy event, racing among the top 49ers in the
world has been especially competitive. The point spread tightened at the
top today, with only nine points separating the first- and fifth-place
teams. France's Manu Dyen and Stephane Christidis maintained their lead
in the 26-boat fleet after 12 races overall, five points ahead of
Denmark's duo of Simon Karstoft and Jonathan Bay who posted a consistent
3-3-3 today.

"I think it was a really tricky day out there," said Karstoff, adding
that positions over the 1.1-mile course "could change so much, so it's a
challenge to keep your cool."

Kartsoff said he and Bay kept it simple and didn't panic on the race
course. "We had good speed and good starts and that allowed us to get to
the good places early, which was key for us."

In the first race of the day, the Phillips brothers from Australia had a
good start off the line, maintained their lane to the left and were the
first to tack on the left side of the course. They owned the middle for
the rest of the beat and rounded ahead of the fleet. From there, they
continued their lead through to the finish. The Finnish team of Lauri
Lehtinen and Kalle Bask won the second and third races.

The 49er class started in 1995 and parachuted into the Olympic Games in
2000. The fleet has grown substantially over the last 10 years,
attracting sailors from other classes who seek fast and exhilarating
racing. Their races are only 30 minutes long, so they can squeeze in up
to four races a day in perfect conditions. "It's the F1 Ferrari of
sailboat racing," said USSTAG's Trevor Moore (S. Burlington, Vt.).
"Every aspect of the game is an adrenaline rush. There's never a dull
moment on the race course. There's always a split-second reaction
needed: the longer you wait, the more costly it is.

For results and photos, visit http://rmocr.ussailing.org. Video
highlights, produced by T2Productions, air nightly through Saturday and
can be viewed on the event web site. Fans can also visit the Facebook
fan page and Twitter page.

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.

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 Four

2.4mR (28 boats) - 8 races
1. Thierry Schmitter (NED), 1-3-(6)-3-2-4-6-2, 21
2. John Ruf (Pewaukee, Wis.,USA), 2-1-2-10-3-6-1-(11), 25
3. Paul Tingley (CAN), 5-5-7-2-1-1-1-4-(9), 25

49er (36 boats) - 12 races
1. Manu Dyen/Stephane Christidis (FRA),
2-6-3-7-9-1-(15)-6-1-10-(10/OCS/RDG)-10, 65
2. Simon Karstoft/Jonathon Bay (DEN), 10-(23)-2-5-6-3-12-14-9-3-3-3, 70
3. Allan Norregaard/Peter Lang (DEN), 6-11-6-11-8-2-10-4-3-7-(25)-7, 75

Star (26 boats) - 8 races
1. Andy Horton/James Lyne (Burlington, Vt., USA/Granville, Vt., USA),
2-1-3-1-4-5-(25/OCS)-1, 17
2. Eivind Melleby/Petter Morland Pederson (NOR), 1-11-2-(20)-1-1-2-2, 20
3. Mark Mendelblatt/John Von Schwarz (St. Petersburg, Fla.,
USA/Annapolis, Md., USA), 8-8-1-11-(25/OCS)-2-1-5, 36

RS:X Women (25 boats) - 6 races
1. Blanca Manchon (ESP), 1-1-(10)-3-2-1, 8
2. Charline Picon (FRA), 3-3-1-(5)-1-4, 12
3. Marina Alabau (ESP), 2-2-(4)-2-4-2, 10

RS:X Men (37 boats) - 6 races
1. Dorian Rijsselberghe (NED), 1-1-2-(7)-1-5, 10
2. Ivan Pastor (ESP), (6)-5-4-1-2-3, 15
3. Nicolas Huguet (FRA), 8-7-8-4-(9)-2, 29

Finn (37 boats) - 8 races
1. Edward Wright (GBR), 1-2-(19)-1-4-1-1-3, 13
2. Giles Scott (GBR), 2-7-1-3-3-3-(8)-6, 25
3. Zach Railey (Clearwater, Fla., USA), 4-(5)-4-4-1-5-4-5, 27

Laser Radial (57 boats) - 8 races
1. Paige Railey (Clearwater, Fla., USA), 1-1-4-(10)-3-9-3-1, 22
2. Alicia Cebrian (ESP), (58/BFD)-2-19-5-1-4-4-5, 40
3. Alison Young (GBR), 3-11-16-1-8-(25)-11-9, 59

Laser (104 boats)-8 races
1. Nick Thompson (GBR), 1-6-1-1-(23)-13-1-1, 22
2. Bruno Fontes (BRA), 5-1-4-3-15-2-20-(44), 50
3. Jean-Baptiste Bernaz (FRA), 2-11-14-11-1-3-8-(25), 50

Elliott 6m - (24 boats)
Quarter-final 1:
Lucy Macgregor/Annie Lush/Ally Martin (GBR) leads Lotte
Meldgaard/Susanne Boidin/Tina Schmidt Gramkov (DEN), 2-0

Quarter-final 2:
Anna Tunnicliffe(/Molly Vandemoer/Debbie Capozzi (Plantation, Fla.,
USA/Palo Alto, Calif., USA/(Bayport, N.Y., USA) leads Lucinda
Whitty/Amanda Scrivenor/Jessica Eastwell(AUS), 2-0

Quarter-final 3:
Nicky Souter/Stacey Jackson/Ray Martin (AUS) and Samantha Osborne/Jenna
Hansen/Raynor Smeal (NZL), tied 1-1

Quarter-final 4:
Claire Leroy/Marie Riou/Elodie Bertrand (FRA) leads Sally Barkow/Katie
Pettibone/Nicole Breault (Nashotah, Wis.,USA)/ Sacramento, Calif., USA/
Old Lyme, Conn. USA)

470 Women (26 boats) - 8 races
1. Ingrid Petitjean/Nadege Douroux (FRA), 10-2-1-(11)-5-2-1-2, 23
2. Amanda Clark/Sarah Chin (Shelter Island Heights, N.Y..,USA/Hoboken
N.J., USA), 7-6-2-1-3-1-(13)-3, 23
3. Camille Lecointre/Mathilde Geron (FRA), 1-(8)-6-2-2-3-5-7, 26

470 Men (34 boats) - 8 races
1. Anton Dahlberg/Sebastian A-stling (SWE), 7-4-2-8-11-(19)-4-4, 40
2. Nic Asher/Elliot Willis (GBR), 8-9-14-1-4-1-(16)-5, 42
3. Gideon Kliger/Eran Sela (ISR), 2-6-4-6-12-(13)-2-13, 45

SKUD-18 (7 boats)-8 races
1. Scott Whitman/Julia Dorsett (Brick, N.J., USA/Boca Raton, Fl., USA),
1-(3)-1-1-1-2-2-2, 10
2. French/Jean-Paul Creignou (St. Petersburg, Fla., USA/St. Petersburg,
Fla., USA), 2-2-3-4-(6)-1-1-1, 14
3. Alexandra Rickham/Niki Birrell (GBR), (4)-1-4-3-2-3-3-3, 19

Sonar (9 boats) - 8 races
1. Aleksander Wang-Hansen/Per Eugen Kristiansen/Marie Solberg (NOR),
1-(4)-1-1-1-1-3, 11
2. John Robertson/Hannah Stodel/Steve Thomas (GBR), 4-3-2-(6)-1-2-2-1,
15
3. Bruno Jourdren/Eric Flageul/Nicolas Vimont-Vicary (FRA),
(7)-1-3-2-2-5-6-4, 23