Month: June 2021

Final Recap: Champions in Five Classes Decided on Sunday at West Marine US Open Sailing Series – San Diego

 

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Final Standings

SAN DIEGO, Calif. (June 13, 2021) – It was a mad dash to the finish in champagne conditions on Sunday at the 2021 West Marine US Open Sailing Series – San Diego. Top athletes competing in the ILCA 7 (Laser), ILCA 6 (Laser Radial), ILCA 4 (Laser 4.7), Finn, and 29er events this week raced over two days this weekend at the launch for the West Coast tour of the 2021 West Marine US Open Sailing Series.

Sailors raced in moderate breeze, 10 to 12 knots, under sunny skies for most of Sunday. Sailors on both courses experienced swells with choppy conditions and three to four foot waves rolling through. The wind held steady on the right side of the course for most of the day.

The young and talented ILCA 7 (Laser) fleet featuring 18 sailors included action-packed and close racing throughout the weekend. Leo Boucher (Annapolis, Md.) closed out a successful regatta on Sunday with another strong performance. After posting 1-2-2-1 results on Saturday, he remained consistent on Sunday with scores of 2-2-[5]. Boucher edged Ford McCann (Kemah, Texas) by two points. McCann won three races in the regatta including the final race of the event to pull within two points of the lead. Connor Nelson (Tampa, Fla.) took home third place honors. The win for Boucher marks his second West Marine US Open title of 2021. He also won last February in Clearwater.

“We had more pressure and breeze today which put more sailors in play at the top, so it was super competitive,” added Boucher.

Thomas Kraak (Palos Verdes Estate, Calif.) won first place overall in the ILCA 6 (Radial) fleet, while Katharine Doble (Pacific Palisades, Calif.) was the top performing female sailor in the fleet and second overall. Kraak sailed fast on Sunday with a 1-3-2 scoring line to win by four points. Doble had a strong regatta this weekend after jumping out to an early lead on Saturday by winning two of the first three races of the event.

“I had some great moments this week, especially yesterday with the starts,” said Doble. “We had a couple of pin favorite starts and I was pleased with how they went for me. I made a good decision on the first beat, and I think that was really important to break out from the fleet and then have all the options.”

“It’s great to have the series come here in California,” she added. “Being able to compete against such a talented fleet in San Diego is a great way for me to train without having to travel too far.”

The Finn class had a race thrown out from Saturday due to a drifting mark and made up that race on Sunday. They had ample breeze on Sunday and sailors were allowed to pump and rock the boats around the course. In the end it was Rob Coutts (La Jolla, Calif.) who just edged AJ Nosar (Long Beach, Calif.) in a tiebreaker to take home first place. Coutts won two races this weekend including the final race of the regatta to win the championship. Nosar was second in Race 6. James Buley (San Diego, Calif.) placed third overall, just one point off the lead.

Sammie Gardner and Alice Schmid (San Diego, Calif.) continued their dominance in the 29er fleet on Sunday. The duo capped off a successful regatta with another strong day on the water. They won four of the seven races this week and won the championship by two points over Anton Schmid and Peter Joslin (San Diego, Calif.) who were close behind. Kelly Holthus and Jon Seawards (La Jolla, Calif.) finished third.

“The highlight of the weekend for us was being able to go out in the ocean with waves and practice surfing, especially since we had such great wind today,” said Alice Schmid. “It helps us get a better feel for racing in different conditions. We’re stoked that we won. It came down to the last race and was very close.”

Oscar Parzen (San Diego, Calif.) led the pack in the ILCA 4 (4.7) fleet and won by six points over Talia Hamlin. Parzen won four of seven races this weekend.

Event News and Social Media:


Event Media Contacts:
Jake Fish, US Sailing Communications
jakefish@ussailing.org    

Casey Coffin, SDYC Communications
casey@sdyc.org  

Day 1: California Tour Gets Underway at West Marine US Open Sailing Series

West Marine US Open Sailing – San Diego. Photo by Ellinor Walters.

by Casey Coffin

West Marine US Open Sailing – San Diego. Photo by Simone Staff.

SAN DIEGO, Calif. (June 12, 2021) – The West Coast tour of the West Marine US Open Sailing Series kicked off on Saturday in full San Diego sunshine. With only two days of racing, stakes were high on Day 1 for a mix of young Olympic hopefuls and experienced sailors.

The 29ers and the Finns set out this morning for Course A while the ILCA 7 (Laser), ILCA 6 (Laser Radial) and ILCA 4 (Laser 4.7) ventured slightly further and took on Course B. The breeze stuck around 8-10 knots with some puffs and favored the left side for most of the day, an unlikely occurrence in San Diego. All of the classes sailed four races today.

The ILCA 7 class was dominated by Leo Boucher. After three races, Boucher took the lead by six points over Ford McCann with a 1-2-2-1 scoring line on the day. All three of the current top standings are participating in the series as part of the Olympic Development Program (ODP).

The ILCA 4 was the smallest fleet on the water today with five boats on the starting line. Oscar Parzen beat Kousei Hatter by only two points, finishing with seven overall in the current standings and winning two of the four races. With such light winds, Parzen found it challenging to move quickly, but sailed smart and stayed consistent in the results.

“The first race was pretty important,” said Parzen. “In most regattas, it is, because you don’t know a lot about the conditions and the fleet, and it sets your mental attitude for the rest of the day. I’m planning on going out there early again tomorrow to practice like I did today.”

Parzen is currently training for the ILCA 4 National Championships in Norfolk, Virginia in two weeks. “My goal overall in sailing is to just have a really good time.”

The top 10 sailors of the Radial fleet experienced a really fair game with a variety of scoring and results across the fleet. Katherine Doble finished day one with two bullets in three races, earning herself the first place spot on the standings.

“The courses were well set and long,” said Doble. “A big priority for me was getting off the start well. I have good speed in these conditions, being from California, but if you have a good start, it makes the other decisions come easier. To get off on the right foot in race one was an important way to start the day and the regatta.”

She continued, “I’m really excited that the US Open Sailing Series has come to the west coast. It’s great to have such talent come right here and get to race against them in the conditions that we have here on the west coast in the summer.”

Newport Harbor Yacht Club’s Robert Kinney finished first in the Finn Fleet, two points ahead of James Buley in second and four points ahead of AJ Nosar in third. The fleet sailed four races.

In the 29ers fleet, Samantha Gardner and Alice Schmid were a force to be reckoned with. The duo spoke at an in-store event with fans on Friday night at West Marine – San Diego alongside two-time Olympic medalist and San Diego Yacht Club mentor JJ Fetter. Fetter checked in with them on the water, where they explained they were working on finding their rhythm and climbing back up after a rough start on race one.

Paul Cayard, Executive Director of the US Sailing Team, made an appearance on the West Marine Coaches Corner this morning. With Los Angeles 2028 in the future, Cayard emphasized how crucial a domestic platform like the West Marine US Open Sailing Series really is.

“Building a domestic platform in the United States is fundamental to us being the strongest team in the world. Having 70 to 80 sailors racing against each other six times a year in the US, heading towards Los Angeles 2028 when we’re sure a lot of international sailors will also participate in these regattas, is a fantastic opportunity and a fundamental building block in making the USA the strongest country in the world in sailing,” said Cayard.

 

 

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West Marine US Open Sailing Series Begins Summer Tour in San Diego

Top Young Sailors to Compete in San Diego 

SAN DIEGO, Calif. (June 10, 2021) – The West Marine US Open Sailing Series launched in January 2021 with a big splash in Florida over three events at major sailing venues in Fort Lauderdale, Miami, and Clearwater. This exciting new US Sailing racing series resumes this weekend in sunny San Diego, a historically popular sailing location with Olympic sailing roots.  

West Marine US Open Sailing – San Diego is hosted by the San Diego Yacht Club and Southwestern Yacht Club on Saturday, June 12 and Sunday, June 13. The San Diego event is the first of three stops in California as part of the series. Following the stop in San Diego, the series heads North with events in Long Beach in July and San Francisco in August.  

“We are excited to continue the series as the summer tour in California gets underway this weekend in San Diego,” said Leandro Spina, Olympic Development Director at US Sailing. “It’s great to be working closely with local sailing community here in San Diego who are committed to Olympic sailing. There is a collection of good, young athletes from the Olympic Development Program and also from the local community who are competing in the series.” 

Racing Details: 

  • Racing Days: Saturday, June 12 and Sunday, June 13 
  • Sailing Venue: San Diego South Bay and the Pacific Ocean course off Point Loma in San Diego. 
  • Racing Classes: ILCA 7 (Laser Standard); ILCA 6 (Laser Radial); ILCA (Laser 4.7); Finn; 29er 

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“We have been running Olympic-class regattas like this for years, and we welcome the collaboration with US Sailing,” said Susi Graf, Regatta Chair at the San Diego Yacht Club. “As part of the West Marine US Open Sailing Series we are benefiting from the overall organization of the series in many ways: sponsorships, marketing, technical expertise, equipment and more. Going forward, our event will just get bigger and better as we all work together towards the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles.” 

MarkSetBot, a revolutionary new race committee tool that increases the accuracy and efficiency of mark setting, is a supporting sponsor for the three West Marine US Open Sailing Series events in California. They are providing MarkSetBot devices for all three of these events. 

 2021 West Marine US Open Sailing Series events in California:  

  • June 12-13: San Diego, California
    San Diego Yacht Club / Southwestern Yacht Club  
  • July 9-11: Long Beach, California
    Alamitos Bay Yacht Club / Long Beach Yacht Club / US Sailing Center Long Beach  
  • August 13-15: San Francisco, California – Registration Coming Soon!
    St. Francis Yacht Club / Treasure Island Sailing Center / San Francisco Yacht Club  

Registration is open for sailors interested in competing at West Marine US Open Sailing Series events in San Diego and Long Beach. Click here to register 

  • San Diego: Registration period closes Thursday, June 10.  
  • Long Beach: Registration period closes Saturday, July 10.  
  • Registration for West Marine US Open Sailing – San Francisco will likely open in June. 

Join us for a Panel Discussion with Sailing Olympians and Olympic Hopefuls: 

As we kick off the West Marine US Open Sailing Series in California, we invite you to join us in a panel discussion with sailing Olympians and Olympic hopefuls.  

Join San Diego’s JJ Fetter and athletes at West Marine US Open Sailing – San Diego where they will share their stories and answer questions from the attending audience. 

Fetter is a two-time Olympic medalist and four-time Rolex Yachtswoman of the Year award winner. Samantha Gardner and Alice Schmid are competing at West Marine US Open Sailing – San Diego and Diego Escobar is coming off the pre-US Open Olympic Development Camp. 

Meet the Panelists: 

  • JJ Fetter (San Diego, Calif.) – Two-time Olympic Medalist 
  • Samantha Gardner & Alice Schmid (San Diego Yacht Club) – 29er Team 
  • Diego Escobar (Mission Bay Yacht Club) – ILCA (Laser) Sailor 

Event Details: 

  • Friday, June 11, 2021 at 5:30 pm PDT / 8:30 pm EDT 
  • Location:
    West Marine San Diego
    1250 Rosecrans
    San Diego, CA 92106 

About the West Marine US Open Sailing Series: 

The West Marine US Open Sailing Series offers an increase in high-quality Olympic-class and one design racing for U.S. athletes with a long-term goal of attracting top-level national and international competitors to race in these regattas for years to come.  

US Sailing and the larger community of sailors in the U.S. identified a demand for a racing and training platform based in the United States that serves to provide a runway to the Olympic Games for prospective athletes. With the 2028 LA Olympics on the distant horizon, it was essential for US Sailing to establish a consistent and predictable cycle for athletes to plan for on an annual basis.  

This series of regattas allows US Sailing to provide more support for sailors at these events through advanced and in-person coaching, training, and data collection. The series is an important part of the training plans for young sailors participating as part of the Olympic Development Program (ODP), a US Sailing initiative supported by the AmericaOne Foundation that provides world-class coaching support to promising American youth sailors competing in high-performance classes. 

To learn more about the West Marine US Open Sailing Series and to follow all the action in 2021, visit the series website at usopen.ussailing.org.   

Event Media Contacts:
Jake Fish, US Sailing Communications
jakefish@ussailing.org    

Casey Coffin, SDYC Communications
casey@sdyc.org  

 

Olympian JJ Fetter Joins Discussion Panel at West Marine US Open Sailing Series in San Diego

Diego Escobar (right)

Join us for a Panel Discussion with Sailing Olympians and Olympic Hopefuls

Click to Register for Free 

As we kick off the West Marine US Open Sailing Series in California, we invite you to join us in a panel discussion with sailing Olympians and Olympic hopefuls. 

Join San Diego’s JJ Fetter and athletes at West Marine US Open Sailing – San Diego where they will share their stories and answer questions from the attending audience.

Fetter is a two-time Olympic medalist and four-time Rolex Yachtswoman of the Year award winner. Samantha Gardner and Alice Schmid are competing at West Marine US Open Sailing – San Diego and Diego Escobar is coming off the pre-US Open Olympic Development Camp.

This is a limited seating event, so sign-up today! 

Panelists:

  • JJ Fetter (San Diego, Calif.): Two-time Olympic Medalist
  • Samantha Gardner & Alice Schmid (San Diego Yacht Club) – 29er Team
  • Diego Escobar (Mission Bay Yacht Club) – ILCA (Laser) Sailor

Event Details:

  • Dates: Friday, June 11, 2021 at 5:30 pm PDT / 8:30 pm EDT
  • Location:  
    West Marine San Diego
    1250 Rosecrans
    San Diego, CA 92106 
  • Click to Register for Free 
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