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Clearwater West Marine US Open Sailing Series Wraps After Three Days of Racing

Quick Links:  

  • See the results  
  • Check out photos from the event (Password: WMUSOSS) 
  • Watch daily recap videos on Facebook 

The Clearwater West Marine US Open Sailing Series concluded Sunday after three days of racing in a variety of conditions. The ILCA 6, ILCA 7, Nacra 15, iQFOiL, and Formula Kite all completed between 8 and 11 races over three days.  

Friday saw champagne conditions, with 12-16 knots from the southwest under sunny skies, while Saturday brought the heat, testing athletes’ endurance in 16-20 knots and five-foot seas. The wind settled down on Sunday, staying light throughout the day, causing racing to be cancelled for the iQFOiL class. All other classes were able to get at least one race completed.  

Well-rounded athletes excelled over the six classes this weekend, making this event a showcase of some of the best Olympic talent in America and beyond.  

“With the West Marine Open Series, we’re trying to build a platform that is an opportunity for all the US Sailors to gain the strength that comes with depth of a national fleet,” said Paul Cayard, Executive Director of US Olympic Sailing.  

iQFOiL Men 

In the iQFOiL Class, local Clearwater stars Noah Lyons and Alex Temko took first and second place, respectively; with Lyons winning by six points. This was a reversal of their finishes at 2021 iQFOiL Nationals, where Temko bested Lyons in a tiebreaker. Finally, US athlete Ethan Froelich of Austin, TX rounded out the podium in third.  

iQFOiL Women 

Mexico’s Demita Vega de Lille finished first in the Women’s iQFOiL, winning the class handily with a lead of 12 points over second place finisher Bryn Muller (USA). US Sailing Olympic Development Program athlete Dominique Stater took third with a total of 22 points.  

iQFOiL U19 

The iQFOiL U19 class saw a strong showing from the Hawaiian delegation this weekend. Manihi’I Pahuatini, of KYC Windclub Hawaii, took first place with 13 points, while teammate Makani Andrews took third with 20 points. Clearwater Community Sailing Center local Garrett January came in second with 18 points.  

Formula Kite 

In it’s first appearance at the 2022 US Open series, the Formula Kite class was dominated by Paris 2024 hopeful Markus Edegran, finishing first with a total of 10 points. Californian Kai Calder took second, while Antiguan Tiger Tyson rounded out the podium in third.  

Nacra 15 

This year’s event served as the Nacra 15 class’s sole qualifier for 2022 Youth Worlds in The Hauge, The Netherlands. Qualifying for the USA was Dorothy Mendelblatt and Ian Iles-Lee, with a total of 16 points. Cody Roe and Matthew St. Romain (USA) took second, while Elizabeth Frost and Bryan Pan (USA) came in third after a total of eight races.  

“It was a stressful day, but we pulled through and we got it,” said Iles-Lee. “Tough conditions to sail in for sure. But we’re very excited to represent our country at Youth Worlds!” 

ILCA 6 

In the ILCA 6 class, US Sailing ODP athlete Christina Sakellaris commanded the fleet, taking first place with a total of only nine points. US Sailing Team member Charlotte Rose came in second with 17 points, and Coralie Vittecoq of Canada took third with 24 points. This event was the first of two qualifiers for 2022 Youth Worlds in the ILCA 6 class. Peter Barnard and Katharine Doble finished on top of the U19 category ahead of the Laser Midwinters West in March.  

ILCA 7 

The Canadians came out on top of the ILCA 7 class this weekend, with Tokyo Olympian Tom Ramshaw taking first with 12 points, followed closely by national teammate Fillah Karim in second with 15 points. US Sailing ODP athlete Leo Boucher rounded out the podium in third with a total of 20 points.  

This year, sailors from the United States competing in Olympic classes are eligible for prize money over the three Florida and three California events; a first in US Sailing history. Athletes are awarded $1000 for first place, $500 for second and $250 for third. Ten US athletes took home $5,750 of prize money in Clearwater this weekend.  

US Sailing would like to thank Baystar Restaurant Group, Sail Life Clearwater, the City of Clearwater, Clearwater Yacht Club, Clearwater Community Sailing Center, Dunedin Boat Club, Advent Health, Clearwater Marine Aquarium, Dark Horse Marine, and Freedom Boat Club for their support of this event. Events like these wouldn’t be possible without their generous support.

Clearwater marks the end of the Series Florida tour. The California events kick off this summer, starting with the West Marine US Open Sailing Series – San Diego, June 17-19. It is followed by Long Beach, July 15-17, and San Francisco, August 12-14. Registration for these events will open soon. 

San Francisco to Host West Marine US Open Sailing Series Finale  

SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. (August 10, 2021) – The West Marine US Open Sailing Series enters the sixth and final event of the 2021 circuit in spectacular San Francisco, a premiere global sailing destination, as sailors from around the nation will come together for three days of racing in five classes.   

Registration remains open for sailors interested in competing at West Marine US Open Sailing – San Francisco.  

Click here to register! 

US Sailing launched the debut of the West Marine US Open Sailing Series at the beginning of 2021 with host yacht clubs in Florida including three events in Fort Lauderdale, Miami, and Clearwater that took place in January and February. The second half of the 2021 West Marine US Open Sailing Series took a West Coast swing this summer with events in San Diego and Long Beach.  

The next and final event on the 2021 schedule is San Francisco on August 13-15, 2021, hosted by St. Francis Yacht Club and San Francisco Yacht Club. The competing men and women sailor athletes will be racing in the ILCA 6, ILCA 4, International 420, Formula Kite, and iQFoil in San Francisco Bay this week. 

There is a lot at stake for many of the competing sailors this week. US Open Sailing San Francisco will be a Junior Pan Am Games selection event for the iQFoil. The event will also be used in ranking sailors for the 2021 Formula Kite World Championships. 

Follow the Racing:    

  • Regatta News and Coverage: Visit the official 2021 West Marine US Open Sailing Series event website for news, results and standings, photos and videos, and regatta information.   
  • Social Media: Follow @USSailing and the @USSailingTeam on Instagram for breaking news, fun stories, videos, photos, and more from San Francisco.       
  • Join the Conversation: Use hashtag – #USOpenSailing in your social media posts.   

Olympians Paul Cayard, Pam Healy, and Helena Scutt Featured at LIVE West Marine Store Events in Alameda & Sausalito

In anticipation of the start of West Marine US Open Sailing – San Francisco this Friday, August 13 through Sunday, August 15, West Marine and US Sailing is hosting a pair of LIVE events at West Marine stores in Alameda and Sausalito featuring Olympians and Olympic hopefuls. Join us for these special events! Click below to learn more.

US Sailing’s Reach program and Kilroy Realty to Host Sustainability Day for Youth in San Francisco on August 13 at Crissy Field. Click here to learn more.

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. 

The yacht clubs and sailing organizations hosting these West Marine US Open Sailing Series events are the Organizing Authorities for each regatta. 

US Sailing Media Contact:
Jake Fish, Communications Manager
jakefish@ussailing.org

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  

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