Day 4: Top Sailors Awarded at West Marine US Open Fort Lauderdale

Charlie Buckingham (USA) and Juan Maegli (GUA) on Monday at the 2021 West Marine US Open Sailing Series – Fort Lauderdale. Photo by Ellinor Walters.

Watch the Final Recap Video from 2020 West Marine US Open Sailing – Fort Lauderdale

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FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (January 18, 2021) – It was a banner, yet challenging, day of sailing on the water for the 135 sailors competing at the 2021 West Marine US Open Sailing Series inaugural event, hosted by the Lauderdale Yacht Club. The fourth and final day of the regatta took place on Monday as sailors in three Laser classes pushed through the shifty conditions to close out on a strong note.

Laser Radial:

Chapman Petersen (Fontana, Wis.) had an eight-point lead entering today and he won by 11 points after three more races in the 70-boat Laser Radial fleet. He won two of the three races on Monday to close out the regatta. Petersen won four of seven races overall. Robby Meek (Annapolis, Md.) placed second and Sarah Douglas (CAN) finished third and was the top performing female. She edged Paige Railey (Clearwater, Fla.) who finished the regatta in fourth overall and Hallie Schiffman (Sarasota, Fla.) was fifth.

“This is the biggest event of the winter and I’m super excited to be here,” said Chapman. “I’ve been looking forward for to this event for nine months.”

Chapman has been making incremental improvements on his technique and that work has paid off. “One way I stay consistent is getting good transitions between puffs and lulls and having good tacks and good starts. If on an average you are doing the little things better, than on average you are going to continue to get better. My next goal is to win a Youth World Championship in the Laser Radial and then move to Full Fig.”

Canadian sailor Sarah Douglas has been training in South Florida with U.S. sailors for the past several months leading up to the start of the series. “I’ve been training with the American girls this fall and winter and we keep pushing each other on the water,” said Douglas. “We worked on our speed and technique, and put together good hiking blocks in Clearwater and Fort Lauderdale.” Douglas is attempting to qualify for the Tokyo 2020 Games.

Laser Full Rig:

Three-time Olympian Juan Maegli (GUA) took first place overall honors in the 42-boat Laser Full Rig competition. He won by seven points over Francisco Rigonat (ARG). Charlie Buckingham (USA) placed third and was the top U.S. sailor in the event. Maegli had an early lead in the regatta after winning three of the first four races. He placed third and fifth today and did not need to compete in the final race of the regatta to win.

Nicholas Reeser (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.) was the top performing junior sailor in the Full Rig fleet. Reeser was seventh overall.

“I have just been trying my best to put my boat in position, no matter where the wind was coming from and that led to some pretty good decisions on the water,” said Maegli. I have been focusing on my fitness more recently and have not spent much time on the water. I will spend the next couple months here in Florida and put a lot of hours on the water. We have a really good fleet here with Charlie (Buckingham) my training partner, some good young Americans, Canadians, and the Latin Americans, so it’s a nice field.”

Laser 4.7:

Umi Noritake (Miami Beach, Fla.) won a closely contested 23-boat Laser 4.7 fleet by four points over Conor Kellett (Miami Beach, Fla.) and seven points over Jacob Zils (Wayzata, Minn.). Only one point separated these three sailors entering Monday, with Zils holding on to a one-point lead. Noritake placed fourth and fifth today and was able to move into first place to win the Laser 4.7 fleet.

“It was really hard racing this week and it was super shifty,” added Zils. “Consistency was the name of the game and I was just trying to stay in the top three each race.”

Noritake was ecstatic with the win and his performance this week. “It was a tough weekend. The wind was all over the place. Whoever was the most consistent with their starts and races was on top and that happened to be me.”

He also reflected on his experience being out on the water with Olympians. “It was a change from regular practice. We’ve practiced with some of them before and it can be a little nerve racking at the starting line being a 14-year-old against Olympians.”

“The best thing I had going for me the entire regatta was my boat handling and wanting it more than anyone else,” added Noritake.

Anna Vasilieva (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.) was the top female performer in the 4.7 fleet, and she finished fourth overall.


On Monday, January 11, US Sailing and host yacht clubs at sailing venues in Florida and California launched a new racing and training series of Olympic-class regattas in 2021 and beyond.

The West Marine US Open Sailing Series offers an increase in high-quality Olympic-class racing for U.S. athletes with a goal of attracting top-level 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 as a runway to the Olympic Games for prospective athletes. With the 2028 LA Olympics on the distant horizon, it is essential for US Sailing to establish a consistent and predictable cycle for athletes to plan for on an annual basis.

“This was the official start of the West Marine US Open Sailing Series and it’s a game changer for providing a consistent schedule of racing from year to year,” said Leandro Spina, US Sailing Olympic Program Director. “We have different conditions and excellent venues on both coasts and it helps us be very efficient with our resources and expedite the progress we’re chasing. We’re able to bring together top talent, entry level, and everything in between, and the series is attracting strong sailors from other countries.”

“This platform is an excellent opportunity to keep training, and this weekend was a successful measurement of how the Olympic Development Program is making our sailors stronger. It was great to see the strong, young talent this weekend pushing the athletes, and it’s exciting to see the rising level of competition that’s working together to make each other stronger. This has been an amazing starting point and it’s only going to get better.”

Leandro Spina, US Sailing Olympic Program Director:

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Click Event Media for more photos.

Daily Recaps:

Day 3 – Patience Pays off for Afternoon Sailing

Day 2 – A Laser Show Breaks out in Fort Lauderdale

Day 1 – Start of Racing Postponed to Saturday

Preview – First Stop on the 2021 West Marine US Open Sailing Series: Fort Lauderdale

Chapman Petersen at the 2021 West Marine US Open Sailing Series – Fort Lauderdale. Photo by Ellinor Walters

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.

MEDIA CONTACT:
Jake Fish, US Sailing Communications
jakefish@ussailing.org

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