2011 Rolex Miami OCR

[MLovett]

January 20, 2011


Sailors at Top of Their Games to Compete

Nothing says elite-level competition like US SAILING’s Rolex Miami OCR, which returns to Coconut Grove, Fla., for its 22nd time on Monday, January 24 through Saturday, January 29, bringing together the world’s top sailing athletes for competition in the classes selected for the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games. Held on Biscayne Bay, this prestigious event is the second stop on the International Sailing Federation’s (ISAF) Sailing World Cup 2010-2011 circuit, and as such has already registered over 800 sailors from 52 countries.

“Most athletes training for the 2012 Olympics or Paralympics will say they don’t want to peak just yet,” said US SAILING High Performance Director Kenneth Andreasen (Tampa, Fla.), “but you can bet the sailors here will be very serious about being in the top five, if not winning, in their classes and accumulating points toward their standings in the ISAF Sailing World Cup circuit, which affects their world rankings.” Andreasen added that no less than 30 US Sailing Team AlphaGraphics members are competing, while other U.S. sailors will be named to the team based on their finishes here. “From all over the world, there will be athletes who are either already on their national teams or aspiring to be named to them,” said Andreasen, “and there will be dozens upon dozens of national team coaches and private coaches attending.”

Not to mention a slew of Olympic and Paralympic medalists and world champions.

Mathew Belcher and Malcolm Page (AUS), sailing in the Men’s 470 class, are 2010 ISAF Sailing World Cup and 470 class world champions who are ranked #1 in the world, with Page having crewed for an Olympic Gold medal (with Nathan Wilmot) in Beijing (2008).

“It certainly is a nice feeling to know that you are on the right track; however, sport is sport, and there are a lot of top guys right there also,” said Belcher. “This year at the Rolex Miami OCR, I think we have everyone in the top 10 in the world here from the 470 men’s class.”

If it is by resume that Belcher and Page are favorites in the Men’s 470 class, then Ben Ainslie (GBR) is the favorite in Finn class. He won a silver medal at the 1996 Olympic Games and gold in the 2000 Games in the Laser class. He put on 40 pounds and moved to the larger Finn boat for the 2004 Olympics, where he won gold, repeating the feat in the 2008 competition.

Having “stepped away” from the class for nearly three years to pursue an America’s Cup campaign, he is humble nevertheless. “In the Finn, there are lots of favorites; I’d say I’m one of 10 who can sail well and win races,” he said. Ainslie has launched a full-on Olympic campaign and says all the right players are here, save for Ed Wright, a fellow Skandia Team GBR member who is the current Finn World Champion. “It’s a pretty tight battle in the UK for an Olympic spot,” said Ainslie. “That’s the first hurdle, working through that.”

Ainslie won Sail Melbourne (the first of the ISAF Sailing World Cup events) and has been named ISAF Rolex World Sailor of the Year three times.

Blanca Manchón (ESP), the current ISAF Rolex World Sailor of the Year, is competing in the RS:X Women’s (windsurfing) class, while other past recipients competing are: Claire Leroy (FRA) and Anna Tunnicliffe (Plantation, Fla.), each skippering in Elliott 6m (women’s match racing); Paige Railey (Clearwater, Fla., USA), skippering in Laser Radial; and Torben Grael (BRA), Robert Scheidt (BRA) and Mark Reynolds (San Diego, Calif., USA), each skippering in Stars. The ISAF Rolex World Sailor of the Year Award is the highest award a sailor can receive in recognition of his/her outstanding achievements.

“Actually I’m number one in the ISAF world rankings, so I'm very motivated for this season that starts here in Miami,” said Manchón. “This regatta will be the first one for me where I'm working with my own coach, and the water and the climate are perfect for training and testing equipment.”

The Rolex Miami OCR is open to boats competing in events chosen for the 2012 Olympic Sailing Competition and the 2012 Paralympic Sailing Competition. The 10 Olympic 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). The three Paralympic classes are: 2.4mR (open, able and disabled), SKUD18 (mixed, disabled) and Sonar (open, disabled). In addition to being a world-ranking event, it is also a US Sailing Team AlphaGraphics qualifier.

For fleet racing in the Olympic classes, the regatta will consist of a five-day opening series (Monday – Friday) and a double-point medal race (Saturday). The top 10 finishers in the opening series of each class will advance to the medal race. For match racing (Elliot 6m), which makes its debut in the 2012 Olympic Games, the regatta will consist of an opening series, a knockout series, and a sail-off for boats not advancing to the knockout series. Competitors in the Paralympic classes will have five days of fleet racing (Monday-Friday) and no medal race. Medals will be awarded to the top three boats in each Olympic and Paralympic class on Saturday, January 29.

Regatta Headquarters will be 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 to title sponsor Rolex Watch U.S.A., the 2011 Rolex Miami OCR is also sponsored by AlphaGraphics, Gowrie Group, Chubb Insurance, Sperry Top-Sider, Harken McLube, Trinity Yachts, University of Miami Hospital and Kattack.

A complete roster of competitors can be viewed at the event website, RMOCR.ussailing.org, where real-time racecourse blogging, commentary and fan interaction, regatta results, photos and news updates will be integrated into a live coverage platform once racing begins. Video highlights produced by Gary Jobson and presented by Rolex will air daily and are available on-demand on the event website. Fans can also follow the event on Facebook/RMOCR and Twitter/RMOCR.

About US SAILING’s 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. In non-Olympic/Paralympic years, the regatta is especially important as a ranking regatta for sailors hoping to qualify for the US Sailing Team AlphaGraphics, which annually distinguishes the top sailors in each Olympic and Paralympic class.

http://RMOCR.ussailing.org

[MLovett]

January 25, 2011


Early Leaders Put Money in the Bank

There was plenty of action on opening day of US SAILING’s Rolex Miami OCR, with all 13 Olympic and Paralympic classes completing multiple races in 12-14 knot breezes. On seven different courses on Biscayne Bay, 716 sailors from 53 countries worked as if there were no tomorrow to get to the top of the scoreboard, but tomorrow, as well as the following four days of racing (through Friday for Paralympic classes and Saturday for Olympic classes) will determine if early leaders are meant to be champions in the end.

Held on Biscayne Bay annually since 1990, the Rolex Miami OCR is the second stop on the International Sailing Federation (ISAF) Sailing World Cup 2010-2011 circuit and is a key regatta in the lead-up to the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games. For many, including the US Sailing Team AlphaGraphics (USSTAG), it is a qualifier for positions on national teams.

In the 104-boat Laser class, the largest here, Olympian Michael Leigh (CAN) made an early deposit, winning the first of two races today in Blue fleet, then finishing sixth in race two to wind up fifth overall when scores were merged with the class’s Yellow fleet. “I’ll be in the hunt,” he said, explaining that the class is so large it must be split into two fleets, which also splits some of the top players from each other, but reunites them each day in a new mix. In today’s Yellow fleet, Clay Johnson (Toms River, N.J., USA) finished 2-1 to secure his spot at the top of the overall leader board and regatta favorite Paul Goodison (GBR), an Olympic Gold medalist and the current leader in the world rankings, finished 1-2 to take the second-place slot. (Argentina’s Julio Alsogaray, who also won one race today, and Croatia’s Ivan Taritas are in third and fourth, respectively)

“The phases were quite long (for shifts to come back) and the pressure was up and down,” Leigh explained about the conditions, adding that he is nursing a bad back. “I haven’t raced since the Worlds in September, so I’m here to get back in phase. I’m not targeting any one person to beat; there are 10 good guys in each fleet who could win, so that’s a few too many to watch.”

In Finn class, with 40 boats, USSTAG member and 2008 Olympic Silver Medalist Zach Railey (Clearwater, Fla.) battled it out with two Brits, Giles Scott and Ben Ainslie. Scott won both races to top the scoreboard while Railey secured second overall with a 2-3. Ainslie, who is twice an Olympic medalist (in the Finn) and three-times an ISAF Rolex World Sailor of the Year, finished third with a 5-2.

“It’s only the first two races,” said Railey, “so you can’t read too much into it. Certainly Giles and Ben are going really fast, but I feel pretty confident in my boat speed. I had a big confidence booster in the second race, when I was in 12th at the first mark and had a good comeback for the third. Trying to stay top-five is always what you’re looking to do--trying to stay consistent at the beginning of a regatta--and I had two of those races here today.

“It is a great test for me to be out on the racecourse and sail against the Brits, the Slovenians and the Swedish sailors. It’s great to see the improvements that we’ve made this winter in our training and identify the areas where we need to improve before the European season this year.”
Consistency showed in the scoreline of Evi Van Acker (BEL) when she topped the 58-boat Laser Radial fleet with finish scores of 2-2 today. USSTAG member Paige Railey (Clearwater, Fla.) won the opener, while eventual second-place (overall) finisher Marit Bouwneester (NED) won the second race, but it was Nathalie Brugger (SUI) who filled the third-place slot when Railey and six others were black-flagged at the start of the second race and suffered extra points because of it.

“I am very happy, since last year I had a shocker regatta here--nothing seemed to go right,” said Van Acker, an Olympian and the 2006 and ’07 European Laser Radial Champion. “I made a couple of small mistakes today, but twice I had good starts and I hit the left corner twice to get out front. Downwind was difficult, as it was quite gusty and the fleet was spread out. At this point in the regatta, I try to be in front, and whoever is around I try to control them or catch up from behind. I won’t be concentrating on individuals until later in the regatta or during the medal races (Saturday).”

In the balance of the Olympic classes:

Star: Robert Scheidt and crew Bruno Prada (BRA) had a pay day with a 1-2 to lead 58 boats.

49er: The 49ers, with 30 boats, completed three races today, bringing Paul Brotherton/Mark Asquith (GBR) to the lead after posting a 1-3-2.

Men’s and Women's RS:X: Marina Alabau (ESP) won both races today to top a 31-boat fleet, while Nick Dempsey (GBR), with two seconds today, topped 37 competitors.

Men’s and Women's 470: Ingrid Petijean/ Nadege Douroux (FRA) are leading 24 boats after two races and finish scores of 1-2, while Nic Asher/Elliot Willis (GBR) lead 42 boats with a 1-3

Elliott 6m (women’s match racing): The 24 competing teams were divided into three groups: A, B and C. Three flights of round robin matches were completed today in all three groups, and in all three there were two teams that went undefeated.

In Group A, Nicky Souter/Jessica Eastwell/Olivia Price (AUS) and Ekaterina Skudina/Elena Syuzeva/Irina Lotsmanova (RUS) are tied with 3 wins, 0 losses.

Group B’s undefeated teams are Ekaterina Skudina/Elena Syuzeva/Irina Lotsmanova (RUS) and Lotte Meldgaard Pedersen/Christina Refn/Susanne Boidin (DEN)

And in Group C, the two undefeated teams are Lucy Macgregor/Annie Lush/ Kate Macgregor (GBR) and Anna Tunnicliffe(/Molly Vandemoer/Debbie Capozzi (Plantation, Fla., USA/Redwood City, Calif., USA/(Bayport, N.Y., USA)

In the three Paralympic classes:

2.4mR: Thierry Schmitter (NED) won both races today to lead 30 boats.

SKUD-18: Daniel Fitzgibbon/Liesl Tesch (AUS) won both races today to claim first overall in the seven-boat fleet.

In the three Paralympic classes:

2.4mR: Thierry Schmitter (NED) won both races today to lead 30 boats

SKUD-18: Daniel Fitzgibbon/Liesl Tesch won both races today to claim first overall in the seven-boat fleet.

Sonar: In a 12-boat fleet, Udo Hessels/ Mischa Rossen/Marcel van de Veen (NED) are leading after posting a 2-1 today.

For fleet racing in the Olympic classes, the regatta consists of a five-day opening series (Monday – Friday) and a double-point medal race (Saturday). The top 10 finishers in the opening series of each class will advance to the medal race. For match racing (Elliot 6m), which makes its debut in the 2012 Olympic Games, the regatta consists of an opening series, a knockout series, and a sail-off for boats not advancing to the knockout series. Competitors in the Paralympic classes will have five days of fleet racing (Monday-Friday) and no medal race. Medals will be awarded to the top three boats in each Olympic and Paralympic class on Saturday, January 29.

[MLee]

For photos from Day 1 by Daniel Forester with Rolex, click here

[MLovett]

Stronger, Faster on Day 2 at US SAILING’s Rolex Miami OCR

Portsmouth, R.I. (January 25, 2011) – Another day of solid results was turned in by US Sailing Team AlphaGraphics <http://sailingteams.ussailing.org/> (USSTAG) on day two of the ISAF Sailing World Cup event in Miami, Fla. Clay Johnson (Toms River, N.J.) is in first in the Laser class; Jen French (St. Petersburg, Fla.) and Jean-Paul Creignou (St. Petersburg, Fla.) are second in the SKUD18; Albert Foster (Wayzata, Minn.), Michael Hersey (Hyannis, Mass.) and David Burdette (Lutherville, Md.) are second in Sonar; Zach Railey (Clearwater, Fla.) is third in the Finn; and Anna Tunnicliffe (Plantation, Fla.), Molly Vandemoer (Redwood City, Calif.) and Debbie Capozzi (Bayport, N.Y.) top the Elliott 6 (women’s match racing) with six wins, one loss.

Clay Johnson (Toms River, N.J.) scored two thirds to extend his overall lead in the 105-boat Laser class (Men's One Person Dinghy). Each day the fleet is divided, randomly, into two fleets and scored as one entire group. In addition to making the start line more manageable – for competitors and race management – it also gives sailors a chance to race in a different dynamic every day as the fleets randomly mixed every day. Rob Crane (Darien, Conn.) moved up in the standings, to 9th, while Kyle Rogachenko (Collegeville, Pa.) finished improved his score line as well to end the day in 23rd.

Sarah Lihan (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.) had a great day, with 14-5 to move up to 13th overall in the 58-boat Laser Radial (Women's One Person Dinghy) class. 2010 Laser Radial Youth World champion Erika Reineke (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.) improved her overall result to a 15th, while Claire Dennis (Saratoga, Calif.) is in 16th. Paige Railey (Clearwater, Fla.) had a 4th and 6th to improve her standing to 18th.

In the 40-boat Finn class (Men's One Person Dinghy Heavy) Zach Railey <http://sailingteams.ussailing.org/Teams/Athlete_Bios/Zach_Railey.htm> (Clearwater, Fla.) had a great day and is in third overall in the Finn class. “I’m very happy with my overall performance,” said Railey. “A 4, 6 for the day is good given that I was having trouble all around, especially upwind. My downwind speed is good. Fortunately we had good wind.” With the wind over 10 knots, the pumping flag went up today, meaning that Finn sailors could use their physical mass to move the boat effectively. I was able to get some pretty big gains on the downwinds. We worked on that really hard this winter and it’s good to see the improvement, even from the World Cup event in Melbourne. It’s a huge improvement for us. If we can get the upwind going we’ll be good to go.”

Bryan Boyd (Annapolis, Md.) finished the day in 18th, while US Sailing Development Team (USSDT) athlete Caleb Paine (San Diego, Calif.) finished in 8th, and USSDT athlete Luke Lawrence (Palm City, Fla.) moved up to 14th overall.

McNay (Boston, Mass) and Graham Biehl (San Diego, Calif.) moved up to 6th overall in the Men's 470 (Men's Two Person Dinghy) with two top-10 results (3, 9), while Keith Davids (Coronado, Calif.) and David Hughes (San Diego, Calif.) are in 26th overall in the 41-boat fleet.

In the Women's 470 (Women's Two Person Dinghy), Erin Maxwell (Stonington, Conn.) and Isabelle Kinsolving Farrar (New York, N.Y.) scored 14, 11 for 11th overall. Amanda Clark (Shelter Island, N.Y.) and Sarah Chin (Hoboken, N.J.) collected another 12th to go with their pair of 12s from day 1, which moved them down the standings into 15th overall.

US Sailing Development Team’s Anne Haeger (Lake Forest, Oll.) and Briana Provancha (San Diego, Calif.) are now in 12th overall, followed by USSDT’s Marlena Fauer (New York, N.Y.) and Carly Shevitz (Santa Barbara, Calif.), in 20th, and Sydney Bolger (Long Beach, Calif.) and Leah Volk (Lexington, Ky.) in 22nd.

Mark Mendelblatt (St. Petersburg, Fla.) and Brian Fatih (Miami, Fla.) are in 5th overall in the 56-boat Star (Men's Keelboat) class, followed by Andy Horton <http://sailingteams.ussailing.org/Teams/Athlete_Bios/Andy_Horton.htm> (S. Burlington, Vt.) and James Lyne <http://sailingteams.ussailing.org/Teams/Athlete_Bios/James_Lyne.htm> (Granville, Vt.) in 6th. George Szabo (San Diego, Calif.) and substitute crew Frithjof Kleen (Berlin, GER) put in a great day with a 4th and 17th for 9th overall. Andrew MacDonald (Laguna Beach, Calif.) and Brad Nichol (North Miami Beach, Fla.) are in 6th, while are in 15th. 2008 Olympian Andrew Campbell <http://sailingteams.ussailing.org/Teams/Athlete_Bios/Andrew_Campbell.htm> (San Diego, Calif.) and new crew Ian Coleman (Annapolis, Md.) are now in 22nd after a black flag penalty in the last race of the day.

Six races, to date, have been held in the 49er (Men's Two Person Dinghy High Performance) class and Erik Storck (Huntington, N.Y.) and Trevor Moore (North Pomfret, Vt.) are in 6th overall. Top USSDT team of the day was Alex Bishop (Baltimore, Md.) and Val Smith (Wilmette, Ill.), who finished in 7th after dropping their throwout (worse score) 11th.

In the Men's RS:X (Men's Windsurfing), Ben Barger (St. Petersburg, Fla.) moved up to 19th overall, while Jimi Sobeck (East Quogue, N.Y.) is in 22nd. On the Women's RS:X (Women’s Windsurfing) course Farrah Hall (Annapolis, Md.) is in 12th and Solvig Sayre (Vineyard Haven, Mass.) is in 20th.

Two races were held in the Sonar class (Open Three Person Keelboat). Albert Foster (Wayzata, Minn.), Michael Hersey (Hyannis, Mass.) and David Burdette (Lutherville, Md.) are in second overall in the today’s 5-2 results. Paul Callahan (Cape Coral, Fla./Newport R.I.), Tom Brown (Castine, Me.) and Bradley Johnson (Pompano Beach, Fla.) slipped to 6th overall, while Rick Doerr (Clifton, N.J.), Brad Kendell (Tampa, Fla.) and Hugh Freund (South Freeport, Me.) turned in 3-4 results to finish in 5th overall.

Great results from Jen French (St. Petersburg, Fla.) and Jean-Paul Creignou (St. Petersburg, Fla.) in the SKUD-18 (Mixed Two Person Keelboat).They won the day’s first race and came second in the last to hold the second overall behind Daniel Fitzgibbon and Liesl Tesch (AUS). Sarah Everhart Skeels (Tiverton, R.I.) and Bob Jones (Issaquah, Wash.) traded places with Scott Whitman (Brick, N.J.) and Julia Dorsett (Westchester, Pa./Boca Raton, Fla.), 4th and 5th, respectively.

John Ruf (Pewaukee, Wis.) moved up to 5th overall in the 2.4mR (Open One Person Keelboat), while Mark LeBlanc (New Orleans, La.) is in 14th and Charles Rosenfield (Woodstock, Conn.) is in 24th.

In the Elliott 6m (Women's Match Racing), the top two scoring teams in each of three groups advances to the Gold Round to determine the seeding (1-6) in the Quarter Finals. Anna Tunnicliffe (Plantation, Fla.), Molly Vandemoer (Redwood City, Calif.) and Debbie Capozzi <http://sailingteams.ussailing.org/Teams/Athlete_Bios/Debbie_Capozzi.htm> (Bayport, N.Y.) topped her group to advance, while GennyTulloch (San Francisco, Calif.), Alice Manard <http://sailingteams.ussailing.org/Teams/Athlete_Bios/Alice_Manardhtm> Leonard (New Orleans, La.) and Jennifer Chamberlin (Washington, D.C.) will sail in the Silver group. Sally Barkow (Nashotah, Wis.), Alanna O’Reilly (Charleston, S.C.) and Elizabeth Kratzig (Miami, Fla.) go into the repechage group.

Racing in 10 Olympic and three Paralympic classes continues tomorrow, Wednesday, January 26. Competition is scheduled this week in the 10 Olympic and three Paralympic sailing classes in advance of the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games, to be held in Weymouth, U.K. Over 700 of the world’s top athletes from 53 countries are competing.

Following the Rolex Miami OCR, the 2011 US Sailing Team AlphaGraphics will officially be named.

[MLovett]

A Day that Counted: Day 3 at US SAILING’s Rolex Miami OCR

Portsmouth, R.I. (January 26, 2011) – After three days of racing at US SAILING’s Rolex Miami OCR, the US Sailing Team AlphaGraphics <http://sailingteams.ussailing.org/> (USSTAG) continued its streak through the regatta. Light wind postponed sailors onshore this morning and by the time racing began, schedules were shortened in almost all classes. Racing continues through Saturday at the second stop on the ISAF Sailing World Cup circuit. Top team results include: Zach Railey (Clearwater, Fla.) held his third in the Finn; Paige Railey (Clearwater, Fla.) moved into third in the Laser Radial; Jen French (St. Petersburg, Fla.) and Jean-Paul Creignou (St. Petersburg, Fla.) are second in the SKUD18; and Albert Foster (Wayzata, Minn.), Michael Hersey (Hyannis, Mass.) and David Burdette (Lutherville, Md.) are second in Sonar.

Top USSTAG race results in the Laser class was earned by Kyle Rogachenko (Collegeville, Pa.), who took a 4th in race 6, and combined that with a 17 for 25th overall. After leading the 105-boat Laser class (Men's One Person Dinghy) for the past two days, Clay Johnson (Toms River, N.J.) scored a 4-14 to move down to 4th overall. Rob Crane (Darien, Conn.) moved up another slot to sit in 8th.

“Today was a lot better,” said Rogachenko. “The last two days I was really fast and losing on tactical decisions. The first race was just a really tough race between the shifts and balancing where I wanted to go on the course. Because the forecast was to go right, most guys paraded out to the right. My game plan was to go right and have the wind follow me the whole way and it didn’t go as far. I went really far, almost to the layline. It was too far and tough to get across the boats that had split off.” He finished that race in 16th and drops it as his throwout.

Rogachenko’s 4th place was his best of the regatta, to date. “It felt really good to get back into the top five,” he said. “It was good to get a good one before moving into gold fleet tomorrow, because it’s tougher racing.” Rogachenko went on to explain that the top half of the fleet advances to sail gold fleet, scheduled for an afternoon start tomorrow.

With a six-race series, so far, Paige Railey (Clearwater, Fla.) was able to drop her lowest score and is now in third overall in the 58-boat Laser Radial (Women's One Person Dinghy) class. Sarah Lihan (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.) is in 17th overall; Erika Reineke (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.) is in 20th; and Claire Dennis (Saratoga, Calif.) is in 21st.

Only one race was held in the 40-boat Finn class (Men's One Person Dinghy Heavy) and Zach Railey <http://sailingteams.ussailing.org/Teams/Athlete_Bios/Zach_Railey.htm> (Clearwater, Fla.) remains in third overall. Bryan Boyd (Annapolis, Md.) scored a 9th to move up into 18th overall, while US Sailing Development Team (USSDT) athlete Caleb Paine (San Diego, Calif.) finished in 9th, and USSDT athlete Luke Lawrence (Palm City, Fla.) moved up to 12th overall after scoring a 2nd in the race.

Stuart McNay (Boston, Mass) and Graham Biehl (San Diego, Calif.) dropped today’s 12th finish for 7th overall in the Men's 470 (Men's Two Person Dinghy) where only one race was held today. Keith Davids (Coronado, Calif.) and David Hughes (San Diego, Calif.) are in 26th overall in the 41-boat fleet.

Only one race was held in the Women's 470 (Women's Two Person Dinghy) and Amanda Clark (Shelter Island, N.Y.) and Sarah Chin (Hoboken, N.J.) scored an 8th, their best this regatta, and are now tied on points with teammates Erin Maxwwell (Stonington, Conn.) and Isabelle Kinsolving Farrar (New York, N.Y.), who scored a 15th, then dropped it (as a throwout). US Sailing Development Team’s Anne Haeger (Lake Forest, Oll.) and Briana Provancha (San Diego, Calif.) hold at 12th overall, with a 10th place finish in race 5.

No changes for USSDT’s Marlena Fauer (New York, N.Y.) and Carly Shevitz (Santa Barbara, Calif.), in 20th, or for Sydney Bolger (Long Beach, Calif.) and Leah Volk (Lexington, Ky.), who remain in 22nd overall.

USSTAG holds four of the top-10 spots in the 56-boat Star (Men's Keelboat) class. Mark Mendelblatt (St. Petersburg, Fla.) and Brian Fatih (Miami, Fla.) were scored with a black-flag penalty in the lone race. They dropped it as their lowest score and remain in 6th overall. Andy Horton <http://sailingteams.ussailing.org/Teams/Athlete_Bios/Andy_Horton.htm> (S. Burlington, Vt.) and James Lyne <http://sailingteams.ussailing.org/Teams/Athlete_Bios/James_Lyne.htm> (Granville, Vt.) are in 8th. George Szabo (San Diego, Calif.) and substitute crew Frithjof Kleen (Berlin, GER) are 9th overall. Andrew MacDonald (Laguna Beach, Calif.) and Brad Nichol (North Miami Beach, Fla.) are now in 25th.Andrew Campbell <http://sailingteams.ussailing.org/Teams/Athlete_Bios/Andrew_Campbell.htm> (San Diego, Calif.) and new crew Ian Coleman (Annapolis, Md.) dropped yesterday’s black flag penalty and climbed up the scoreboard to 10th overall by winning the day’s final race.

“It’s good to go out and do what we need to do,” said Campbell. “It was the second day in a row that we’ve had a tough first race and then redeemed ourselves in the second. We’re always happy to end on a good note. Of course, it would be good to start on a good note and end on a good note tomorrow. It’s a real confidence builder to know we can go out and do that. It makes us want to work all the more the harder.

In the Elliott 6m (Women's Match Racing), three flights were run in the gold group, and Anna Tunnicliffe (Plantation, Fla.), Molly Vandemoer (Redwood City, Calif.) and Debbie Capozzi <http://sailingteams.ussailing.org/Teams/Athlete_Bios/Debbie_Capozzi.htm> (Bayport, N.Y.) finished the day with a 2-1 win loss record.

“We had three good races,” said Olympic gold medalist Anna Tunnicliffe. “We won against Claire (Leroy from France). She had a penalty in the pre-start and trailed us around race course. Going downwind to the finish line, we had to slow ourselves down and to stay behind her” That maneuver forced Leroy – sailing with Elodie Bertrand and Marie Riou – to try her penalty turn at the finish, but she didn’t recover in time. Tunnicliffe won the match.

The team’s second race was a loss to Silja Lehtinen, Silja Kanerva and Mikaela Wulff (FIN). In Tunnicliffe’s third race against Ekaterina Skudina, Elena Syuzeva and Irina Lotsmanova (RUS), they won easily as the Russian team incurred two penalties and never recovered. “The team sailed really well,” continued Tunnicliffe. “It was different all day and tricky conditions; the puffs were up and down.”

Sally Barkow (Nashotah, Wis.), Alana O’Reilly (Charleston, S.C.) and Elizabeth Kratzig (Miami, Fla.) won two of their three matches held today. Genny Tulloch (San Francisco, Calif.), Alice Manard <http://sailingteams.ussailing.org/Teams/Athlete_Bios/Alice_Manardhtm> Leonard (New Orleans, La.) and Jennifer Chamberlin (Washington, D.C.) are scheduled to sail tomorrow.

Tomorrow, the gold and silver fleets are scheduled to complete the round robin with two more flights to sail.

Although they scored a 2-3 in the first two races (of three), Erik Storck (Huntington, N.Y.) and Trevor Moore (North Pomfret, Vt.) were called “on course side” (over the starting line before the start) in the third race. The top-ranked USSTAG 49er (Men's Two Person Dinghy High Performance) team remains in 6th overall.

In the Men's RS:X (Men's Windsurfing), Ben Barger (St. Petersburg, Fla.) moved up to 18th overall, while Jimi Sobeck (East Quogue, N.Y.) remains in 22nd. On the Women's RS:X (Women’s Windsurfing) course Farrah Hall (Annapolis, Md.) is in 12th and Solvig Sayre (Vineyard Haven, Mass.) is in 20th.

No races were held in the 2.4mR class today, while one race was held in the Sonar (Open Three Person Keelboat) and SKUD-18 (Mixed Two Person Keelboat) classes. “By the time the PRO did a A/P over H (flags for postponement) for the SKUDS and Sonars, it appeared it would take too long to get everyone out there and get them sailing,” explained US Sailing Team AlphaGraphics Paralympic Coach. “The confidence in tomorrow’s weather and forecast is high, and they’ll have good racing. No doubt the 2.4s will catch up.”

In the only Sonar race held today, Rick Doerr (Clifton, N.J.), Brad Kendell (Tampa, Fla.) and Hugh Freund (South Freeport, Me.) started about one minute late and were able to recover into third place.

“They sailed a really smart first windward leg, and were methodical about pecking away at the boats in front of them,” explained US Sailing Team AlphaGraphics Paralympic Coach Betsy Alison (Newport, R.I.). “They went clear right and were still in the back of the fleet, but sailed into a persistent shift. They sailed a hotter angle into the gate, and sailed around the fleet. Down the last run, instead of jibing right away, they extended out. That tactical error cost Rick the lead. Just goes to show that Sonar racing is so close anything can happen.

Doerr, Kendell and Freund are in 4th overall, while Albert Foster (Wayzata, Minn.), Michael Hersey (Hyannis, Mass.) and David Burdette (Lutherville, Md.) held their second overall with a 5th place finish. Paul Callahan (Cape Coral, Fla./Newport R.I.), Tom Brown (Castine, Me.) and Bradley Johnson (Pompano Beach, Fla.) are in 8th.

With only one race on the line today, Jen French (St. Petersburg, Fla.) and Jean-Paul Creignou (St. Petersburg, Fla.) continued their consistent ways in the SKUD-18 (Mixed Two Person Keelboat) with a second in race 5.They are in second place, one point out of first.

Day two results stand for USSTAG 2.4mR sailors: John Ruf (Pewaukee, Wis.) in 5th; Mark LeBlanc (New Orleans, La.) in 14th and Charles Rosenfield (Woodstock, Conn.) in 24th.

Racing in 10 Olympic and three Paralympic classes continues tomorrow, Wednesday, January 26. Competition is scheduled this week in the 10 Olympic and three Paralympic sailing classes in advance of the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games, to be held in Weymouth, U.K. Over 700 of the world’s top athletes from 53 countries are competing.

Following the Rolex Miami OCR, the 2011 US Sailing Team AlphaGraphics will officially be named.