FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE June 6, 2012 Contact: Jen Vandemoer Mitchell | Toile à Voile for ICSA | [email protected] | 763-234-8286 m. Photo credit: Bruce McDonald, mcdonaldphoto.com
ICSA/GILL COED DINGHY NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP DAY ONE Austin, Texas. (June 6, 2012) – Today was the first day of the ICSA/Gill Coed Dinghy National Championship, co-hosted by the University of Texas Sailing Team and the Austin Yacht Club. The top eighteen collegiate sailing teams in the nation reported to the regatta venue on Lake Travis in Austin, Texas to compete for the Henry A. Morss Memorial Trophy, awarded to the winning team. The trophy was donated by a group of nationally known yachtsmen as a memorial to Henry A. Morss, a Boston yachtsman and 1907 Bermuda Race winner, as well as a Massachusetts Institute of Technology alumnus and benefactor. Racing was postponed this morning due to not enough wind on the lake. The conditions were glassy, hot and humid. When the wind began to come up teams had an opportunity to practice in the boats, Club Flying Juniors (CFJs), quickly before racing got underway around 1 p.m. CDT. The wind was around 9 knots out of the southwest. The competitors sail a windward/leeward course with four legs (W4). The winds continued to cycle anywhere from three to 10 knots from a southwesterly direction. The first two A-division races ran smoothly despite a protest between Boston College and the U.S. Naval Academy in the second A-division race. Boston College was eventually disqualified from the race for taking too close in the two-boat lengths circle. When B-division got started the winds lightened up causing a re-start for their first race, but it filled in to about 6-8 knots and the committee started the race again. The wind was shifty on the course and at times the fleet would spread out a lot especially if boats did not get off the starting line well or if they missed the first shift. One other protest was filed today between Old Dominion University and the New York Maritime College in the fifth A-division race resulting in Old Dominion being disqualified. Twelve races total, six in each division were completed today. Racing did not end until around 7:15 p.m. in 3 knots from the west-southwest. It was a long hot day on the water for the competitors. Georgetown University led the regatta all-day and finished up the day’s racing in first place by 19 points. “Today was very good for us, we had consistent sailing all day,” Mike Callahan says, head coach of the Georgetown Sailing Team. The fleet is stacked with very good sailors and a lot of All-Americans, so sailing consistently in the top 10 is difficult, but must be done to place well in the regatta, he says. Sailing for Georgetown is Chris Barnard ’13 (Newport Beach, Calif.) and Hilary Kenyon ’13 (Wayzata, Minn.) in A-division and Evan Aras ’12 (Annapolis, Md.) and Katherine Canty ’12 (Vero Beach, Fla.) in B-division. The fleet is deep with talented competitors and the scores are close with many more races to go. For additional regatta information and live results visit the event website: http://2012nationals.collegesailing.org/. The competitors will report tomorrow morning at 9 a.m. and racing will get underway around 10 a.m. The conditions are predicted to be 6-8 knots and cloudier skies, hopefully keeping some of the heat at bay. Results Day 1 – Top 9 1. Georgetown University, 56 2. Harvard University, 75 3. Roger Williams University, 82 4. Yale University, 84 5. University of South Florida, 90 6. College of Charleston, 97 7. Boston College, 102 8. Hobart and William Smith Colleges, 108 9. Stanford University, 110 To follow live media coverage of the ICSA/Gill Coed Dinghy National Championship, click on the Live Media link at 2012nationals.collegesailing.org. The University of Texas will provide daily text and photo updates. Gary Jobson will be filming highlights of the three days of racing, which will air on ESPNU on Friday, July 6 at 6 p.m. This will be the eighth time the ICSA/Gill Coed Dinghy Nationals have been covered on ESPNU. To view or purchase photos of the action from Team Race Nationals, visit the link for photographer Bruce McDonald: http://www.mcdonaldphoto.com/Sailing/2012-Intercollegiate **** Maclaren is the pre-eminent lifestyle brand for parenting. For nearly 50 years Maclaren has stood for excellence, empowerment and innovation, and is best known for the creation of the first umbrella buggy, which revolutionized baby transport. Like Maclaren, the sport of sailing encompasses a complete lifestyle with a rich heritage. In an effort to spread the positive impact of sailing, the Maclaren Sailing Sponsorship Programme promotes participation and retention in the sport of sailing on a global basis. Maclaren sponsors a variety of sailors and regattas around the world including training and community initiatives. Please visit www.maclarenbaby.com for more information. The Inter-Collegiate Sailing Association (ICSA) is the governing authority for sailing competition at colleges and universities throughout the United States and in some parts of Canada. Visit www.collegesailing.org to learn more. The ICSA National Championships are sponsored by Sperry Top-Sider (www.sperrytopsider.com), Annapolis Performance Sailing (www.apsltd.com), Gill North America (www.gillna.com), and US SAILING (home.ussailing.org). -- Jennifer Vandemoer Mitchell Toile à Voile, LLC for ICSA [email protected] 763.234.8286 m. ________________________________________________ icsa mailing list [email protected] http://www.collegesailing.org/mailman/?listname=icsa Unsubscribe: Send a blank email to [email protected]
