Please select your home edition
Edition
Cyclops Marine 2023 November - LEADERBOARD

Maxwell and Kinsolving on their 470 Worlds win

by Rob Kothe on 31 Jan 2008
470Worlds Champions Erin Maxwell (L) and Isabelle Kinsolving with their coach Skip Whyte Guy Nowell http://www.guynowell.com

New Yorker Isabelle Kinsolving had finished fifth at the 2004 Athens Olympics with Katie McDowell. In 2006 she teamed as crew with the talented Co-ed All American, Erin Maxwell. Their dream was to step onto the podium in Qingdao. In the US Sailing Team trials last November, Maxwell and Kinsolving finished a close second, behind Amanda Clark and Sarah Mergenthaler.

The US Trials are sudden death, its winner take all. For the losers that is the end of the road. But not for this pairing.


US 470 Coach Skip Whyte who coached Paul Foerster and Kevin Burnham to 470 Gold Medal in Athens 2004, explained, ‘Our Olympic selection system rewards peaking at a specific event, another team peaked at the trials and this team just has to live with that. But its tribute to the qualities of these gals. After failing to win selections, most crews just fold their tents, but they said, ‘we are in pretty good shape, let’s go to Australia and find out just how good we are. And they did.’

Two weeks ago Maxwell and Kinsolving won the Asia Pacific 470 titles as part of Sail Melbourne and this last week they dominated the World title rounds. This morning as they sailed out to Medal Race, they knew they could finish eight places behind the defending World Champions, Italian’s Giula Conti and Giovanna Micol and still take the 2008 title.

Maxwell told the story,

‘In today’s race, we were behind from starting. For a moment on the first upwind the Italians were leading and we were ninth, and our hearts simultaneously fluttered. But we got the only right shift on the first beat and we came back. At the top mark the Italians rounded first, we were seventh.’

Down the run the American duo had surged to fourth place by their spinnaker drop with excellent boat speed.

At top mark for last time it was Italy, Austria, USA, Great Britain, and then Australia. Behind them Argentina was ahead of the Netherlands, then Germany, France with Sweden last.

The American’s only had to keep their mast in the boat to win the title.

Italy led to finish line, ahead of the Austrians, then the British with USA sailing conservatively in fourth place ahead of Australia.

Maxwell and Kinsolving were the 2008 World Champions . . . it was seventeen years coming for the USA.

1991 was the last time that the USA had won the Women’s Worlds. - J. J. Isler and her crew, Pam Healy won in Brisbane Australia, so this is the lucky country for USA 470 sailors.


Across the line the new champions capsized their boat, and then climbed up onto the keel, waving the US flag. Coach Whyte helped them right the boat. A bottle of champagne arrived - Maxwell shook it enthusiastically to douse both coach and crew.

On the beach the petite Australian skipper Elise Rechichi and crew Tessa Parkinson were excited, they had a bronze medal.

Rechichi commented. ' It was a really difficult race, very shifty. We were fourth on points going into the Medal race. From the start there was nothing we could do about the Americans, we had a slim change for silver ahead of the Italians but when they cleared out, we focused on sailing a fast race to stay ahead of the Dutch and the French. If we could finish ahead of them we would pick up the Bronze medal.

‘The wind was up and down; we had to keep our heads, be patient and keep chipping away. We managed to do just that and we have the Bronze. We are happy with our performance in light wind and we will be ready for the regatta of our lives in Qingdao.’

The USA’s Qingdao 470 Womens representative’s Amanda Clark and crew Sarah Mergenthaler finished the World titles in 12th place.

How did the new World Champions feel about missing out on the Olympics, but finishing so far ahead of their rivals?

Kinsolving commented, ‘Amanda and Sarah sailed really well; they just had a couple of bad breaks. It could have easily been them up here and us missing out on the Medal Race.

‘Right now they are happy going to the Olympics and we are happy to win the World titles. This is pretty much our wildest dream come true.’

Allen Dynamic 40 FooterExposure MarineCyclops Marine 2023 November - FOOTER

Related Articles

Rolex SailGP Championship 2026 dates confirmed
Including a return to fan-favorite destination, Auckland SailGP has released further details of forthcoming 2026 Season, including the return of fan-favorite locations, multi-year hosting agreements secured across all regions, and an evolved regional structure to raise the stakes for athletes and fans alike.
Posted on 26 Jun
Pip Hare Announced as Patron of WORLDSTAR 2026
A meaningful return to her roots with the Royal Western Yacht Club of England The Royal Western Yacht Club (RWYC) is absolutely delighted to welcome solo ocean racing legend Pip Hare as the Patron of WORLDSTAR 2026—our flagship round-the-world sailing event. This is more than a title; it's a homecoming.
Posted on 26 Jun
Kieler Woche Day 7
British mixed dominance in dinghy and catamaran After the second day of the Sailing Grand Slam in the Olympic mixed classes, Martin Wrigley and Bettine Harris are leading the 470 class even more dominantly than John Gimson and Anna Burnet in the Nacra 17 on Thursday (June 26).
Posted on 26 Jun
29th Superyacht Cup Palma day 1
Cervo and Open Season take opening day honours The Superyacht Cup Palma 2025 swung into action today, with captains and crews across the varied and inspiring fleet seizing the opportunity to take the measure of the competition out on the racecourse.
Posted on 26 Jun
J/70 Mixed-Plus Worlds at Lake Garda Day 1
Yupi leads after a perfect opening day in Torbole Lake Garda delivered its finest conditions for the opening day of the first-ever J/70 Mixed-Plus World Championship: three races completed in a steady, warm Ora breeze peaking at 20 knots.
Posted on 26 Jun
Tschüss 2 - Transatlantic Titans
Line Honours for Christian Zugel's Volvo 70 in the Transatlantic Race 2025 Volvo 70 Tschüss 2 (USA), owned by Christian Zugel and co-skippered by Johnny Mordaunt, has taken Line Honours in the West to East Transatlantic Race 2025 in an elapsed time of 07 Day 15 Hrs 29 Mins and 10 Secs.
Posted on 26 Jun
Craig Wood Makes History
The first triple amputee to sail solo non-stop and unsupported across the Pacific Craig is the first triple amputee to sail solo non-stop and unsupported across the Pacific, completing the 7506nm journey from Mexico to Japan in 90 days.
Posted on 26 Jun
NTG Global Graduate Program
Shape your career and propel yourself into the world of innovation North Technology Group, a global leader in advanced composite technology, is offering an exciting and dynamic graduate program that will shape your career and propel you into the world of innovation.
Posted on 26 Jun
Tight racing at ORC North American Championship
Two days of racing remain before titles awarded in three classes With three days of racing completed over 7 Windward-Leeward courses, the scorelines are filling up for all three classes competing in the first ORC North American Championship at Storm Trysail Club's Block Island Race Week.
Posted on 26 Jun
Introducing Ocean Legend
Vaikobi's range of lifestyle clothing Introducing Ocean Legend; Vaikobi's range of lifestyle clothing inspired by the stoke and the stories of those who live and breathe ocean sports.
Posted on 26 Jun