ISAF Sailing World Cup Miami 2014 - US Team, day 6, final report

by Will Ricketson on 2 Feb 2014 ISAF Sailing World Cup Miami 2014 - Daily Summary: Medal Race Day at ISAF Sailing World Cup Miami brought with it added pressure, close racing, and a renewed breeze that was a welcome sight to all competitors. The US Sailing Team Sperry Top-Sider added to its medal haul with a gold in the Laser Radial, silver in the 49er, and bronze in the men's 470. Combined with bronze medals in the Sonar and SKUD-18 Paralympic classes, this year's event was a strong one for the US national team.

Laser Radial (Women): Paige Railey (Clearwater, Fla.) continued her dominance on Biscayne Bay, winning the event for the second year in a row. Railey led the regatta from day one, and demonstrated remarkable consistency in the light, tricky conditions. Railey was quick to credit race officers for running a high-quality event, despite frequent challenges. 'I think the race committee does a great job here every year. We have great courses set, and they do a good job of working with the conditions we're given.' The Florida native also received the US Sailing Golden Torch Trophy, awarded to the U.S. sailor with the best overall performance at ISAF Sailing World Cup Miami.

For Railey, a Laser Radial World Champion and US Sailing Rolex Yachtswoman of the Year, winning in home waters never gets old. 'This event is always nice because it's here, in our own country, and so I'm proud to keep the trophy here for all of US Sailing.'

Final US Standings: Paige Railey (US Sailing Team Sperry Top-Sider) first, Erika Reineke (US Sailing Team Sperry Top-Sider) ninth, Christine Neville (US Sailing Development Team) 12th, Hanne Weaver 15th, Dana Rohde (US Sailing Development Team) 23rd, Riley Legault 29th, Claire Dennis (US Sailing Development Team) 31st.

49er (Men): Brad Funk (Miami, Fla.) and Trevor Burd (Marblehead, Mass.) impressed many in the 49er fleet by making it onto the podium in their first major international event as a team.'I can't say we expected to be here quite so soon,' said Burd, while noting that this is just the beginning of a challenging journey towards possible 2016 U.S. Olympic Team selection. 'We've been working pretty hard, and we were happy with how our speed was progressing, but we've got a long way to go. It means a lot to me to be on the US Sailing team Sperry Top-Sider. Representing the country is huge. We're here because we're Americans, and we want to go to The Games to represent the USA.'

For Funk, a veteran campaigner who has competed extensively in the Laser dinghy, jumping into the 49er skiff has opened up new doors. 'It's a completely different project for me. This is a whole new fun and exciting mountain to climb, I'm blessed to be sailing with Trevor, and it looks like we've got a bright future in the boat.'

Final US Standings: Brad Funk and Trevor Burd (US Sailing Team Sperry Top-Sider) second, Trevor Moore and Zach Brown (US Sailing Team Sperry Top-Sider) 13th, Thomas Barrows and Joe Morris 20th.

470 (Men): Stu McNay (Providence, R.I.) and Dave Hughes (Miami, Fla.) came into the final day leading the regatta, but a medal race finish of ninth meant that in the end it would be a bronze medal for this experienced team. 'We were fast all week, we just didn't sail well today,' said Hughes. Nevertheless, a podium finish in a deep and talented Men's 470 fleet is a terrific start to 2014 for the pair. Like the rest of the US Sailing Team Sperry Top-Sider, McNay and Hughes will look to peak at the 2014 ISAF Combined World Championships in Santander, Spain.

Final US Standings: Stu McNay and Dave Hughes (US Sailing Team Sperry Top-Sider) third, Adam Roberts and Erik Storck 19th, Wade Waddell and Henry Fernberger (US Sailing Development Team) 21st, Jordan factor and Matt Wefer (US Sailing Team Sperry Top-Sider) 24th.

470 (Women), Final US Standings : Annie Haeger and Briana Provancha (US Sailing Team Sperry Top-Sider) fifth, Sydney Bolger and Carly Shevitz (US Sailing Team Sperry Top-Sider) ninth.

Finn (Men), Final US Standings : Luke Lawrence sixth, Caleb Paine (US Sailing Team Sperry Top-Sider) 12th, John F. Dane 17th, Henry Sprague 19th, Gordon Lamphere (US Sailing Team Sperry Top-Sider) 21st.

Laser (Men), Final US Standings : Charlie Buckingham (US Sailing Team Sperry Top-Sider) seventh, Chris Barnard 12th, Erik Bowers 19th, Greg Martinez 28th, Luke Muller 31st, Derick Vranizan (US Sailing Team Sperry Top-Sider) 32nd.

2.4mR (Mixed), Final US Standings: Danny Evans (US Sailing Team Sperry Top-Sider) eighth, Charlie Rosenfield (US Sailing Team Sperry Top-Sider) 11th, Ted Green 12th.

Nacra 17 (Mixed) Final US Standings : Robbie Daniel and Catherine Shanahan (US Sailing Team Sperry Top-Sider) 12th, Sarah Newberry and John Casey (US Sailing Development Team) 13th, Taylor Reiss and Sarah Lihan (US Sailing Team Sperry Top-Sider) 21st, Steph Hudson and Dave Hein (US Sailing Development Team) 22nd.

49erFX (Women), Final US Standings : Kristen Lane and Maggie Shea (US Sailing Team Sperry Top-Sider) 22nd, Genny Tulloch and Kathleen Tocke 23rd, Paris Henken and Helena Scutt (US Sailing Team Sperry Top-Sider) 24th, Debbie Capozzi and Molly Vandemoer (US Sailing Team Sperry Top-Sider) 29th.

Sonar (Mixed), Final US Standings : Rick Doerr, Tim Angle and Hugh Freund (US Sailing Team Sperry Top-Sider) third, Andrew Fisher, Kieth Burhans and Brad Johnson (US Sailing Team Sperry Top-Sider) fifth.

RS: X (Men) Final US Standings : Carson Crain (US Sailing Team Sperry Top-Sider) 14th, Jonathan Rudich 15th, Raul Lopez (US Sailing Team Sperry Top-Sider) 16th.

RS: X (Women), Final US Standings : Farrah Hall eighth, Marion Lepert (US Sailing Team Sperry Top-Sider) 12th, Solvig Sayre 14th.

SKUD-18 (Mixed), Final US Standings : Ryan Porteous and Cindy Walker (US Sailing Team Sperry Top-Sider) third, Sarah Everhart Skeels and Gerry Tiernan (US Sailing Team Sperry Top-Sider) fourth.

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