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Sail-World.com : Robie Pierce One-Design Regatta for sailors with disabilities details
Robie Pierce One-Design Regatta for sailors with disabilities details
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Larchmont Yacht Club and American Yacht Club (Rye, NY) have announced details for the second annual Robie Pierce One-Design Regatta for sailors with disabilities. The Notice of Race is now available on the event website - www.robiepierceonedesignregatta.com.
Building on the success of the inaugural event, as many as 35 teams are expected to share the starting line this year, making this the largest one-design regatta for sailors with disabilities in the U.S. Last year's inaugural regatta at American Yacht Club drew 22 teams sailing in specially adapted Ideal 18s. That fleet attracted many of the top sailors with disabilities in the country, including two blind sailing teams. The 2010 event is expected to draw members of the US Sailing Team AlphaGraphics (USSTAG) as well as members of the Canadian Sailing Team and sailors with disabilities from around the world. This year?s regatta will be held at Larchmont Yacht Club June 3-6.
Having jointly run the highly successful US Disabled Sailing Championship in 2008, the two clubs recognized the need to promote adaptive sailing in western Long Island Sound with an annual regatta. To encourage participation, boats are provided free by the host clubs.
The regatta is named after Robie Pierce, a driving force in national and international disabled sailing for over 20 years. A life-long sailor diagnosed with MS in 1985, Robie was instrumental in the development of the US Disabled Championship (an event he won three times) and adding sailing to the Paralympic Games. He developed the Shake-A-Leg Sailing program in his homeport of Newport, RI into a world renowned facility with a variety of programs, from recreational sailing to co-hosting world championships.
?The Robie Pierce One-Design Regatta is an important event for the sailing community in our area,? said Larchmont Yacht Club?s Vice Commodore Carl Olsson, who finished third in the 2009 regatta and was the first winner of the US Disabled Sailing Championship. ?Our clubs have committed to expand the scope of this event every year, bringing the thrill, camaraderie and fun of racing sailboats to people of many different disabilities in a large one design fleet.? The 2009 regatta was one of the first to include blind sailors and stroke survivors sailing together with other physically disabled sailors.
American Yacht Club's Commodore Drake Sparkman added, 'Without the support of area yacht clubs, we could never provide a fleet of 35 evenly matched boats for these sailors to race. This reflects a broadly shared mission to advance sailing for those with disabilities.'
'The Robie Pierce Regatta is definitely a 'must-do' regatta for any sailor with a disability who aspires to become better at sailboat racing,? noted Betsy Alison, Paralympic Coach for USSTAG. 'Whether you are at a novice level or on the National Team, boat preparation and tuning tips from expert coaches combined with opportunity to employ tactics and strategy while racing will improve your personal level of success. Interaction and sharing amongst competitors is just one of the many facets of this event that make this a great event to attend.'
Registration and other information: http://robiepierceonedesignregatta.com.
2009 Robie Pierce One-Design Regatta video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d_4dI5i2cyA
The Robie Pierce One-Design Regatta would like to acknowledge the contributions of its lead sponsor Heineken USA, and supporting sponsors Vineyard Vines, UK Halsey Sailmakers, North Sails and Ben & Jerry?s, without whose support the event would not be possible.
by Ed Padin
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http://www.sail-world.com/index.cfm?nid=67357
8:53 PM Fri 12 Mar 2010 GMT
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