U.S. Women's Match Racing Championship preview

by Marlieke de Lange Eaton on 3 Sep 2008
When this year's competitors gather in Rochester, New York, from September 10th through 14th for the U.S. Women's Match Racing Championship (USWMRC), the scratch sheet will read like a current Who's Who list of women's sailing. This invitational event, rated by the International Sailing Federation (ISAF) as a Grade 3 event, will feature twelve teams comprised of top women sailors from throughout the United States vying for SAILING's Allegra Knapp Mertz Trophy.

The regatta, hosted by the Rochester Yacht Club (N.Y.) and raced in Sonars, is sponsored by Rolex Watch U.S.A. and Dry Creek Vineyard. This event will undoubtedly see some of the most closely contested sailing in recent women's match racing history.

Anna Tunnicliffe (Plantation, Fla.), fresh from her gold medal winning Laser Radial performance at the Olympic Games in China, will skipper a team, as will fellow Olympian and US Sailing Team AlphaGraphics member Deborah Capozzi (Bayport, N.Y.). In 2005, these two sailed together with Sally Barkow (Nashotah, Wis.) and Lee Icyda (Newport, R.I.) to capture the USWMRC title in 2005. Capozzi, who also crewed on the winning team in 2000, went on to skipper the winning team in 2006 with Lindsay Bartel (Bayport, N.Y.), Kelly Hand (Vancouver, Canada) and Chantal Legler (Montreal, Canada).

2007 USWMR Champion skipper Liz Baylis (San Rafael, Calif.) and crew Susanne Leech (Simsbury, Conn.) will be an undeniable force to be reckoned with as they have been on winning teams at this event (together and separately) since 2002. Earlier this year, they captured silver at the ISAF Women's Match Racing World Championship in Auckland, New Zealand. Baylis is currently ranked fifth in the ISAF Women's World Match Race rankings.

Three-time event runner-up Katy Pilley-Lovell (New Orleans, La.) will skipper a team, as will four-time Yale All-American sailor Molly Carapiet (Belvedere Tiburon, Calif.) and 2007 Sundance Cup winner Elizabeth Hjorth (Marina del Rey, Calif.). Rounding out the fleet will be teams skippered by Anne Gardner Nelson (San Diego, Calif.), Maegan Ruhlman (Bratenahl, Ohio), JoAnn Fisher (Annapolis, Md.), Killian Corbishley (Rochester, N.Y.), Andrea Cabito (Alameda, Calif.), and Ginny Tulloch (Tiburon, Calif.).

Complete results, daily reports, and photos from the event will be posted on the event website at www.ussailing.org/championships/adult/women/uswmrc. The U.S. Women's Match Racing Championship for the Allegra Knapp Mertz Trophy is part of US SAILING's National Championships series. For more information about these events, visit www.ussailing.org/championships.

About the Event Sponsors
As with all US SAILING Adult National Championships, the U.S. Women's Match Racing Championship is sponsored by Rolex Watch U.S.A. Dry Creek Vineyard sponsors several U.S. Championships, including the U.S. Women's Match Racing Championship.

About the Rochester Yacht Club
The Rochester Yacht Club (RYC) in Rochester, N.Y., was founded in 1877 at the mouth of the Genesee River on Lake Ontario, offering a year-round club facility for 800 members. RYC celebrates a rich history of yacht racing. The Club's membership includes participants in America's Cup, Canada's Cup, Olympic and Paralympic Games, as well as several World Champions. RYC has hosted World Championship Regattas for several classes, including Stars, Eight Meters, Solings, J/24s, and the IFDS Disabled Sailing World Championship. This year, RYC is hosting the J/22 World Championship and U.S. Women's Match Racing Championship. RYC is proud to annually host and support US SAILING's local Junior Olympic Regatta. For more information and directions, please visit www.rochesteryc.com.

About US SAILING
The United States Sailing Association (US SAILING) is the national governing body for sailing. Founded in 1897 and headquartered in Portsmouth, Rhode Island, the organization provides leadership for the sport of sailing in the United States. US SAILING offers training and education programs for instructors and race officials, supports a wide range of sailing organizations and communities, issues offshore rating certificates, and provides administration and oversight of competitive sailing across the country, including National Championships and the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Sailing Teams. For more information, please visit www.ussailing.org.