ISAA Singlehanded National Championship - Cressy Trophy up for grabs

by Sherri Campbel on 10 Nov 2012 The 2012 ISAA Singlehanded National Championship, to be held off the Belmont Veterans Memorial Pier, is expected to draw 36 of the finest high school sailors across the United States as they battle it out for the coveted Cressy Trophy this weekend in Long Beach, California.

Racing is scheduled to start at 10:30 a.m. Saturday, and 10:15 a.m. Sunday, conditions permitting. All on-land activities will be based at the US Sailing Center-Long Beach, and racing can be watched from the pier. The event is organized by the Interscholastic Sailing Association in conjunction with the host US Sailing Center-Long Beach.

The participants will compete in two fleets of 18 Laser Standard Full Rigs and Laser Radials. Sailors have earned spots by qualifying at championship regattas in their respective districts.

Mitchell Kiss, last year’s Radial fleet champion, will compete in the Laser Standard fleet. He represents Black River High School in Holland, MI. Mitchell also won a bronze medal at the 2012 Laser Radial Youth World Championship.

In the Radial division, several returning competitors will make for stiff competition. Malcolm Lamphere of Lake Forest High School, Lake Forest, IL; Gary Prieto, Southold High School, Southold, NY; Andrew Puopolo, Stuyvesant High School, New York, NY; and Jack Marshall, Buckingham Browne and Nichols, Cambridge, MA all finished in the top 10 of last year’s Radial fleet.

Long Beach should serve up a mix of clouds and sun this weekend, with the forecasts predicting temperatures in the low 60s and the possibility of showers on Saturday. The most important forecast for the sailors though does include prediction of good wind for both days of competition.

For scoring updates and information, follow the regatta online.

The Interscholastic Sailing Association (ISSA) is the governing body of high school sailing in the United States. Detailed info on the ISSA can be found online here.