Rhode Island women prep for Rolex IWKC

by Dana Paxton on 16 Jun 2005 New England women sailors are invited to participate in the Ida Lewis Yacht Club’s Road to Rolex Clinic in Newport, R.I. July 23 and 24.

The Road to Rolex women’s sailing clinic will feature coaching by Carol Cronin (Jamestown, R.I.), 2004 US Olympian (Yngling) and 1999 Rolex IWKC champion, and John Alofsin (Newport, R.I.), Director of JWorld Sailing School. The 2005 series of Road to Rolex clinics were created to prepare women sailors for US SAILING’s Rolex International Women’s Keelboat Championship (IWKC), considered one of the world’s pinnacle events for women sailors and scheduled for September 17-23 at the Annapolis Yacht Club, in Annapolis, Md., USA.

The Road to Rolex Clinic will feature two days aboard International J/22 and J/24class keelboats. ‘This clinic is for any sailor looking to improve her keelboat sailing, whether they are adults or high school sailors making the transition from dinghies,’ said Denise MacGillivray (Portsmouth, R.I.), clinic coordinator and chair of US SAILING’s Women’s International Keelboat Committee, which oversees the Rolex IWKC. ‘Newport is the spiritual home of the Rolex IWKC, having hosted the biennial event since its inception in 1985 through 1999. We’re thrilled to keep the spirit of the regatta going here in Newport and to give local women an extra advantage against the fleet in Annapolis this September.’

Registration for the two-day clinic is $175 per team and includes two days of on-the-water coaching and classroom instruction, dockage at ILYC and a dinner/social on Saturday evening.

Each participant will receive a copy of the ‘Road to Rolex’ clinic manual written by Betsy Alison (Newport, R.I.), a five-time Rolex Yachtswoman of the Year. Alison has won the biennial Rolex IWKC five times and is an internationally recognized sailing educator and coach.

To register for the Road to Rolex Clinic at Ida Lewis Yacht Club, contact Denise MacGillivray 401-849-5492 (w) or rolexiwkc@aol.com.

U.S. Olympian (2004, Yngling) Carol Cronin (Jamestown, R.I.) has been competing at a top national and international level for 15 years and has competed in the Rolex IWKC since 1991. She has mastered every position on the J/22 and enjoys passing on her expertise to other competitors.

John Alofsin (Newport, RI), is the Director of J World Sailing School, the top rated racing school in the U.S. and a seasoned competitor at the world and national level in several keelboat classes including the J/22, as well as a past two time collegiate All American.

The ‘Road to Rolex’ clinics were initiated in 1997 to provide women sailors with additional opportunities to hone their sailing skills. Locations where past clinics have been held include a dozen U.S. locations, South Africa and Holland.

The Ida Lewis Yacht Club is located on Wellington Avenue, Newport, RI 02840, Tel: 401 846-1969, www.ilyc.org.


About the Rolex IWKC: Inaugurated in 1985 at the instigation of the US SAILING’s Women’s Championship Committee, the Rolex International Women’s Keelboat Championship quickly became the premier women’s sailing event in the U.S. and worldwide. Held biennially, the event provides women keelboat and offshore sailors high-quality racing and an opportunity to compete with top national and international sailors. Rolex Watch U.S.A. has sponsored the regatta since its inception. The event is part of US SAILING’s Adult National Championships series.

The Notice of Race is available online at www.ussailing.org/riwkc. For more information about the 2005 Rolex IWKC, register for email alerts at www.ussailing.org/riwkc and www.race.annapolisyc.org/2005rolex.

About US SAILING: The United States Sailing Association (US SAILING) is the national governing body for sailing and sailboat racing. Headquartered in Portsmouth, R.I., the organization’s mission is to encourage participation and promote excellence in sailing and racing in the U.S. US SAILING offers training and education programs, supports a wide range of sailing organizations and communities, and provides administration and oversight of competitive sailing across the country, including the US Sailing Teams and the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Sailing Teams. For more information, visit www.ussailing.org.