US Match Racing Championship- Prince of Wales Bowl

by Cynthia Goss on 20 Sep 2007 Eleven match-racing teams from throughout the United States will head to Newport, Rhode Island, this week to compete in the U.S. Match Racing Championship for the Prince of Wales Bowl, a US SAILING National Championship hosted by the New York Yacht Club from September 19-23.

The event—sponsored by Rolex Watch U.S.A., Rosetta Stone and Dry Creek Vineyard—will feature four days of racing in Sonars.

The field of competitors includes two sailors who have established a high profile in the annals of the event's history, for their most recent wins.

Dave Perry (Southport, Conn.), sailing for Pequot Yacht Club, returns as defending champion, racing this year with crewmembers Chris Museler (Portsmouth, R.I.) and David Moffet (Jamestown, R.I.). After a close Finals at last year's event, Perry captured the 2006 title, which was his second win at this US SAILING championship in over two decades: he had won the event 24 years prior, sailing for the Yale Corinthian Yacht Club.

Brian Angel (Manhattan Beach, Calif.) returns to the event after winning in 2005 and finishing second in '06. Angel—sailing for King Harbor Yacht Club with crewmembers Payson Infelise (Newport Beach, Calif.) and Michael Delanty (Redondo Beach, Calif.)—lost the title as last year's defending champion to Perry in the Final round.

The two skippers entered the last race with a 2-2 score in the best-of-five series. Perry had the edge to win last year, but Angel returns to take another run at the title—and possibly another run at the sailor who proved to be his nemesis at last year's event.

Benz Faget (Metairie, La.), who finished fourth last year after losing in the Petit Final round, returns this year with crewmembers David Jurkowski (Newport, R.I.) and David Zahn (Metairie, La.) to represent both the Southern and New Orleans yacht clubs.

No stranger to US SAILING National Championship action is Katy Pilley-Lovell (New Orleans, La.). Earlier this month, Pilley-Lovell reclaimed the Mrs. Charles Adams Trophy for the third year in a row at the U.S. Women's Match Racing Championship, sailed on the Detroit River. This trophy is awarded to the second-place boat at the women's match-race event. Pilley-Lovell comes to Newport this week to make a play for the national title, with her Southern Yacht Club team of Debby Willits (La Porte, Texas), William Andrew Loe III (Baton Rouge, La.) and Tim Hotchkiss (Waverly, R.I.).

To follow the match-race action at this ISAF Grade 3 event during the championship, visit the event's website at www.ussailingorg/championships/adult/usmrc to find daily reports, photos, and race results. The U.S. Match Racing Championship is part of US SAILING’s National Adult Championships, all of which are sponsored by Rolex Watch U.S.A. For more information about these events, visit www.ussailing.org/championships.
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.