Rolex International Women’s Keelboat Championship

by Dana Paxton on 6 Nov 2008
Organizers of US SAILING’s Rolex International Women’s Keelboat Championship (IWKC) have announced a change in venue and dates for the next running of this biennial regatta.

Due to the impact of September’s Hurricane Ike on the greater Houston area, including the Galveston Bay communities of Clear Lake, Kemah, La Porte and Shoreacres, where the Houston Yacht Club (HYC) is situated, the organizing committee made the difficult decision to pass the helm to another club and not host the 2009 regatta. The new host is Rochester Yacht Club (RYC), N.Y., and the new dates for the event are October 7-10, 2009.

'We are deeply saddened that Houston Yacht Club will not be able to run the Rolex IWKC again in 2009,' said Taran Teague (Annapolis, Md.), chair of US SAILING’s International Women’s Keelboat Committee, which oversees the Rolex IWKC. 'The hospitality from Ginny Garrett’s big Texas team was unbelievable in 2007! The high-level race management and personal attention to details from Jim Tichenor's race committee was spectacular. He tells me that HYC will be back again to host another Rolex IWKC and other high level regattas. They will be missed as a host in 2009, but never forgotten. We extend our sincere invitation to HYC and the other sailors from Texas to join us in Rochester for 2009.'

Four days of racing on Lake Ontario will be preceded by the Next Step to Rolex program, a developmental program for girls age 13-17 that seeks to offer keelboat training in a mentoring atmosphere, and two days of boat measurement and registration on Oct. 4-5. Every day after racing, RYC will host a casual dockside happy hour where competitors can debrief, rehydrate and relax, while parties will take place each evening with the regatta culminating at the traditional Rolex gala and awards presentation where a Rolex timepiece will be awarded to the winning boat’s skipper.

Presenting the RYC bid was Cory Sertl (Rochester, N.Y.), who will serve on the local organizing committee and head up the Next Step to Rolex program.

'The Rochester Yacht Club membership has always had an interest in hosting the Rolex Women’s Keelboat,' said Sertl. 'In fact, Helen Ingerson from RYC is credited, along with Ann Connor of Newport, with creating the concept of an international regatta specifically for women. It is in her honor that we made the bid and accepted it. This area offers great racing conditions, especially in October. We look forward to welcoming sailors, their families and supporters to Rochester next October and carrying on the tradition of this tremendous regatta.'

Sertl, a 1988 Olympian, is well-known in international racing circles for her competitive success as well as her long support of the administrative side of sailing. In addition to representing US SAILING at the annual ISAF (International Sailing Federation) meetings, serving on the ISAF Council and helping to successfully lobby for including women’s keelboat racing in the Olympics, she has competed in the regatta nine times, winning the inaugural Rolex IWKC in 1985 as crew and again as skipper in 2001, which lead to her selection as US SAILING’s 2001 Rolex Yachtswoman of the Year (note: She also earned the distinction in 1985).

The Rochester Yacht Club has named Anne Beadling (Rochester) as the 2009 chair of the organizing committee. Known for her organizational skills and passion for sailing, she most recently served on the committee for the 102-boat 2008 J/22 World Championship, held at RYC, as treasurer/secretary and project manager. 'We are proud to be the home club of Cory Sertl, Annemarie Cook, Jane Mastrandrea and Amy Moran, who represented RYC at the 2007 Rolex IWKC and finished in second place,' said Beadling, who competed in the Annapolis Yacht Club’s running of the Rolex IWKC. 'Our local J/22 fleet, fleet #55, was established in 1983, and since then the J/22 has grown to become the largest and most popular one design at our club. On behalf of the Rochester Yacht Club, I extend our heartfelt sympathy to Houston Yacht Club and its members. Our planning and organizing committees are staffed and preparations are underway. Coming on the heels of the IFDS World Championship in 2007 and the J/22 Worlds, the organizing committee and membership are excited to welcome such a prestigious event to our waters.'

Soon after Hurricane Ike struck, US SAILING put out the word that host club bids were being sought. 'We were pleased to have such substantial clubs, with excellent regatta and race management track records, step up to the plate and submit bids at the recent US SAILING Annual Meeting' said Teague. 'The four excellent yacht clubs that submitted bids within 10 days of being notified included Annapolis, Ida Lewis/New York, Southern and Rochester. I would like to extend my sincere gratitude to the entire committee for its hard work and long hours of discussion, which culminated in selecting Rochester Yacht Club to host the 2009 Rolex IWKC. I would also like to point out that the vote for Rochester was unanimous among the committee members.'

Founded in 1985 by US SAILING and Rolex, the regatta is considered one of the world’s pinnacle events for women sailors. The Rolex IWKC utilizes the International J/22 class keelboat, suitable for four-person teams. Previous competitors have included Olympic medalists, America’s Cup and Volvo Ocean Race veterans, world champions and US SAILING’s Rolex Yachtswomen of the Year, in addition to women of all ages with varying levels of racing experience.

A Preliminary Notice of Race will be posted online in early 2009 at http://championships.ussailing.org/Adult/RIWKC.htm. Contact Event Chair Anne Beadling by email at riwkc09(at)gmail.com or the Rochester Yacht Club at 585-342-5511. For more information about the 2009 Rolex IWKC or to subscribe to news updates, visit http://championships.ussailing.org/Adult/RIWKC.htm.

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 Championships calendar.

The Rolex IWKC joins other prestigious Rolex-sponsored events including the Rolex Miami OCR, Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup, Rolex Fastnet Race, Rolex Farr 40 World Championship, Block Island Race Week presented by Rolex, the Rolex Big Boat Series and the Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race. For more information visit www.regattanews.com, the online press portal for Rolex yachting events.

About the Rochester Yacht Club: Incorporated in 1877, the Rochester Yacht Club celebrated its 125th anniversary in 2002 and is still going strong. The first regatta was held in 1877 with eight sail boats competing and most recently it hosted 102 boats at the J/22 World Championship. Its purpose is to provide and encourage interests and instruction in areas of yachts and yachting, seamanship, racing and traditions of yachting. By car, RYC is seven miles from the heart of Rochester, Monroe County, New York, and it is located on the south shore of Lake Ontario and accessible from the Genesee River.

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 t

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