Chicago Match Race Center Autumn Open A – Ten teams ready to rumble

by CMRC Media on 24 Sep 2010 The last series of two consecutive ISAF Open Grade 3 events kicks off today at the Chicago Match Race Center’s (CMRC) Autumn Open A regatta, where 10 teams from the US, Japan, Poland and Hong Kong are to compete for two days of match race action off Belmont Harbor.

This is the most international turnout of any of the CMRC’s Grade 3 events this year, and represents a broad range of experience.

Racing in the Open A event will be today and tomorrow, with the Autumn Open B event to be held over Saturday and Sunday, September 25-26.

Leading the pack in the rankings is 2009 US national match race champion Bill Hardesty (USA), who is transplanted from San Diego, CA to Chicago, and ranked 69th in the ISAF world ranking list. He came out strong in the 2010 season, winning his first two Grade 3 events at the Bayview Spring Invitational in Detroit, and the CMRC Summer Classic A regatta, among the seven Grade 2 and 3 events he’s sailed this year. Hardesty will be sailing with Austin Dias (Main) ‚ Dan Lipton (Jib) ‚ Mandi Markee (Floater) ‚ and Matt Cassidy (Bow).

Next on the ranking list at 95th in the world is Rosinski Krzysztof (POL) from Gdynia, Poland, who this year has thusfar earned a string of third-place finishes at three Grade 3 events: the La Fuga Sail Cup in Italy, the I. Korotkevich Cup Open Match Race Championship in Russia, and the Alma Mater Sailing Cup in Italy. Krzysztof will be sailing with Norbert Rymuszka (Main)‚ Chris Doubeck (Jib)‚ and Bartosz Bartinicki (Bow).

At 129th in the world, Sakamoto Wataru (JPN) from Wakayama City, Japan has won the Grade 3 Karuru Match Cup and the Grade 4 Karuru Asia-Pacific Match Race Championship, and placed third at the Grade 2 Seven Feet Cup in Vladivostock. Wataru will be sailing with Daichi Wada (Main)‚ Yasuhiro Okamoto (Jib)‚ and Hiroaki Yoshifuji (Bow).

Danielle Soriano (USA) from Brielle, NJ is the event’s only female skipper, and is ranked 81st in the Women’s world rankings, and 359th in the Open world rankings. She has been very active this year as both a skipper in Open and Women’s match race events, and as a crew for other skippers. Among the six Open and Women’s Grade 3 events she’s skippered, her best result was her fourth place in March at the Women’s Sundance Cup in Forth Worth, TX. Her crew will be Jack Jennings (Main)‚ Mike Rehe (Jib)‚ and August Voegeli (Bow).

Making his debut at CMRC and ranked 364th in the world, Bruce Stone (USA) hails from San Francisco, CA and has been active in several West Coast match racing events. He will be joined by Matt Gregory (Main)‚ Cam Geen (Jib)‚ and Nicole Breault (Bow).

Local favorite Chris Wurtz (USA) is ranked 476th in the world and will be making his third CMRC appearance this year, having finished seventh and eighth in two previous Grade 3 events. Wurtz will be racing with Donald Massey (Main)‚ Andy Camarda (Jib)‚ and Tom Schlosser (Bow).

As yet unranked, Clay Bischoff (USA) from Newport, RI, will be making his CMRC debut as a skipper, assisted by Dan Litchfield and two remaining crew to be announced.

Also unranked, locally-based Eric Christman (USA) will be also be making his CMRC debut, helped by Rex Cameron (Main)‚ Jimmy Pelergost (Jib)‚ and Josh Robenstein (Bow).

And yet another unranked local team, led by Tod Reynolds (USA), will be making their CMRC debut, and includes Jennifer Wilson (Main)‚ Bobby Collins (Jib)‚ and Nick deRoulhac (Bow).

Traveling the furthest of any team at the event, Chin Yew Seah (HKG) from Hong Kong is new to match race sailing as a skipper and is thus unranked in the world. But among his crew of Laurie Jury (Main)‚ Logan Fraser (Jib)‚ and Michael Edmonds (Bow), Jury (NZL) finished fourth as a skipper at this summer’s Grade 2 CMRC Chicago Match Cup in August, and is the reigning national match racing champion from New Zealand.

Racing will be held in the CMRC’s identically-matched TOM 28 class yachts, near the entrance to Belmont Harbor, with starts today and tomorrow intended for 9:00 AM. Live commentary will be provided by Tucker Thompson of T2P Productions, with live streaming video of the action available on the CMRC website.

Shoreside activities on the lakefront including competitor briefings, press conferences, umpire debriefs and awards ceremonies will be held before and after racing in and around the CMRC floating regatta center moored at the North end of Belmont Harbor.

Official Partners of the CMRC include CME Group and the City Inns family of hotels, and NYSE LIFFE is CMRC’s official Boat Sponsor and Line Honors is the Official Clothing Supplier to CMRC.

For more information, please go to: www.chicagomatchrace.com