2014 Aquece Rio International Sailing Regatta - Mid-regatta report

by Will Ricketson on 7 Aug 2014 2014 Aquece Rio International Sailing Regatta - As Day 4 of the Aquece Rio International Sailing Regatta (Olympic Test Event) concludes, US Sailing Team Sperry Top-Sider athletes remain focused on absorbing as much knowledge as possible about the 2016 Olympic Games venue during their time in Brazil.

Good weather conditions over the past two days have aided in this effort, with quality racing unfolding at racecourses scattered both inside and outside of Rio's iconic harbor. 'We've had up and down performances as a team this week,' said Charlie McKee, High Performance Director of the US Sailing Team Sperry Top-Sider. 'We're here to see what we need to work on. Overall, we're pleased with our Rio plan.'

In terms of preparing for an Olympic Games, there is no substitute for sailing at the venue itself, explained Laser Radial athlete Paige Railey (Clearwater, Fla.). 'The conditions here are unique, so it's good for us to get used to it and to be comfortable,' said Railey. 'When we get to the Games it will just be second nature to us.' Laser sailor Charlie Buckingham (Newport Beach, Calif.), currently in fifth overall, agreed. 'It's been nice to spend some time and get used to the bay,' said the two-time College Sailor of the Year. 'I feel like we're starting to figure it out. Inside the harbor, you definitely need (to put in time on the water). Lots of current, lots of shifts, and pretty tricky. Outside (the harbor) is just open ocean, with big breeze and steady waves.'

Leading the US Sailing Team Sperry Top-Sider on the leaderboard has been the women's 470 team of Annie Haeger (East Troy, Wisc.) and Briana Provancha (San Diego, Calif.), who opened racing on Tuesday with two race wins and stand in second overall after five races. 'We have been working on increasing our speed upwind,' said Provancha. 'It is exciting to see how far we have come. Our downwind speed here has also helped us a ton.'

Results: Aquece Rio International Sailing Regatta (Rio Test Event)

US Sailing Roster (Class, Athlete/Team, Hometown):

470 Men (Men’s Two-Person):

14th, Stuart McNay (Providence, R.I.) and David Hughes (Miami, Fla.)

470 Women: (Women’s Two-Person):

Second, Annie Haeger (East Troy, Wisc.) and Briana Provancha (San Diego, Calif.)

11th, Sydney Bolger (Long Beach, Calif.) and Carly Shevitz (Santa Barbara, Calif.)

49er (Men’s Two-Person High-Performance):

Ninth, Brad Funk (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.) and Trevor Burd (Marblehead, Mass.)

16th, Fred Strammer (Nokomis, Fla.) and Zach Brown (San Francisco/San Diego, Calif.)

49erFX (Women's Two-Person High-Performance):

13th, Kristen Lane (San Francisco, Calif.) and Maggie Shea (Chicago, Ill.)

15th, Genny Tulloch (San Francisco, Calif.) and Kathleen Tocke (Buffalo, N.Y./Newport R.I.)

Finn (Men’s Heavyweight One-Person):

Caleb Paine (San Diego, Calif.)

Laser (Men’s One-Person):

Fifth, Charlie Buckingham (Newport Beach, Calif.)

23rd, Chris Barnard (Newport Beach, Calif.)

Laser Radial (Women’s One-Person):

Eighth, Paige Railey (Clearwater, Fla.)

10th, Erika Reineke (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.)

Nacra 17 (Mixed Multihull):

13th, Sarah Newberry (Miami, Fla.) and John Casey (Miami, Fla.)

16th, Stephanie Hudson (East Troy, Wisc.) and Ian Andrews (Kailua, Hawaii)

RS:X Men (Men’s Board):

26th, Carson Crain (Houston, Texas)

28th, Jonathan Rudich (Clearwater, Fla.)

Coaches supporting US Athletes this week in Rio:

- Dave Ullman

- Vince Brun

- Mark Littlejohn

- Morgan Reeser

- Charlie McKee

- Luther Carpenter

- Leandro Spina