Cream rising at U.S. Team Racing Championship

Newport Beach, CA (October 5, 2013) – The second round robin was completed and teams separated into Gold and Silver fleets Saturday afternoon in another exciting day on Newport Harbor at the U.S. Team Racing Championship, hosted by the Newport Harbor Yacht Club.

The team representing the Newport Harbor Yacht Club, Tiller Towards Trouble, rose to occasion today and excelled in the second round robin, finishing with a 10-1 record in the round. They stood at 16-6 after two round robins. The team is comprised of skippers Brian Bissell (Newport Beach, Calif.), Chris Barnard (Newport Beach, Calif.), Christopher Segerblom (Costa Mesa, Calif.), and crewmates Perry Emsiek (Corona del Mar, Calif.), Katia DaSilva (East Greenwich, R.I.), and Kayla McComb (Sunset Beach, Calif.).

Tallying the best record through two round robins was Ladies and Gentlemen with a 17-5 record. They were 8-3 in the second round. Jet Lag dropped to third with a 6-5 record, and 15-7 overall.

The top six teams advanced to the Gold fleet with points doubled, and the Silver fleet was comprised of teams seeded 7th through 12th. Topping the Gold fleet with a 4-1 record was Ladies and Gentlemen. With 25 points in 27 races, Ladies and Gentlemen is the number one ranked team. The team includes skippers Justin Law (Newport Beach, Calif.), Michael Menninger (San Francisco, Calif.) and Tyler Sinks (San Diego, Calif.), with crew Adrienne Patterson (Miami, Fla.), Marla Menninger (San Francisco, Calif.) and Lucy Wallace (Middletown, R.I.).

Teams managed the varying conditions on the harbor today. Winds were reported at 5 to 20 knots with gusts reaching 30 from the Northeast late this morning. Breezes settled at the 6 to 9 knots range, with frequent shifts, early this afternoon. Later in the afternoon, wind picked up to 8 to 12 knots.

The plan for Sunday is another round robin for the Gold and Silver fleets, followed by a knock out series.

Standings and Results

Team racing is one of the fastest growing disciplines in sailing. Over 100 races are sailed in just a few days. Each race or flight lasts under 30 minutes and normally, three flights are racing simultaneously with teams swapping out after each race. The format is a double round-robin followed by a knock-out series sailed between the eight teams who have recorded the highest number of wins during the round-robin series. The intended course is a digital “N”. Other courses may be used. Each six-person team consists of three skippers and three crews racing Club FJs provided by the Newport Harbor Yacht Club. Teams were selected to race based on team resumes.

Check out the roster for a full list of teams competing in Newport Beach this week.

The winning team will be presented the George R. Hinman Trophy. US Sailing medals will be awarded to the top three placing teams.

For real-time Twitter updates, results, standings, video highlights by Chris Love, photos, and more information from the 2013 U.S. Team Racing Championship, please visit the event website.

The 2013 U.S. Team Racing Championship is sponsored by Gill North America, Hobie Polarized Sunglasses, and Old Pulteney Single Malt Scotch Whiskey. This US Sailing National Championship is a Sailors for the Sea – Clean Regattas certification event.

For Immediate Release
Contact: Jake Fish, US Sailing Communications Manager, jakefish@ussailing.org, 401.683.0800 x614

Championship Personnel:
Adam Deermount – Event Chairman
Scott Mason – Event Principal Race Officer
Jennifer Lancaster – NHYC Race Director
Liz Walker – Championships Director