Countdown to ISAF Sailing World Cup Miami

US Sailing’s premier event – the ISAF Sailing World Cup Miami – is set to return to Miami, FL for top-level Olympic and Paralympic class racing on Biscayne Bay. The event is the only North American regatta to be included in the International Sailing Federation’s (ISAF) 2014-15 Sailing World Cup series.

Competitors in the Olympic and Paralympic events will have five days of fleet racing from Monday, January 26 to Friday, January 30. Medal Races across the ten OIympic events will bring the regatta to a close on Saturday, January 31 where medals will be awarded to the top three boats.

Event winners in each Olympic event from ISAF Sailing World Cup Miami will qualify for the 2015 Grand Final, while the best placed ‘home continent’ sailor will also qualify. The regatta is especially important as a ranking regatta for sailors hoping to qualify for the US Sailing Team Sperry Top-Sider, which annually distinguishes the top sailors in each Olympic and Paralympic class. The regatta is a 2015 Pan Am Games nation qualifier for the Laser, Radial, 49erFX and RS:X men and women.

Regatta Headquarters will be located at the US Sailing Center Miami, an official Olympic training center, in Coconut Grove, Miami, Fla. Additional hosts for the event include Miami Rowing Club, Coconut Grove Sailing Club and Shake-a-Leg Miami. These sailing organizations host classes onshore, as well as help run the on-the-water racing. The Coral Reef Yacht Club hosts the Opening and Closing Ceremonies.

Event website: http://www.sailing.org/worldcup/home.php

Background: ISAF Sailing World Cup Miami (Jan. 26-31) is the second qualification regatta for the 2015 ISAF Sailing World Cup Final scheduled for October 29 – November 1 in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. Miami gold medallists in each Olympic event will qualify for the World Cup Final. After Miami the season includes stops in France, Great Britain and an Asian venue. The ISAF Sailing World Cup is open to the sailing classes (equipment) chosen for the 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Sailing Competitions.