Thunderstorms interfer at Oakcliff International

Oyster Bay, NY (September 6, 2014) – The third day of the Oakcliff International began the Quarterfinal Knock-outs, where aggressive boat handling and high stakes sailing put pressure on the umpire team as they were pressed to make the correct calls.

Quarterfinals saw Dave Perry eliminated when the team fell out of sync after a call didn’t go their way. The winner of the match, Eric Monnin, then went to semi finals.

Chris Steele progressed through quarters defeating Charlie Lalumiere after an exciting series of races with Lalumiere putting up a strong fight. “The team really rallied together after one loss to Lalumiere in the quarterfinals,” said Chris Steele of 36 Below Racing. Chris Poole and Pierre-Antoine Morvan also advanced to semi finals.

Semi-finals got underway with round robin winner Poole taking on Morvan – this year’s pre-determined winner of the USA Grand Slam Series. Poole and Morvan traded blows with Morvan coming out 2-1 in a first to three concluding tomorrow.

Thunderstorms brought the penultimate day of racing to an early close, with tomorrow’s forecast for light and shifty conditions.

Results: http://www.matchracingresults.com/2014/usa-grand-slam-oakcliff-international/

Report by event media. Photo by Molly Riley/Oakcliff Sailing.

2014 USA Match Racing Grand Slam Series
Chicago Grand Slam: August 15-17
Detroit Cup: August 21-24
Knickerbocker Cup: August 28-31
Oakcliff International: September 4-7

Winner of the 2014 USA Grand Slam series will qualify for the 2015 Chicago Match Cup, a stop on the Alpari World Match Racing Tour, and the 2015 Congressional Cup. Details: www.usamatchracing.com/2014