Elite to compete at High School Singlehanded Nationals

The top 36 singlehanded high school sailors from around the country will descend upon the Pacific Northwest to compete in the 2014 Cressy High School Singlehanded Championship on November 1-2 out of Bellingham Yacht Club in Bellingham, Washington.

Two divisions, Laser Standard Full Rig and Laser Radial, will each have 18 sailors who have qualified for the championship in their respective districts.

Seven sailors are returning in the Full rig division from last year’s Championship to vie for the Standard Laser title including Patrick Shanahan from Shorecrest Preparatory (St. Petersburg, FL) who finished 5th last year. Riley Gibbs, a silver medalist from the Youth World Championship last summer in the 29er Class will also be competing. He represents Long Beach Wilson High School (Long Beach, CA).

In the Radial division, three returning competitors will make for stiff competition. William Marshall from Buckingham Browne & Nichols High School (Cambridge, MA) who finished third last year will now have his brother Henry Marshall joining him on the starting line. Henry competed for the USA in the Youth Olympic Games over the summer finishing 9th overall. Nic Baird of Shorecrest Preparatory (St. Petersburg, FL) and Lawson Willard of Urban School (San Francisco, CA) should be tough competitors for the 2015 title.

Bellingham should serve up a mix of clouds and sun this weekend, with fall-like conditions and cooler weather and the possibility of showers. The most important forecast for the sailors though does include prediction of good wind for both days of competition. Racing is scheduled to start at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday, and 10:30 a.m. on Sunday; conditions permitting. All on-land activities will be based at the Bellingham Yacht Club, and racing can be watched from the shore.

Event website: www.hssailing.org/event/home/cressy

Competitors: