Entries open for 2015 US GRAND SLAM Grade 2 match racing series

The 2015 US GRAND SLAM Series will take place in August, with four events comprising the fifth edition of this premier ISAF Grade 2 series. As in previous editions, the winner of the overall series will receive an invitation to the 2016 Congressional Cup in Long Beach, CA, the prestigious Grade 1 event that is launching the 2015 WMRT.

The series attracts top talent from the US and around the world, and has been an important stepping-stone for amateur skippers to reach the top. Previous winners of the series have subsequently earned entry to the World Match Racing Tour (WMRT) and launched highly successful campaigns, such as Taylor Canfield’s US One Sailing Team who won the Grand Slam Series in 2012 and then went on to win the 2013 Tour and World Championship title.

Requests for Invitation are now being accepted and all four venues anticipate high demand.

2015 Grand Slam Racing Dates
August 6-9: Manhasset Bay Match Race for the Knickerbocker Cup
August 13-16: Oakcliff International
August 21-23: Chicago Match Cup Grand Slam
August 27-30: Detroit Cup

Manhasset Bay Match Race for the Knickerbocker Cup (sailed in Sonars this year) – Manhasset Bay YC

The Manhasset Bay Match Race for the Knickerbocker Cup will be the lead event in this year’s series held over August 6-9th on the north shore of Long Island, New York. Unlike the previous years, the event will be sailed in equally-matched Sonar class boats with four crew members. Prizes include a total prize money purse of $12,000 and an invitation to the 2015 WMRT Bermuda Gold Cup.

Oakcliff International – Oakcliff Sailing

The next stop on the US GRAND SLAM, the Oakcliff International, will also offer prize money with a total purse of $10,000. The event will be sailed in Oakcliff Sailing’s fleet of Match 40’s, the largest keelboat on the match racing circuit with crews of five or six. Racing here will be held over August 13-16th a few miles east of Manhasset Bay at Oakcliff Sailing’s base in Oyster Bay, New York.

Chicago Match Cup Grand Slam – Chicago Match Race Center

Then the competition heads west to Lake Michigan for the Chicago Match Cup Grand Slam. Racing will be held over August 21-23rd in the Chicago Match Race Center’s Tom 28’s with crews of four or five battling each other on courses set close to the shoreline of Lakeview, Chicago.

Detroit Cup – Bayview YC

For the fourth and final stop on the US GRAND SLAM, the competition will migrate to Detroit, Michigan for Bayview Yacht Club’s Detroit Cup held over August 27-30th. The crew size will reduce even further to teams of three or four in Bayview’s fleet of Ultimate 20’s. Courses will be set on the Detroit River within easy spectator viewing from the Club.

For teams to receive an invitation to the US GRAND SLAM series or to individual events, there are several qualifiers that can be found in the Notice of Series (click here). Organizers of each event will also consider requests for invitation based on a team’s ISAF ranking and region of origin. Four successive Grade 2 events in a single month makes travel easy and is a great opportunity for skippers to earn valuable ranking points, which is why this series is a favorite for many top-ranked skippers and their teams from overseas.

“We’re extremely pleased with the interest and turnout in the US GRAND SLAM over the past four years,” said Dave Perry, Chairman of the US Sailing Match Racing Committee. “We are fortunate to have been able to move the entire series into a month where there are fewer conflicts and more opportunities for our sailors and teams. I expect this fifth year will be another great one for the US GRAND SLAM, with the best in the U.S. meeting some of the best in the world in one great series.”

For results and more information on the US GRAND SLAM, download the Notice of Series below, or visit the series website: www.usamatchracing.com/2015

Previous Grand Slam Winners
2011- Laurie Jury, NZL
2012- Taylor Canfield, ISV
2013- Nicolai Sehested, DEN
2014- Pierre Antoine Morvan, FRA

US GRAND SLAM EVENT CONTACT INFO
Knickerbocker Cup: www.knickerbockercup.org – KCup@manhassetbayyc.com
Oakcliff International: www.oakcliffsailing.org/calendar – bsimon@oakcliffsailing.org
Chicago Match Cup: www.chicagomatchrace.com/events – maggie@chicagomatchrace.com
Detroit Cup: www.detroitcup.com – thedetroitcup@byc.com