2022 US Open Sailing Series #3

The last stop on the Florida edition of the West Marine US Open Sailing Series was February 4-6 in Clearwater, Florida. As the third event of the 2022 season, the Clearwater event attracted 153 boats and boards in four Olympic equipment – ILCA 6, ILCA 7, iQFoil (men, women, youth), and Formula Kite – along with the youth Nacra 15.

The opening day had champagne conditions, with 12-16 knots from the southwest under sunny skies, while day two tested endurance in 16-20 knots and five-foot seas. The wind settled down on the final day, staying light throughout the day, causing racing to be cancelled for the iQFOiL class. All other classes were able to get at least one race completed.

iQFOiL Men
In the iQFOiL Class, local Clearwater stars Noah Lyons and Alex Temko took first and second place, respectively; with Lyons winning by six points. This was a reversal of their finishes at 2021 iQFOiL Nationals, where Temko bested Lyons in a tiebreaker. Finally, US athlete Ethan Froelich of Austin, TX rounded out the podium in third.

iQFOiL Women
Mexico’s Demita Vega de Lille finished first in the Women’s iQFOiL, winning the class handily with a lead of 12 points over second place finisher Bryn Muller (USA). US Sailing Olympic Development Program athlete Dominique Stater took third with a total of 22 points.

iQFOiL U19
The iQFOiL U19 class saw a strong showing from the Hawaiian delegation this weekend. Manihi’I Pahuatini, of KYC Windclub Hawaii, took first place with 13 points, while teammate Makani Andrews took third with 20 points. Clearwater Community Sailing Center local Garrett January came in second with 18 points.

Formula Kite
In it’s first appearance at the 2022 US Open series, the Formula Kite class was dominated by Paris 2024 hopeful Markus Edergran, finishing first with a total of 10 points. Californian Kai Calder took second, while Antiguan Tiger Tyson rounded out the podium in third.

Nacra 15
This year’s event served as the Nacra 15 class’s sole qualifier for 2022 Youth Worlds in The Hauge, The Netherlands. Qualifying for the USA was Dorothy Mendelblatt and Ian Iles-Lee, with a total of 16 points. Cody Roe and Matthew St. Romain (USA) took second, while Elizabeth Frost and Bryan Pan (USA) came in third after a total of eight races.

“It was a stressful day, but we pulled through and we got it,” said Iles-Lee. “Tough conditions to sail in for sure. But we’re very excited to represent our country at Youth Worlds!”

ILCA 6
In the ILCA 6 class with 80 boats, US Sailing ODP athlete Christina Sakellaris commanded the fleet, taking first place with a total of only nine points. US Sailing Team member Charlotte Rose came in second with 17 points, and Coralie Vittecoq of Canada took third with 24 points. This event was the first of two qualifiers for 2022 Youth Worlds in the ILCA 6 class. Peter Barnard and Katharine Doble finished on top of the U19 category ahead of the Laser Midwinters West in March.

ILCA 7
The Canadians came out on top of the ILCA 7 class this weekend, with Tokyo Olympian Tom Ramshaw taking first with 12 points, followed closely by national teammate Fillah Karim in second with 15 points. US Sailing ODP athlete Leo Boucher rounded out the podium in third with a total of 20 points.

Series information – Clearwater details – Results

This year, sailors from the United States competing in Olympic classes will be eligible for prize money over the three Florida and three California events; a first in US Sailing history. Athletes are awarded for $1000 for first place, $500 for second and $250 for third.

2022 US Open Sailing Series
January 15-17: Fort Lauderdale, Florida
January 21-23: Miami, Florida
February 3-6: Clearwater, Florida
June 17-19: San Diego, California
July 15-17: Long Beach, California
August 12-14: San Francisco, California

Organized by US Sailing and host yacht clubs at venues in Florida and California, the 6-stage West Marine US Open Sailing Series seeks to fulfill demand for a racing and training platform based in the United States to provide a path to the Olympic Games for prospective athletes.

Source: US Sailing