Breeding ground for USA Olympic sailing

The West Marine US Open Sailing Series hosted 114 athletes at the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic sailing venue on July 15-17 in Long Beach, CA. Each day, mornings of fog gave way to the reliable seabreeze, allowing the race committee to run a total of 64 races across seven fleets.

“Long Beach is the heart, soul, and breeding ground for Olympic sailing,” said US Olympic Sailing Director Paul Cayard. “With the games here in 2028, we have an incredible opportunity to move the United Stated of America back to the top of the podium. The West Marine US Open is important to building strength in the USA.”

All sailors, regardless of nationality, were eligible for prize money to be awarded to the top three finishers in each established Olympic discipline. Athletes were awarded $1,000 for first place, $500 for second and $250 for third.

Long Beach was the second of three stops on the California tour which now continues up the California coastline to San Francisco on August 12-14, 2022.

Series information – Long Beach details – Results

ILCA 7
Athletes in the Olympic Development Program (ODP) dominated the ILCA 7 fleet. Leo Boucher, winner of last month’s ILCA North Americans, took first with 18 points. His ODP teammates Marshall McCann and Chapman Peterson took second and third, respectively.

ILCA 6
Long Beach local Tate Christopher won the largest fleet at the regatta with a total of 21 points. Cooper Smith took second with 36 points and Liam Andersen rounded out the podium with 39 points.

The top three women in the ILCA 6 fleet were eligible for prize money, as the ILCA 6 is the Olympic discipline for women. San Diego sailor Oakley Cunningham took first prize of $1,000, while Siena Nichols took second prize of $500. Nicole Sighiartau took third prize, winning $250.

iQFOiL
Florida area sailors graced the podium this year. Noah Lyons, of Clearwater Community Sailing Center, posted eight first place finishes to win overall. Second place finisher Pedro Pascual, a Miami native who was part of the Tokyo 2020 and Rio 2016 teams, finished with 18 points. Lyons’s Clearwater teammate Alexander Temko finished third.

As an Olympic discipline, the three women racing in the iQFOiL were each eligible for prize money. Dominique Stater took first prize of $1,000, Bryn Miller took second prize of $500, and B Lindsay took third prize of $250.

Formula Kites
The Formula Kite class saw stadium racing off of Long Beach. ODP athlete Markus Edegran took first place, posting eight first place finishes throughout the event. Evan Heffernan took second, while Noah Runciman took third.

Finn
Finns had two days of racing with local Erik Lidecis dominating the fleet, winning all but one race. Phil Ramming took second while Chris Raab was third.

ILCA 4
In the ILCA 4 fleet, Paloma Arrigo and Landon Stahl tied for first, with Arrigo winning the tiebreaker. Chloe Pearl came in third with 25 points.

29er
A California squad dominated the 29er fleet. William Stratton and Ronan Curyan came in first place, winning every race but one. Noah Stapleton and Jack Bradley took second, while Kevin Carson and Holland Vierling took third.

Series information – Long Beach details – Results

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 offers a domestic racing and training pathway for Olympic hopefuls in the US. The series also is an important part of the training plans for young sailors participating as part of the Olympic Development Program (ODP), a US Sailing initiative supported by the AmericaOne Foundation.

Source: US Sailing