Florida finale for US Open Sailing Series

The final stop for the Florida segment of the US Open Sailing Series will be held February 2-5 in Clearwater, FL. Eight of the 10 events for Paris 2024 will be competing, with the outcome of the event weighing heavily in the selection process for the USA and Canadian teams.

With the exception of the 49erFX and Nacra 17, American athletes are competing for berths at the 2023 Olympic Test Event, 2023 Pan American Games, and 2023 Sailing World Championships. Additionally, the ability there is the opportunity to earn selection for the Paris 2024 Olympics.

“The US Open series is growing in numbers and depth of talent,” said Paul Cayard, Executive Director of US Olympic Sailing. “Two hundred athletes from 30 nations make a significant Olympic Sailing competition and a huge opportunity for American sailors.

“Our USA athletes are focused on qualifying for three important events this year: the Olympic Test Event in Marseilles, the World Championship in The Hague, and the Pan American Games in Chile. North and South American countries have also chosen to use our Clearwater US Open as their qualifier for the Pan American games, in Santiago Chile, later this year.”

Fresh off her sixth World Championship win and first place at the Miami US Open Sailing Series event, Daniela Moroz has her sights set on qualification for the Olympic Test Event, where she could secure selection for her spot on Team USA.

“My peak event this year is the Olympic Test Event in Marseille, so the Clearwater US Open is an important step to qualify for that,” said Moroz. “This year’s US Open Series has been great training because we’ve been able to attract international kiters to Miami and Clearwater. It’s a good way to check in with my racing skills because there haven’t been any events since the World Championship in October.”

For more on the selection process: https://www.ussailing.org/olympics/selection/

The classes competing in Clearwater at the Mixed 470, iQFOiL Men / Women / Youth, Formula Kite Men / Women, ILCA 6, ILCA 7, and 49er. Aside from the selection process, prize money – First place = $1,000 cash, Second place $500, Third place $250 – is awarded to top three finishers in all Olympic disciplines (Mixed 470, Formula Kite Men & Women, 49er, iQFOiLMen & Women, ILCA 6 and ILCA 7).

Canadian sailors will also be taking part in the US Open Sailing Series where they will aim to qualify a spot for Canada and/or for themselves at the 2023 Pan American Games.

The competition is one of many qualifying regattas where sailors from the North, Central and South Americas will be able to secure one spot for their country in six of the 13 sailing events scheduled for the 2023 Pan American Games, as per Panam Sailing qualification criteria (https://panamsailing.org/). The 2023 Pan American Games will be held from October 20 to November 5 in Santiago, Chile.

Also, based on Sail Canada’s Santiago 2023 Pan American Games Sailing Internal Nomination Procedures, available at https://www.sailing.ca/sc_event/2023-pan-american-games, Canadian athletes competing in 49er, IQFoil (men and women) and Kiteboarding (men and women) events can also qualify themselves for the 2023 Pan American Games by, first, qualifying a spot for Canada by getting the top result among countries that are not yet qualified and then by being the top Canadian in the event held in Clearwater. Additional details here.

Canadian athletes in ILCA 6 and ILCA 7 already qualified a spot for Canada last summer and will be able to qualify themselves for the 2023 Pan American Games at the Princess Sofia Regatta on April 3-8 in Palma, Spain.

Series information – Clearwater details – Photos

2023 US Open Sailing Series
January 14-16: Fort Lauderdale, Florida
January 14-16: Miami, Florida
February 2-5: Clearwater, Florida
June 16-18: San Diego, California
July 14-16: Long Beach, California
August 11-13: 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 has offered 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