US Open Sailing Series Clearwater

The Florida swing of the US Open Sailing Series culminated in Clearwater on February 2-5 for the 200 athletes and 30 countries and territories in attendance.

Nearly all the ten Olympic classes – iQFOiL Women and Men, 49er, Formula Kite Women and Men, ILCA 6, ILCA 7, and 470 Mixed – came together on the Gulf of Mexico off Sand Key Beach. The regatta saw extremely variable conditions with Thursday too light for most classes to race, Friday’s gusts over 30 knots kept competitors ashore, and the final two days featured perfect weather that allowed Race Committee to log several quality races.

For US athletes, it was the final selection event to qualify for the 2023 Pan American Games, the 2023 Sailing World Championships, and the 2023 Olympic Test Event at the Paris 2024 venue. The event also served as a country qualifier for the 2023 Pan American Games with many countries in attendance seeking their spot in Santiago, Chile.

The Canadians who qualified to be nominated for Team Canada’s Santiago 2023 Pan American Games Team are Will Jones and Justin Barnes in 49er, Mac Morrin in men’s Kiteboarding, as well as Rebecca Heller in women’s iQFoil.

Series information – Clearwater details – Photos

Fleet Recaps:

Clearwater locals dominated the Men’s iQFOiL fleet, with two of the top three men all hailing from the local sailing center. Noah Lyons took first place with 11 points, achieving USA selection for the Pan Am Games and 2023 Olympic Test Event later this year. His training partners Geronimo Nores and Alexander Temko took second and third with 11 and 16 points, respectively.

IQFOiL Men:
1. USA – Noah Lyons, 11
2. USA – Geronimo Nores, 11
3. USA – Alexander Temko, 16

Countries qualifying for Pan American Games at this event: United States, Venezuela, Dominican Republic

For the iQFOiL Women, Brazilian Giovanna Prada secured her spot at the top of the podium after winning four of eight races. Following Prada was American Dominique Stater, whose performances in Miami and Clearwater earned her selection for the 2023 Pan Am Games and 2023 Olympic Test Event. Hawaiian native Danicka Sailer represented the islands well and inched out third place over Mexican competitors in fourth and fifth.

iQFOiL Women:
1. BRA – Giovanna Prada, 8
2. USA – Dominique Stater, 10
3. USA – Danicka Sailer, 17

Countries qualifying for Pan American Games at this event: United States, Mexico, Canada
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Newly minted as the 2022 Rolex Yachtswoman of the Year, Formula Kite phenom Daniela Moroz took first place in the Women’s Formula Kite with 11 points over eight races. She was followed in the standings by two kiters from Great Britain, Ellie Aldridge and Maddy Anderson, who finished with 23 and 24 points, respectively.

Formula Kite Women:
1. USA – Daniela Moroz, 11
2. GBR – Ellie Aldridge, 23
3. GBR – Maddy Anderson, 24

Countries qualifying for Pan American Games at this event: United States, Argentina, Colombia

In the Men’s Formula Kite, Cameron Maramenides, a 2018 Youth Olympic Games competitor, sailed a consistent event taking the win with 23 points. US Sailing Team member Markus Edegran finished second with 29 points, while British kiter Guy Bridge finished third with 30 points.

Formula Kite Men:
1. GRE – Cameron Maramenides, 23
2. USA – Markus Edegran, 29
3. GBR – Guy Bridge, 30

Countries qualifying for Pan American Games at this event: United States, Mexico, Canada
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Americans dominated the ILCA 6 podium at this year’s Clearwater US Open. Erika Reineke and Charlotte Rose tied for first place with 13 points, with Reineke winning the tiebreaker to take the event, which, along with her performance at last month’s Lauderdale US Open, earned her a spot at the Pan Am Games and the Olympic Test Event. The podium was rounded out by their training partner Christina Sakellaris, who finished with 19 points.

ILCA 6:
1. USA – Erika Reineke, 13
2. USA – Charlotte Rose, 13
3. USA – Christina Sakellaris, 19

Countries qualifying for Pan American Games at this event: United States, Peru, Guatemala, Venezuela, Cayman Islands
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The ILCA 7 class saw a strong contingent from the Americas. Peruvian Stefano Peschiera, took first overall, winning four of the seven races and finishing with six points total. He was followed by Olympic veteran Juan Ignacio Maegli from Guatemala in second with 12 points, and El Salvadorian Enrique Arathoon in third with 18 points.

Leo Boucher, who finished in fourth place, was the top finishing American. Chapman Petersen, who finished sixth overall, won selection for the Pan Am Games, Olympic Test Event, and the guaranteed berth for the Combined World Championship.

ILCA 7:
1. PER – Stefano Peschiera, 6
2. GUA – Juan Ignacio Maegli, 12
3. ESA – Enrique Arathoon, 18

Countries qualifying for Pan American Games at this event*: Peru, Guatemala, El Salvador, Ecuador, Bermuda.
*The United States qualified the ILCA 7 for Pan Ams at the 2022 ILCA 7 North American Championship
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American teams swept the 49er podium this year, with US Sailing Team athletes Ian Barrows and Hans Henken finishing first with eight points, securing USA selection for the 2023 Pan Am Games and Olympic Test Event. Training partners Nevin Snow and Mac Agnese came in second with 17 points while Andrew Mollerus and Ian MacDiarmid rounded out the podium in third with 19 points.

49er:
1. USA – Ian Barrows and Hans Henken, 8
2. USA – Nevin Snow and Mac Agnese, 17
3. USA – Andrew Mollerus and Ian MacDiarmid, 19

Countries qualifying for Pan American Games at this event*: Canada, Mexico, Brazil
*The United States qualified the 49er for Pan Ams at the 2022 49er World Championship
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Four-time Olympian Stu McNay paired up with Tokyo 2020 Olympian Lara Dallman-Weiss this weekend to win the Clearwater US Open’s Mixed 470 class with six points after winning four of the six total races. They were followed closely by US Sailing Team athletes Louisa Nordstrom and Trevor Bornarth, who finished second with eight points. Kyra Phelan and Sawyer Bastian finished third with 16 points.

470 Mixed:
1. USA – Stuart McNay and Lara Dallman-Weiss, 6
2. USA – Louisa Nordstrom and Trevor Bornarth, 8
3. USA – Kyra Phelan and Sawyer Bastian, 16

[The Pan American Games do not feature the 470]
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As of the time of this release, the United States has qualified all nine Olympic classes, the Snipe, and Lightning for the 2023 Pan American Games. Country qualification events for the men’s and women’s Sunfish will begin in March of this year to complete the Pan American sailing event program.

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