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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Cynthia Goss
203-453-2731

Portsmouth, R.I. (August 29, 2007) – When Deb Capozzi (Bayport, N.Y.) arrives at Bayview Yacht Club in early September to defend her 2006 win at the U.S. Women's Match Racing Championship, sponsored by Rolex Watch U.S.A. and Dry Creek Vineyard, other tough match-race contenders will also be flying into Detroit from across the country to vie for this national title. Katy Pilley-Lovell, the New Orleans skipper who gave Capozzi a hard-fought run in the finals last year, may be the most recent threat to Capozzi's 2006 win, but she is not the only rival to watch: this fleet will be populated by women sailors who define the edge of excellence—not only in this country, but in global one-design contests as well.

The field of eleven teams will include skipper Anna Tunnicliffe (Plantation, Fla.), who recently returned from China where she captured a Gold Medal at The Good Luck Beijing – 2007 Qingdao International Regatta, the last test event before the 2008 Olympic Games; she will race with Liz Bower (Rochester, N.Y.) and Jean "Ali" Sharp (Annapolis, Md.).

Also competing will be former International Sailing Federation (ISAF) Women's Match Racing World Champion Liz Baylis (San Rafael, Calif.), sailing with Cory Sertl (Rochester, N.Y.) and Susanne Leech (Simsbury, Conn.). Baylis and Sertl are both Rolex Yachtswomen of the Year and past winners of this championship.

The regatta will be hosted by Bayview YC (Detroit, Mich.) from September 5-9. After a day of practice on the opening Wednesday, Capozzi—with crew Lindsay Bartel (Annapolis, Md.) and Sharon Ferris (Russell, Bay of Islands, New Zealand)—will enter the four-day challenge to defend her win. Racing takes place in triplehanded Ultimate 20s on Lake St. Clair.

At regatta's end, the winner of this US SAILING championship will be presented with the Allegra Knapp Mertz Trophy. The runner up will win the Mrs. Charles Adams Trophy; Pilley-Lovell has won this trophy for two years in a row and returns this year with crew Dana Riley (San Francisco, Calif.) and Alice Manard (Charleston, S.C.) for a shot at the title.

For a complete list of entries, and to follow the championship's action during the event, visit the event website at www.ussailing.org/championships/adult/women/uswmrc.

The U.S. Women’s Match Racing Championship is part of US SAILING’s National Adult Championship series, sponsored by Rolex Watch U.S.A., Inc. For more information about these Championships, visit www.ussailing.org/championships.

About US SAILING
The United States Sailing Association (US SAILING) is the national governing body for sailing. Founded in 1897 and headquartered in Portsmouth, Rhode Island, the organization provides leadership for the sport of sailing in the United States. US SAILING offers training and education programs for instructors and race officials, supports a wide range of sailing organizations and communities, issues offshore rating certificates, and provides administration and oversight of competitive sailing across the country, including National Championships and the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Sailing Teams. For more information, please visit www.ussailing.org.

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