For Immediate Release
The Clagett Media Contact: Sam Crichton sam@samcrichton.com, (401) 787-2250
US Sailing Media Contact: Jake Fish, jakefish@ussailing.org, (401) 342-7925
Coaches have words of wisdom for the sailors at the 16th annual Clagett Regatta
and the 2018 U.S. Para Sailing Championships
NEWPORT, R.I. (June 21, 2018) – For the 46 sailors who are attending the 16th annual C. Thomas Clagett, Jr. Memorial Clinic and Regatta and the 2018 U.S. Para Sailing Championships in Newport RI, the two days of coaching on Wednesday and Thursday will be put to use when the racing begins Friday.
This year the coaching team of Dave Perry, Dave Dellenbaugh, Brian Todd, Betsy Alison, Nancy Haberland and Ken Legler have all brought a wealth of sailing knowledge and skills to the table for the sailors to take out on the water and put in to practice.
Attending his 10th Clagett coaching clinic and regatta is Rio Paralympic Silver medalist Rick Doerr, who this year is racing with two new crew in the Sonar. Doerr is acting as a mentor to a graduate of the Warrior Sailing Program, Dawn Hart. Also racing with Doerr is Charles McClure who is a long-time Clagett sailor.
From Canada will be a recent Clagett Boat Grant Program recipient, Delani Hulme-Lawrence from St. Paul, Alberta, who is sailing in the 2.4mR class. Hulme-Lawrence, who had her first sail in the new boat over the last two days, is racing in the 23 strong 2.4mR fleet with fellow Clagett Boat Grant Program recipient Shaylagh Ley.
Racing for the next three days of the regatta will be the 2.4mR class for singlehanded sailors, the RS Venture Connect for the doublehanded fleet and the Sonar for the triplehanded event. For the first day of racing the forecast is for an Easterly breeze building to 15 knots by later in the day.
After the three days of racing, the trophies which will be awarded to the sailors competing in The Clagett will be, the C. Thomas Clagett, Jr. Trophy, the Susan B. Johnson – Sportsmanship Award, the Larry Gadsby – Most Improved Award, the Nick Scandone – Spirit Award and the Robie Pierce and Gene Hinkle – Seamanship Award will be presented to sailors taking part in the regatta.
U.S. sailors, who registered to compete in the U.S. Para Sailing Championships, will be eligible for the following trophies: the U.S. Para Sailing Singlehanded Championship for the Judd Goldman Trophy will be raced in the 2.4mR class, the U.S. Para Sailing Doublehanded Championship for the Chandler Hovey Trophy will be raced in the RS Venture Connect and the U.S. Para Sailing Triplehanded Championship for the Gene Hinkel Trophy will be raced in Sonars.
For more information about The 2018 Clagett Regatta and U.S. Para Sailing Championships visit: www.clagettregatta.org and the U.S. Para Sailing Championships event website. Follow The Clagett and US Sailing on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter, and search #ClagettRegatta for content.
The 2018 U.S. Para Sailing Championships is sponsored by Gill.
About the C. Thomas Clagett, Jr. Memorial Clinic and Regatta
Founded in 2003, the C. Thomas Clagett, Jr. Memorial Clinic and Regatta honors the late Tom Clagett (1916-2001), a U.S. Navy World War II veteran who learned to sail on Chesapeake Bay. As a youngster he suffered temporary paralysis as the result of a bout of meningitis; an experience that left him with a deep respect for the accomplishments of people with disabilities. The Clagett’s stated mission is “to assist sailors in realizing their potential on the water by providing them both the knowledge and tools to improve their skills and the opportunity to use these skills in competition”. Tom Clagett’s motto was “Reach for Success”, which resonates with every Clagett participant. Clagett competitors have seen medal success at the 2008, 2012 and 2016 Paralympic Games. Competitors often comment that, The Clagett, has improved their quality of life as they apply what is achieved on the water to everyday situations.
About US Sailing
The United States Sailing Association (US Sailing), the National Governing Body for sailing, provides leadership, integrity, and growth for the sport in the United States. Founded in 1897 and headquartered in Portsmouth, Rhode Island, US Sailing is a 501(c) (3) non-profit organization. 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 US Sailing Team. For more information, please visit www.ussailing.org.
Thomas Clagett, Jr. Memorial Clinic and Regatta 2018 sponsors and supporters
The Clagett organization would like to thank the following 2018 sponsors – Fiduciary Trust International at the Platinum level; Newman’s Own Foundation at the Gold level; American International Group, Inc. (AIG) at the Silver level; The Horance A. Kimball & S. Ella Kimball Foundation and Alice and Bruce Whelihan at the Bronze level.
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