Teams Take to Lake Michigan for U.S. Para Sailing Championship

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Starting this Friday, 13 teams will take to the water August 5-7 in Chicago, IL for the US Sailing Para Championship. The US Para Sailing Championship, hosted by the Judd Goldman Adaptive Sailing Foundation and embedded within the Independence Cup (first sailed in 1986), includes three divisions: singlehanded, sailed in 2.4m; doublehanded, sailed in Independence 20s; and triplehanded, sailed in Sonars.

The Independence Cup has a longstanding history of outstanding racing and instructional opportunities for adaptive sailors from all over the United States and Canada. Combining competition with learning has been at the foundation of this event providing sailors with an opportunity to hone their skills with the epic Chicago skyline in the background. The Judd Goldman Adaptive Sailing Foundation is a Chicago-based non-profit organization that enables adults with a disability as well as at-risk youth to learn the sport of sailing.

Competition will be steep, with notable entries including Paralympians and past event winners. Two Paralympic medalists – Maureen McKinnon, a two-time Paralympian who was part of the Gold medal winning SKUD 18 team in 2008, and Chris Murphy, Bronze medalist (Sonar) in the 1996 Games – will be in attendance, along with 2019 event winners Charles McClure (triplehanded) and Matt Koblenzer (singlehanded).

“I look forward to coming to Chicago every summer because the Judd Goldman group is so accommodating,” said Murphy, who will be competing in the Independence 20. “They have a great fleet of boats and a terrific group of volunteers who make sure all your needs are met.”

This year, in the spirit of increasing participation and competition, the triplehanded division will allow one able-bodied crew member (excluding the helmsman) to compete alongside their disabled teammates.

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