LONG BEACH, Calif. (June 11, 2014) – Up to 200 of the best singlehanded sailors in the Western Hemisphere will descend on Long Beach, Calif. for the 2014 Laser North American Championships and U.S. Singlehanded Championship in a combined regatta this week. The top eligible male Laser and female Radial sailor will be named U.S. Singlehanded Champions. The regatta will be hosted by the Alamitos Bay Yacht Club. Four days of racing gets underway Thursday, June 12 and concludes Sunday, June 15.
Adults, juniors and masters, male and female, and members of the U.S. and Canadian national sailing teams and other competitors from Canada to the Caribbean and South America will race in three classes: Laser Full, Laser Radial and Radial 4.7.
Two of the top Americans, Charles Buckingham and Chris Barnard of Newport Beach, will have their sights set on both titles this week, as will the 2006 US Sailing’s Rolex Yachtswoman of the Year and 2012 Olympian Paige Railey (Clearwater, Fla.). All three sailors are members of the US Sailing Team Sperry Top-Sider.
With the growth of one-design sailing in the U.S. and with ever more events in the sailing calendar, it became clear that the traditional qualifying series was limiting the number of sailors who could compete for the U.S. Singlehanded Championships.
Liz Walker, US Sailing Championship Director said, “Our goal is to allow more people to have a chance to compete for these historic championships. As the Laser class is one of the largest singlehanded classes in the world, identifying the top U.S. singlehanded sailors this year through the North Americans is a natural fit.”
Who is eligible to be named U.S. Singlehanded Champion? Sailors must be at least 17 years of age in the calendar year and current members of US Sailing and the Laser class. All the sailors will be scored as one fleet with the highest eligible male Laser sailor winning the O’Day Trophy and the highest female Radial sailor winning the Hanley Trophy.
The race committee plans to run three races daily on trapezoid courses inside or outside the Long Beach Harbor breakwater starting at 12 p.m. PDT each day, conditions permitting.
For more information about the 2014 U.S. Singlehanded Championship, including real-time Twitter updates from the course, visit the event website.
The U.S. Singlehanded Championship is sponsored by Gill North America and Hobie Polarized Sunglasses. This is a Sailors for the Sea certified event.
Visit the 2014 Laser North American Championships website for more details about the entire event.
Laser NA Media Contact: Rich Roberts
310.835.2526, cell 310.766.6547
richsail@earthlink.net
US Sailing Media Contact: Jake Fish
jakefish@ussailing.org, 401-366-3115
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 Sperry Top-Sider. For more information, please visit www.ussailing.org.
About Gill North America
Gill NA, with headquarters near Atlanta, GA is the exclusive importer and distributor of Gill-brand foul weather gear in North America including Caribbean, US and Canada. Gill is a worldwide apparel and accessories brand serving the marine industry with over three decades of experience. Gill specializes in high tech, breathable waterproof clothing. The company develops and markets a variety of performance-oriented, award-winning apparel and accessories for virtually every type of boating activity with product lines that include foul weather gear; interactive layering systems; footwear; gloves; bags; junior gear; scholastic gear and team wear. Gill products are available through hundreds of independent dealers and select West Marine Stores. For further information, please contact: Gary Barker at 941 505 2111 or gary.barker@gillna.com.
About Hobie Polarized
Hobie Polarized is a leading designer, developer, marketer and distributor of polarized eyewear. The brand’s innovative lens technology allows total glare reduction, 100% UV protection, enhances contrast and provides optimum visual acuity. The company’s products are sold worldwide and are used by watermen at all skill and lifestyle levels. The Hobie Polarized headquarters is located in Plainview, New York. For further information, please visit the company’s website at www.hobiepolarized.com.