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Seventy-Seven American Sailors Set to Compete at ISAF World Championships in Portugal
By Marni Lane // U.S. Sailing // June 21, 2007
Portsmouth, R.I. (June 20, 2007) – Almost a year before the 2008 Olympic Games, 77 USA sailors are getting ready to test their skills, strength and boat-speed against the best sailors in the world at one of the most important Olympic class regattas, the International Sailing Federation (ISAF) Sailing World Championships in Cascais, Portugal. Held from June 28 to July 13, this event is expected to draw more than 1,600 sailors and 1,000 boats from 75 nations. The world's top sailors will vie for the World Champion title in their respective classes over two weeks of staggered racing, beginning Tuesday, July 3.
This regatta is significant for sailors and their countries because it is the first of two Olympic qualifiers for the 2008 Olympic Sailing Competition in China. Seventy-five percent of the country spots in each class will be awarded at this year's World Championships. The rest of the berths will be awarded at the 2008 World Championships for each class.
For many Americans sailors who have competed at several European regattas and training camps on the waters of Cascais Bay this spring, the World Championships are where they plan to peak, performance-wise. This litmus test will give sailors a better feel for where they stand on an international level.
"The US Sailing Team has had a terrific season in Europe, and we plan to continue that success at the ISAF Sailing World Championships,"
said Gary Bodie, US SAILING's High Performance Director and Head Coach (Hampton, Va.).
Sailors have been focused on training for the challenging – yet exciting – conditions Cascais Bay promises, including big waves and a strong breeze. US Sailing Team member Andrew Campbell (San Diego, Calif.) said sailing in these conditions is a welcome change. "The river flowing into the city of Lisbon ebbs an enormous amount of water, only jacking the waves up even more in the right conditions," he said. "Wild rides are frequent on returning to the marina when the breeze is up and the waves are standing like a river rapid on steroids."
This event includes five days (except the 49er class which has six days) of racing, culminating with the medal races, which follow the new Olympic format, lining up the top 10 teams in each class on the starting line on the final day of racing. The nine classes selected for the 2008 Olympic Games are: Finn (men); 470 (men and women); Laser (men); Laser Radial (women); Neil Pryde RS:X (men and women); 49er, Star, Tornado (all open); and Yngling (women).
For more information on the ISAF Sailing World Championships, including the complete entry lists, Notice of Race and Sailing Instructions, please visit the event web site at: www.cascaisworlds2007.com
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 U.S. 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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