High Stakes at 2018 U.S. Women’s Match Racing Championship in San Francisco

SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. (August 22, 2018) – Talented and accomplished sailors, a spectacular picturesque venue, skill development and coaching, networking, music, food and fun – all represent the positive attributes associated with the 2018 U.S. Women’s Match Racing Championship, hosted by the St. Francis Yacht Club in San Francisco on August 23-26, 2018. This US Sailing National Championship is an exciting celebration of both match racing and women’s sailing featuring eight teams of four competing over three days on San Francisco Bay in J/22 boats.

Teams will be racing with high stakes on the line this week. Due to a change in dates for the Nations Cup Grand Final from October, 2018 to April, 2019, US Sailing can nominate the skipper of the 2018 U.S. Women’s National Champion Match Racing team to represent the U.S. at this elite international match racing event.

The top placing eligible skipper will also be invited to compete at the 2018 U.S. Match Racing Championship, hosted by the Chicago Yacht Club on October 19-21, 2018.

A number of familiar faces in the women’s match racing circuit will be on hand this week, including defending two-time Champion (2016, 2015), Nicole Breault (San Francisco, Calif.). She returns with the same crew from her winning 2016 team, composed of Molly Carapiet (San Francisco, Calif.), Karen Loutzenheiser (Santa Cruz, Calif.), and Hannah Burroughs (San Francisco, Calif.). Carapiet and Loutzenheiser also raced with Breault on her winning 2015 team. Breault is the #1 ranked women’s match racer in the country and #8 in the world.

After taking second place honors in 2016 and 2015, Janel Zarkowsky (Annapolis, Md.) makes a return to this Championship to take another shot at the title. Zarkowsky won as crew with Stephanie Roble in 2014.

“We are really looking forward to this year’s Championship on San Francisco Bay, especially since the list of highly-skilled and experienced teams racing this week is deep,” said Betsy Alison, Adult Sailing Director at US Sailing. “This year’s Championship offers these women sailors an opportunity to qualify for the 2019 Nations Cup Grand Final and the 2018 U.S. Match Racing Championship. I expect the competition to be fierce as the competitors hone their skills by taking part in the additional opportunities for quality coaching and a clinic preceding the event. The St. Francis Yacht Club will undoubtedly create a first-class experience for everyone involved.”

Randy Smith will be conducting a match racing clinic with the participating sailors on Thursday, August 23.

Previous winners of the U.S. Women’s Match Racing Championship include an impressive list of the top women’s sailors in recent U.S. history. Cory Sertl, Betsy Alison, Sally Barkow, Anna Tunnicliffe, Stephanie Roble, Genny Tulloch, Liz Baylis, and Debbie Cappozi have all won this US Sailing National Championship.

Racing Format

Stage 1 – Round Robin(s)
Stage 2 – Knock-out Series
Stage 3 – Finals

Media & Coverage

For results, standings, photos, Twitter real-time updates, and more information from the 2018 U.S. Women’s Match Racing Championship, please visit the event website.
Participate in the conversation this week on Twitter and other social media channels using – #WomensMatch18.

Prizes

First Place: Allegra Knapp Mertz Trophy
Second Place: Mrs. Charles Francis Adams Memorial Trophy
The 2018 U.S. Women’s Match Racing Championship is sponsored by Gill North America.

St. Francis Yacht Club Media Contact: Amanda Witherell, awitherell@stfyc.com US Sailing Media Contact: Jake Fish, jakefish@ussailing.org

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.

About Gill North America Gill was an idea born on the water. In 1975 our founder, Nick Gill, was a keen sailor who utilised his father’s factory in Nottingham to begin production of truly capable sailing apparel. Kit that could be both protective and comfortable. We develop and test all our garments and we’ve grown to become one of the leading marine apparel brands in the world. We’ve equipped round-the-world teams when they’ve won prestigious ocean races, as well as Olympians to get them on the podium. Inspired by our nautical heritage we’ve also developed lifestyle clothing that can be worn anywhere, but which is still engineered with a marine pedigree. Today our garments utilise a range of cutting-edge technologies, from Activated Carbon baselayers to SuperFabric™, the most abrasive-resistant fabric in the world. At sea, saltwater comes at you from everywhere, so our clothing is tested in-house and on the water to withstand the very worst.

That means whatever environment you find yourself in – sea, shore or inland – we’ve already engineered the kit to perform for you. Contact: Tim DeWitt, Sales & Marketing Associate at tim.dewitt@gillna.com or 678-730-5597.

About St. Francis Yacht Club The St. Francis Yacht Club was founded in 1927 and has been host to many of the most prestigious national and international championships in sailing. With over 40 regattas on its calendar annually, the StFYC is widely regarded as having one of the top racing and race management programs in the country. In addition to enjoying a worldwide reputation for on-water excellence, Platinum Clubs of the World named the St. Francis Yacht Club the Number One Yacht Club in the United States in 2012, 2014 and 2016, and Boardroom Magazine recognized it as the first yacht club to be a Distinguished Emerald Club of the World.