12 TEAMS TO CONVERGE AT CHICAGO MATCH RACE CENTER
6/17/2009

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

ISAF Grade 3 event next week to attract teams from all over the US, the US Virgin Islands, and New Zealand for Chicago’s only America’s Cup-style international match race sailing

Chicago, USA – Excitement is building for next week’s ISAF Grade 3 Match Race Regatta at the Chicago Match Race Center (CMRC), where twelve teams have entered for three days of America’s Cup-style match racing to start on Friday, July 24th. This is the largest field yet in this second of four events to be held at CMRC, with 10 teams hailing from throughout the US, one team from the US Virgin Islands, and one team from New Zealand.

“We’re expecting this to be a highly competitive event,” said Bill Hardesty, Program Director at CMRC, “Because our local teams have been doing a lot of practicing, and we’ve got some very good skippers and crews visiting here for the first time. With 12 teams and three days of racing, everyone will have a chance to get in some good match racing.”

Entered in the event are the following twelve skippers: Taylor Canfield from St Thomas, USVI; Dustin Durant from Long Beach, CA; Charlie Enright from Bristol, RI; Lars Hansen from Golden Valley, MN; Nathan Hollerbach from Chicago, IL; Mark Johnson from Appleton, WI; Mark Kroening from Auckland, NZ; Steve Lowery from Highland Park, IL; Chris Nesbitt from Corona del Mar, CA; Jon Singsen from Old Greenwich, CT; and Jennifer Wilson and Don Wilson, both from Chicago.

Racing will be held in the CMRC’s fleet of equally-matched TOM 28 class yachts, each with a team of four. With courses set off the seawall near the entrance to Belmont Harbor, the one-on-one duels will be within easy sight of shore-side spectators. Racing is scheduled to start daily at 9 AM, depending on weather conditions.

Besides being used in the America’s Cup, match race sailing has recently also been adapted as a Women’s discipline in the 2012 Olympic Games. As part of its mission to promote and grow match race sailing, the CMRC has ordered 4 Elliot 6M class yachts, the type that will be used in the Games, and will use them to train and race teams with Olympic aspirations.

The Chicago Match Race Center’s mission is to provide the highest-level match racing training facility for professional and amateur sailors in the United States. Weekly training from May through September is offered to CMRC members, and regattas are held monthly. The new fleet of TOM 28’s are raced close to shore at the spectator-friendly Belmont Harbor. CMRC founder Don Wilson, an avid racer, along with former Match Raceing World Champion and the CMRC Training Director Bill Hardesty are confident the popular lake shore at Belmont Harbor will be instrumental in assisting this new Olympic sport gain exposure and popularity in both Chicago and throughout North America.