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U.S. Team Racing Championship

Jointly with US SAILING, national governing body for the sport, LYC will host the U.S. Team Racing Championship for US SAILING's Hinman Trophy. The list of competitors for the upcoming US SAILING U.S. Team Racing Championship looks like a Who's Who in the world of sailing in the U.S.: from well-known high school and college sailors to US Sailing Team members, Olympians, and World Champions. The 14 teams of six sailors each will vie for the National Championship title and US SAILING's Hinman Trophy. The U.S. Team Racing Championship is sailed on Vanguard 15s supplied by Vanguard Sailboats and sponsored by Rolex Watch U.S.A., Nautica, Prestige Toyota, Heineken, and Dry Creek Vineyard.

For teams Cape Cod Whishbone and Silver Panda, the National Championship comes less than two weeks after finishing first and second respectively at the Grey Goose ISAF Team Racing World Championship. The team of Cape Cod Whishbone - made up of Tim FALLON, Tim WADLOW, Karen RENZULLI, Matt LINDBLAT, Erin LARGAY and Karl ZIEGLER - is the two-time defending champion of the U.S. Team Racing Championship and is trying to make it a hat trick this year. This will not be an easy feat, considering the competition they will have to face: 13 teams and a total of 78 well known sailors from across the country.

The U.S. Team Racing Championship is part of US SAILING's National Adult Championships series. Demonstrating a continuing commitment to sailing and team racing, the U.S. Team Racing Championship is sponsored by Rolex Watch U.S.A., sponsor of all US SAILING National Adult Championships; Vanguard Sailboats, manufacturer of the Vanguard 15 boats used in the event; Nautica, the Official Apparel Supplier to the US Sailing Team; and Dry Creek Vineyard. In addition to the national sponsors, the event is also sponsored by Prestige Toyota and Heineken.

Hinman Masters Championship

The New York Yacht Club's Invitational Regatta for the Commodore George R. Hinman Masters Trophy, also referred to as the Hinman Masters Championship, brings together the country's best team racers over the age of 40. The Hinman Masters, sailed in Ideal-18s, is a regatta where teams representing yacht clubs race against each other. A total of eleven Masters teams will compete against each other, including hosts Larchmont and New York Yacht Club teams; Southern Yacht Club (who lost its clubhouse in Hurricane Katrina); Annapolis Yacht Club; Eastern Yacht Club; St. Petersburg Yacht Club; the Storm Trysail Club; and Long Island Sound clubs Pequot, American and Noroton Yacht Clubs. Coming from across the Atlantic Ocean to compete is the Royal Thames Yacht Club from Britain.

For the Masters, skippers must be at least 45 years old and crews 40. The sailors competing in this event are certainly not new to the sport and sailors nationwide will recognize the names of many of the events' competitors. For example, consider the team from Pequot Yacht Club, captained by racing rules expert Dave PERRY with skippers Dave DELLENBAUGH and Ched PROCTOR. The ten other teams will certainly give the strong Pequot team a run for their money. For instance, the local teams from both Larchmont Yacht Club's team, led by Andy KAPLAN, and including Jamie MCCREARY and Kerry KLINGLER, as well as New York Yacht Club's team of Phil LOTZ, Dann RUGG and Bill TRIPP are looking like strong teams.

Team racing features many races per day on challenging and exciting race courses. The public can go out on spectator boats provided by Larchmont Yacht Club. For onshore spectators, live commentating will be done by Gavin O'HARE, chairman of US SAILING's U.S. Team Racing Championship and coach of the sailing team of the U.S. Naval Academy.