News

US Sailing's Rolex International Women's Keelboat Championship Gets Underway

ANNAPOLIS, MD (Sept. 19, 2005) -- It started as a waiting game, but the 42 teams at US SAILING's Rolex International Women's Keelboat Championship were prepared for it. The planned 11 a.m. start got postponed until after 3 p.m. due to a light northerly that took four hours to switch to the south and strengthen. For the sailors who had waited patiently on Chesapeake Bay in the unseasonably warm weather, two races were then held in rapid succession to complete the first of five racing days scheduled.

"We were prepared that we were going to sit until after 2 p.m.," said Cory Sertl (Rochester, N.Y.), who started off her series with an impressive victory that saw her Team Lucy finish at least five boat lengths ahead of the fleet.

In the second race, a so-so start made it necessary for Sertl to tack six times in the first minute to get a clear lane. It was a struggle to finish ninth in that race, and the combined scores for the day left her in third overall, while Sally Barkow (Nashotah, Wis.), sailing Team Seven, moved to the top of the scoreboard.

Barkow, who had finished third in the first race, took off like a bullet in the second. The span between her boat and the fleet at the finish was many times over what Sertl had accomplished. "Our start was good in the first race, at the boat end, but the boats that got to the right of us made out. In the second race, we were halfway down the starting line and pulled the trigger at the right time. We had good speed off the line and better wind in that race."

Barkow, who is defending champion here with the same crew that sailed with her in 2003, said she is more relaxed this time around. "That's because we have more confidence in our talent. That comes with sailing full time as a team since then. Phenomenal crew work is what it comes down to." Barkow and crew are aiming to be at the Olympic sailing event in Beijing in 2008 and just flew in from France where they dominated 11 top-ranked international teams at the St. Quay International Women's Match Race.

Experiencing the most consistent day was Jody Swanson (Buffalo, N.Y.), who posted a 2-2 for second overall. "We'll take two seconds any day," said Swanson. "In both races there was someone who punched out for a good lead; then there was a group behind, and we were just ahead of that group both times."

According to Sertl, "everyone's going to love tomorrow." The weather forecast is saying that it might be the windiest day of the regatta, with a chance of thunderstorms late in the day.

For more information and results, visit www.ussailing.org/riwkc or www.race.annapolisyc.org/2005rolex .

DAY 2: Sure and Smooth for Barkow's Team 7

ANNAPOLIS, MARYLAND (Sept. 20, 2005) -- Sally Barkow (Nashotah, Wis.) and her Team 7 crew looked steady as a rock today, with straightforward victories in two of three races at the Rolex International Women's Keelboat Championship. With five races now completed after the second of five racing days, Team 7 is showing a total point score (with one discard allowed) of five points.

"We might make it look easy, but it's really hard work," said Barkow, who with all but one of her four-woman crew sails an Olympic Yngling in a campaign that takes the team around the world. "We love the J/22. It's easy for us to jump in it and go." There are 42 of the J/22s competing in the biennial event, which for its last three runnings has been sailed on Chesapeake Bay.

Directly behind Barkow, with 13 points, is Jody Swanson (Buffalo, N.Y.) , with Cory Sertl (Rochester, N.Y.), aboard Lucy, following in third with 15 points. Swanson and Sertl, as Rolex Yachtswoman of the Year Award winners, have the clout of Heisman Trophy recipients, and the foreign team sitting in fourth is comprised again of Olympic aspirants, the skipper being Sharon Ferris of New Zealand and her boat name being TeamOneNewport . Ferris represented her country at the 2004 Olympic Sailing Regatta, sailing to seventh in the Yngling class, and has announced her intent to win a berth for the 2008 Olympic Games.

"We're one of the only two teams that have beaten Sally in a race here," said Ferris' tactician Raynor Smeal, "so she is beatable." Smeal recounted that they finished second to Barkow's team at the 2005 Yngling Worlds, so the heat will be turned up as such. "We'll try to throw her a few curves, at least, if we can."

Smeal added that she keeps an eye on the top ten boats and the local Maryland teams, of which there are 14. "We know if we are near them, we're going the right direction."

Marker 88 , one of the Maryland teams skippered by the 17-year-old Sara Morgan Watters, were pleased with their performance today, even though the scoreline read 24-14-33. The 14th was their regatta best, and they were close in that race to Carol Cronin aboard Team Spidey , who sits in fifth overall. "Carol went to the Olympics!," said Marker 88 crew Christina Murray, referring to Cronin representing the USA in the Yngling class at the 2005 Games. "That was so exciting!" The Marker 88 crew members have never sailed in a regatta of this size and caliber before, their experience being relegated to dinghy sailing at the local Severn Sailing Association. Cronin's 11th in the race to which Murray referred became a throwout, and she keeps three sixth-place finishes and a second.


For more information and results, visit www.ussailing.org/riwkc or www.race.annapolisyc.org/2005rolex. Event video coverage will be available on demand at www.t2p.tv

Rolex International Women's Keelboat Championship
Top Ten Results - Day 2
Place, Skipper Name, Hometown, Finish Positions, Total
1. Sally Barkow, Nashotah, Wis., USA, TEAM 7, [3]-1-1-2-1, 5
2. Jody Swanson, Buffalo, N.Y., USA, 2-2-[18]-4-5, 13
3. Cory Sertl, Rochester, N.Y., USA, LUCY, 1-[9]-2-9-3, 15
4. Sharon Ferris, Russell BOI, NZ, TEAMONENEWPORT, 7-[11]-3-1-6, 17
5. Carol Cronin, Jamestown, R.I., USA, TEAM SPIDEY, 6-6-6-[11]-2, 20
6. Julie Sitzmann, Orr's Island, Maine, USA, DOGS PLAYING POOL, 16-3-4-3-[18], 26
7. Phebe King, Annapolis, Md., USA, TEAM HELLY HANSEN, 10-4-7-7-[25], 28
8. Lorie Stout, Annapolis, Md., USA, STOUTGEAR.COM, 5-7-10-[15]-9, 31
9. Dominique Provoyeur, Cape Town, SA, DEVONVALE SAILING TEAM, 4-[13]-11-13-4, 32
10. JoAnn Fisher, Arnold, Md., USA, TEAM FISHER, 11-[14]-5-5-11, 32

DAY 3: Mid-Week Magic - Barkow Extends Lead

ANNAPOLIS, MARYLAND (Sept. 21, 2005) -- Sally Barkow (Nashotah, Wis.) and her Team 7 crew are getting close to an untouchable score at the 11th biennial Rolex International Women's Keelboat Championship (Rolex IWKC), hosted by the Annapolis Yacht Club. With 11 races planned and eight completed after today's three-race run, Barkow has posted five victories and no finish worse than a third. She claimed two of the victories today in 10-14 knot breezes on Chesapeake Bay, where the 42-boat Rolex IWKC fleet is competing.

"Basically, it looked like they ( Team 7 ) had been sailing full time, and the rest of us hadn't," said Pease Glaser (Long Beach, Calif.), crew for Lucy's skipper Cory Sertl (Rochester, N.Y.), who has proven to be Barkow's closest competition. Although Glaser laughed, she admitted that her crew could only claim the recent J/22 East Coast Championship as their preparation for this regatta, "and that was three totally drifter days." Nevertheless, the Lucy crew looked slick today, leading the second race until Barkow picked them off on the first downwind leg of a two-lap windward-leeward course. Sertl finished second in the race and added seventh- and sixth-place finishes to her scoreline to move up to second from third in the overall standings. There is now a 20-point spread between Sertl and Barkow.

"That was a huge jump for Sally today," said Glaser, who along with Sertl is a Rolex Yachtswoman of the Year and crewed with Sertl in 2001 to win this regatta. Barkow is the defending champion and is sailing with her two Olympic Yngling teammates Carrie Howe and Debbie Capozzi, and an additonal crew member Annie Lush.

Today's first race was won by Stoutgear.com , skippered by Annapolis sailor Lorie Stout, who now is in sixth overall, topping the 13 other Maryland teams competing. "We were a third of the way up the starting line with Sally to leeward of us," said Stout. "It was the best place to be, and we both launched ahead of the fleet. We almost lost Sally once, but then we legged out at the end when she started mixing it up with other people." Stout's lead on the fleet at the finish was by more than eight boat lengths.

"We had an opportunity to shut the door on Lorie but we didn't take it," said Barkow. "She did a great job defending her position."

Barkow finished third in the race after New Zealand skipper Sharon Ferris' far-left strategy on the second and last windward leg paid off. Ferris's TeamOneNewport , which finished second in the race, is the top foreign boat in fourth place overall behind third-place Jody Swanson (Rochester, N.Y.). Stout sits in sixth behind fifth-place Carol Cronin (Jamestown, R.I.) on Team Spidey .

Two college sailors are making an impression on the older veterans. They are skippers Anna Tunnicliffe (Norfolk, Va.) and Derby Anderson (Annapolis), who sit in eighth and ninth respectively. Tunnicliffe, a four-time All-American from Old Dominion University, is also the 2005 Quantum Female College Sailor of the Year and earned an invitation to this regatta for the accomplishment.

"Overall as a team, we were finally clicking today," Tunnicliffe said of her satisfying 5-6-5 finish positions that moved her up the scoreboard from thirteenth yesterday. Having now graduated, Tunnicliffe is pursuing her Olympic dream in the Laser Radial class. "The other teams, especially the Yngling teams, have an edge on us because they've been sailing keelboats, but we're learning from them all the time." Tunnicliffe competed in the event in 2003 as crew and in 1997 as the youngest entrant ever (age 14).

Texas Team Comments on Hurricane Rita

One of two Texas teams is from the Gulf Coast that is being evacuated due to the projected hit by Hurricane Rita. Julie Goetschius of Seabrook says her J/22 (she is chartering here) has been hauled out of the water by friends, but her house has not been boarded up. "What can I really do at this point?," said Goetschious, who lives alone. "My family and friends down there have their own homes to take care of. It's not like I could fly home now, anyway, so I'm staying until Wednesday."

The regatta continues through Friday, with two races scheduled for tomorrow and one on the final day.

The Rolex International Women's Keelboat Championship title sponsor is Rolex Watch U.S.A. Platinum level sponsors are Conde nast Media Group, Fairchild Publications, Inc., The Golf Digest Companies, Annapolis Volvo and Hinckley Yachts. The Gold level sponsors are Bank of America, Fawcett Boat Supplies, Liljenquist & Beckstead, Brown-Forman Wines, Appleton Rum, Tuaca, Finlandia Vodka, and Brown-Forman Spirits America. The Silver level sponsors include North Sails and Quantum Sails. Bronze level sponsors include J Boats, J Port Annapolis, J World Annapolis, Annapolis Bank and Trust, AGA Correa, Boatyard Bar and Grill, Sterling Brokerage, Grog & Gruel Provisioning, VC Performance Rigging Courtney Sue Handbags, US Watercraft, Anne Arundel County EDC, SpinSheet Magazine, Cafe Gurus, Royal Folly B&B, and the AYC Foundation. The Official Gear sponsor is Helly Hansen. The Rolex IWKC 2005 is a US SAILING Championship hosted by the Annapolis Yacht Club.


For more information and results, visit www.ussailing.org/riwkc  or www.race.annapolisyc.org/2005rolex .

Event video coverage will be available on demand at www.t2p.tv .

Rolex International Women's Keelboat Championship
Top Ten Results - Day 3
Place, Skipper Name, Hometown, Team Name, Finish Positions, Total

1. Sally Barkow, Nashotah, Wis., TEAM 7, USA, [3]-1-1-2-1-3-1-1, 10
2. Cory Sertl, Rochester, N.Y., USA, LUCY, 1-[9]-2-9-3-7-2-6, 30
3. Jody Swanson, Buffalo, N.Y., USA, 2-2-[17]-4-5-4-10-7, 34
4. Sharon Ferris, TEAMONENEWPORT, Russell BOI, NZ, 7-11-3-1-6-2-8-[14], 38
5. Carol Cronin, Jamestown, R.I., USA, TEAM SPIDEY, 6-6-6-[11]-2-8-9-2, 39
6. Lorie Stout, Annapolis, Md., USA, STOUTGEAR.COM, 5-7-9-[15]-9-1-5-11, 47
7. JoAnn Fisher, Arnold, Md., USA, TEAM FISHER, 11-14-5-5-11-11-4-[17], 61
8. Anna Tunnicliffe, Norfolk, Va. USA, 12-8-[28]-16-13-5-6-5, 65
9. Derby Anderson, Annapolis, Md., USA, [15]-5-12-8-12-14-7-8, 66
10. Julie Sitzmann, Orr's Island, Maine, USA, DOGS PLAYING POOL, 16-3-4-3-17-20-[29]-4, 67

Day 4: Barkow Clinches Title with One Race to Spare

ANNAPOLIS, MARYLAND (Sept. 22, 2005) – Not since the early days of US SAILING's Rolex International Women’s Keelboat Regatta when Betsy Alison began her streak of five wins has this regatta seen a performance from one sailor and her team as has been witnessed this week in Annapolis. Sally Barkow (Nashotah, Wis.) and her Team 7 crew clinched the title at the conclusion of today’s racing on Chesapeake Bay with one day --and one race-- to spare. With a scoreline totaling 14 points in 10 races, Barkow topped a 42-boat fleet stocked with impressive competitors such as Cory Sertl (Rochester, N.Y.) and Jody Swanson (Buffalo, N.Y.), both noted as a Rolex Yachtswoman of the Year, who are currently in second and third-place, respectively. Two races were held today on Chesapeake Bay by host Annapolis Yacht Club.

"It feels fantastic to win," said Barkow, who is No. 1 on the US Sailing Team in the Olympic Yngling class. "We’re pretty lucky to win it with one race to spare. We took every race and sailed consistently and that was the game." Barkow’s crew is the same as her Yngling team – Carrie Howe and Debbie Capozzi – with the addition of Annie Lush. All four won the 2003 Rolex IWKC title.

Barkow and crew will sit out the final race and let the rest of the fleet enjoy themselves. After devoting the past two years to full-time sailing with the goal of earning a berth for the 2008 Olympic Games, Barkow explained that she needs the rest.

Sertl, who is in second-place overall, also appears to be able to sit out tomorrow’s race. "The way we figured it, we don’t think we have to sail tomorrow, but we’ll make that decision in the morning," she said noting that Carol Cronin (Jamestown, R.I.), currently in fourth-place overall, might be awarded redress by the jury for picking up a crew person who had fallen overboard, changing her fifth-place finish in today’s last race. Sertl is sailing with Rolex Yachtswoman of the Year Pease Glaser, Dina Kowalyshyn and Suzy Le e ch.

Cronin described the last race where soon after rounding the leeward mark in third place, she was headed back upwind as Stephanie McMahon’s (Rochester, N.Y.) boat was sailing downwind toward them. McMahon lost crew member Teresa Strout (Fairfax,Va.) overboard when the boat accidentally jibed. "We tacked because we didn’t want to hit them," said Cronin, who won this regatta as crew in 1999. "Then we saw their team mate in the water and quickly went head to wind. She swam right to us and jumped on. We were able to g e t going again, and sail with her, but we lost the two boats we were covering, so that is why we were filing for redress." Later Cronin was awarded a third-place by the International Jury, bringing her point score to 48, one point behind Swanson.

Sertl won the race, which was held on a triangle course. "Pease said that we’re probably the only ones here old enough to remember triangle courses," joked Sertl noting that when this regatta was first held in J/24s in the late 1980s and early 90s, triangle courses were more common. "We started at the pin, because there was room there. But Jody was down there and I was careful to start to leeward of her, because there were a lot of waves and it is important to have a clear lane to steer. Once we had that and had clear air, we made the boat go fast, then we tacked and had the whole fleet behind us."

New Zealand’s Sharon Ferris is in fifth-place, with local standout JoAnn Fisher (Arnold, Md.) in sixth. Fisher captured two second places today.

The regatta continues through Friday, with one final race planned.

The Rolex International Women’s Keelboat Championship title sponsor is Rolex Watch U.S.A. Platinum level sponsors are Condé Nast Media Group, Fairchild Publications, Inc., The Golf Digest Companies, Annapolis Volvo and Hinckley Yachts. The Gold level sponsors are Bank of America, Fawcett Boat Supplies, Liljenquist & Beckstead, Brown-Forman Wines, Appleton Rum, Tuaca, Finlandia Vodka, and Brown-Forman Spirits America. The Silver level sponsors include North Sails and Quantum Sails. Bronze level sponsors include J Boats, J Port Annapolis, J World Annapolis, Annapolis Bank and Trust, AGA Correa, Boatyard Bar and Grill, Sterling Brokerage, Grog & Gruel Provisioning, VC Performance Rigging Courtney Sue Handbags, US Watercraft, Anne Arundel County EDC, SpinSheet Magazine, Café Gurus, Royal Folly B&B, and the AYC Foundation. The Official Gear sponsor is Helly Hansen. The Rolex IWKC 2005 is a US SAILING Championship hosted by the Annapolis Yacht Club.

For more information and results, visit www.ussailing.org/riwkc or www.race.annapolisyc.org/2005rolex . Event video coverage will be available on demand at www.t2p.tv .

Rolex International Women's Keelboat Championship
Top Ten Results - Day 4

Place, Skipper Name, Hometown, Finish Positions, Total
1. Sally Barkow, Nashotah, Wis., TEAM SEVEN, USA, 3-1-1-2-1-3-1-1-1-[10], 14 points
2. Cory Sertl, Rochester, N.Y., USA, LUCY, 1-[9]-2-9-3-7-2-6-7-1, 38
3. Jody Swanson, Buffalo, N.Y., USA, 2-2-[17]-4-5-4-10-7-9-3, 46
4. Carol Cronin, Jamestown, R.I., USA, TEAM SPIDEY, 6-6-6-[11]-2-8-9-2-6-5, 50
5. Sharon Ferris, TEAMONENEWPORT, Russell BOI, NZ, 7-11-3-1-6-2-8-14-[15]-4, 56
6. JoAnn Fisher, Arnold, Md., USA, TEAM FISHER, 11-14-5-5-11-11-4-[17]-2-2, 65
7. Lorie Stout, Annapolis, Md., USA, STOUTGEAR.COM, 5-7-9-[15]-9-1-5-11-14-12, 73
8. Julie Sitzmann, Orr's Island, Maine, USA, DOGS PLAYING POOL, 16-3-4-3-17-20-[29]-4-3-6, 76
9. Anna Tunnicliffe, Norfolk, Va. USA, 12-8-[28]-16-13-5-6-5-4-19, 88
10. Derby Anderson, Annapolis, Md., USA, [15]-5-12-8-12-14-7-8-8-15, 89

Day 5: Day of Waiting, Not Racing Brings Regatta to Conclusion

ANNAPOLIS, MARYLAND (Sept. 23, 2005) - After a day of waiting on the Chesapeake Bay for wind that never materialized, the Annapolis Yacht Club Race Committee concluded the 11th biennial Rolex International Women's Keelboat Championship shortly before 2:00pm. Upon the completion of racing yesterday, it was determined that Sally Barkow (Nashotah, Wis.) did not need to sail the 11th and final race today as she had a low enough total score in to win the regatta. Racing took place Sept. 19-23 in Annapolis, Md. At the gala Rolex Awards ceremony held this evening at the Annapolis Yacht Club, Barkow and her crew of Debbie Capozzi (Bayport, N.Y.), Carrie Howe (Grosse Pointe, Mich.) and Annie Lush (Poole, England) were presented with US SAILING's Bengt Julin Trophy and a Rolex Oyster Perpetual Stainless Steel & 18k gold Ladies Datejust.

Going into today's racing, the battle seemed to be for second place. Without enough wind to settle the battle, yesterday's standings became the series final results and Cory Sertl (Rochester, N.Y.) with her team aboard Lucy -- Dina Kowalyshyn (Annapolis, Md.), Pease Glaser (San Diego, Calif.) and Suzy Leech (Avon, Conn.) - captured third place in the 42-boat fleet, with Jody Swanson (Buffalo, N.Y.) and crew Debbie Probst, Abby Ruhlman and Maegan Ruhlman in third place. Fourth place was US Olympian Carol Cronin (Jamestown, R.I.), who sailed her Team Spidey with crew Jamie Hanes (Newport, R.I.), Linda Epstein (Arlington, Mass.) and Kim Couranz (Annapolis).

The top foreign skipper was New Zealand's Sharon Ferris, who with her TeamOneNewport finished in fifth place overall.

Sixth-place was one of the regatta's standouts, Jo Ann Fisher (Arnold, Md.). Fisher and her crew of Emma Jones, Kiri Key and 16-year-old Morgan Wilson made an impression on the fleet since this is Fisher's first regatta steering a J/22 class sailboat. The top Annapolis skipper, Lorie Stout, was awarded the City of Annapolis Trophy by Annapolis Mayor Ellen Moyer. Stout, who sailed her boat Stoutgear.com to an impressive seventh-place overall, topped the 13 other Maryland teams competing.

Rounding out the top 10 places were Julie Sitzman (Orr's Island, Maine), Anna Tunnicliffe (Norfolk, Va.) and Derby Anderson (Annapolis).

For more information and results, visit www.ussailing.org/riwkc or www.race.annapolisyc.org/2005rolex. Event video coverage will be available on demand at www.t2p.tv

The Rolex International Women's Keelboat Championship title sponsor is Rolex Watch U.S.A. Platinum level sponsors are Condé Nast Media Group, Fairchild Publications, Inc., The Golf Digest Companies, Annapolis Volvo and Hinckley Yachts. The Gold level sponsors are Bank of America, Fawcett Boat Supplies, Liljenquist & Beckstead, Brown-Forman Wines, Appleton Rum, Tuaca, Finlandia Vodka, and Brown-Forman Spirits America. The Silver level sponsors include North Sails and Quantum Sails. Bronze level sponsors include J Boats, J Port Annapolis, J World Annapolis, Annapolis Bank and Trust, AGA Correa, Boatyard Bar and Grill, Sterling Brokerage, Grog & Gruel Provisioning, VC Performance Rigging Courtney Sue Handbags, US Watercraft, Anne Arundel County EDC, SpinSheet Magazine, Café Gurus, Royal Folly B&B, and the AYC Foundation. The Official Gear sponsor is Helly Hansen. The Rolex IWKC 2005 is a US SAILING Championship hosted by the Annapolis Yacht Club.

Rolex International Women's Keelboat Championship
Final Top Ten Results - Day 5

Top 10 of 42
Place, Skipper Name, Hometown, Finish Positions, Total
1. Sally Barkow, Nashotah, Wis., TEAM SEVEN, USA, 3-1-1-2-1-3-1-1-1-[10], 14 points

2. Cory Sertl, Rochester, N.Y., USA, LUCY, 1-[9]-2-9-3-7-2-6-7-1, 38

3. Jody Swanson, Buffalo, N.Y., USA, 2-2-[17]-4-5-4-10-7-9-4, 47

4. Carol Cronin, Jamestown, R.I., USA, TEAM SPIDEY, 6-6-6-[11]-2-8-9-2-6-3, 48

5. Sharon Ferris, TEAMONENEWPORT, Russell BOI, NZ, 7-11-3-1-6-2-8-14-[15]-5, 57

6. JoAnn Fisher, Arnold, Md., USA, TEAM FISHER, 11-14-5-5-11-11-4-[17]-2-2, 65

7. Lorie Stout, Annapolis, Md., USA, STOUTGEAR.COM, 5-7-9-[15]-9-1-5-11-14-12, 73

8. Julie Sitzmann, Orr's Island, Maine, USA, DOGS PLAYING POOL, 16-3-4-3-17-20-[29]-4-3-6, 76

9. Anna Tunnicliffe, Norfolk, Va. USA, 12-8-[28]-16-13-5-6-5-4-19, 88

10. Derby Anderson, Annapolis, Md., USA, [15]-5-12-8-12-14-7-8-8-15, 89