18 Apr Storrs and Shaw Secure Championship Bids at Oakcliff Grade 3
OYSTER BAY, NEW YORK (April 17, 2016) – The first weekend of match racing in 2016 at Oakcliff is in the books. After a full day of racing Saturday and a windless Sunday, David Storrs came away with a 2 point victory over Charlie Lalumiere.
Nine teams, including three female skippers, gathered at the Grade 3 to compete to qualify for the 2016 U.S. Open and Women’s Match Racing Championships. Storrs, an Oakcliff board member, will receive an invitation to the U.S. Open Championship and Elizabeth Shaw, Oakcliff’s training program director, will receive an invitation to the Women’s Championship.
On Saturday, ten flights and over forty races were completed resulting in a three way tie for second between Lalumiere, Vogel, and Shaw. Storrs remained undefeated throughout the weekend. Other than some unfortunate contact resulting in a full point deduction for Storrs, the day progressed smoothly with a steady eastern breeze ranging from 5 to 10 knots.
Sunday, however, saw far less fruitful conditions. Eager to complete the knockout stages, race committee attempted one race Sunday morning in fleeting conditions but were forced to abandon only minutes into the sequence. Competitors remained on the water through the afternoon but were ultimately unable to complete any races. As a result, the final standings were taken from the completed round robin stage.
The 2016 U.S. Match Racing Championship will be held at San Diego Yacht Club on October 7-9 and the 2016 U.S. Women’s Match Racing Championship at Annapolis Yacht Club on September 9-11.
“I am looking really forward to that competition,” says Shaw, “but I am mostly excited to have qualified this weekend with an all Oakcliff team.”
Shaw’s team included three Oakcliff graduates, an Oakcliff supporter, and recent arrival Sean O’Halloran who will be training this summer as part of the Oakcliff Sapling Program.
Lalumiere, who placed second, is also an Oakcliff graduate and is currently aiming to compete in the 2017 Red Bull Youth America’s Cup.
Oakcliff’s next match racing regatta will be held May 12-15 with coaching from Dave Perry. The winner of that event will receive an invitation to the Oakcliff International, Chicago Grand Slam, and the Detroit Cup.
Final results:
1 Storrs (7 points)
2 Lalumiere (5 points)
3 Vogel (5 points)
4 Shaw (5 points)
5 Holz (4 points)
6 Shannon (4 points)
7 Kent (3 points)
8 Gallo (1 point)
9 Brooks (0 points)
Full scoring available here.
Oakcliff Sailing is a non-profit coaching and training center for sailors who have progressed beyond traditional coaching methods. The center can be contacted by email at race@oakcliffsailing.org or by calling (516) 802-0368.
For more information:
Scott Guinn
Director of Public Relations
Oakcliff Sailing
pr@oakcliffsailing.org
(845) 664-8012