GPSA Brings High-Performance Race Coaching to Bay Area Sailors

August 13, 2003 – San Francisco, CA – The Grand Prix Sailing Academy (GPSA), the resource for high-performance race coaching announces its opening and fall course schedule. GPSA was founded to help cruisers who want to race and racers who want to step it up to the next level of competition but lack the resources to help them get up to speed quickly. GPSA offers these sailors the opportunity to connect with the highest caliber of coaches including world-class one design national champions and veterans of professional yacht racing associations.

Many sailors, casual club racers, and even competitive racers interested in improving their fleet standing would like to work with coaches. However, they are not sure where to find high caliber professionals who can help them and their crew to improve their performance over the long haul — not just for individual races and regattas. GPSA solves this problem by bringing sailors together with experienced Grand Prix racers and coaches who can help them hone their tactical skills, boat speed and overall crew performance — making them successful in the most competitive fleets. Its combination of high quality teaching and top-flight professionals makes GPSA unique.

GPSA has a superior staff of coaches led by Rodney Hagebols, the Academy Sailing Director. Hagebols has over 16 years of coaching experience, and before joining GPSA, he worked with the Australian and Japanese Olympic teams, coached James Spithill (Skipper of OneWorld Challenge) to two world youth match racing championships, and managed two America’s Cup Boats. In his own racing career, Hagebols has won the Australian National Championship in the Fireball and Flying Dutchman classes, was the South Pacific champion in International 14s and has 40,000 miles of ocean racing experience.

“At GPSA, we are dedicated to giving our students the highest caliber of coaching” says Hagebols. “By recruiting a staff of world class sailors and then giving them rigorous training on how to be the best coaches they can be, we believe that we will make the Bay Area’s racing community even stronger.”

Sailing Programs
GPSA offers several different programs to help sailors get the most out of their boats:
- Racing Workshops — Put theory into practice on our Grand Prix boats. All of our classes include chalk talks emphasizing the more technical aspects of racing followed by hands on training and coaching on our fleet of 1D35s.
- Onboard Coaching — Bring one of GPSA’s certified coaches onboard your own boat for practice sessions or races to tune up with you and your crew to tune your boat for top performance. Our coaches will help you make significant improvements in boat speed and teamwork.
- Corporate Team Building — Use GPSA’s boats and programs to help build team trust and collaboration. Our corporate sessions give people a chance to work together in a demanding environment that combines physical and mental challenges while emphasizing coordination and cooperation. Onboard Coaching is available on request. Our fall Racing Workshops begin October 11th, 2003. Prospective students can choose between intensive weekend or weekday workshops. Scholarships will be offered to selected students for the first set of classes. For information on registration, pricing and availability, to find out about scholarships, or to schedule Onboard Coaching or Corporate Team Building, call (415)546-8060 or visit www.sailorstocrew.com.

Boats and Facilities
GPSA has a fleet of 1D35s, a performance sport boat designed by Nelson/Marek, located in San Francisco Bay at Treasure Island. By offering courses on these highly responsive Grand Prix boats, GPSA ensures that sailors learn the latest techniques to enhance boat speed. Racing workshops are run out of Treasure Island, conveniently located for East Bay, San Francisco and Peninsula residents.

About Grand Prix Sailing Academy
GPSA’s mission is to enable sailors to get the best performance they can out of themselves, their boats, and their crew. Sailors can choose between enrolling in GPSA’s racing workshops or bringing a GPSA coach on board their own boats. Course curriculum includes boat and sail tuning, starting techniques, racing rules, advanced maneuvers, and racing navigation. GPSA also offers corporate training and chartering opportunities. GPSA is located at 703 Market Street, Suite 1914, San Francisco, CA 94103. More information about GPSA can be found by visiting www.sailorstocrew.com or calling (415)546-8060.