Anderson/Kupersmith Win U.S. Junior Women’s Doublehanded Championship; Young/Heausler Headed To 2003 ISAF World Youth Championship

Portsmouth, RI- Derby Anderson and crew Lucy Kupersmith (Annapolis, MD) from the Severn Sailing Association (Annapolis, MD) showed total dominance in the moderate winds, winning every race over nine knots to win the United States Sailing Association’s (US SAILING) U.S. Junior Women’s Doublehanded Championship at the Newport Harbor Yacht Club in Balboa, CA, July 5-10, 2002. The young women sailed Club 420s with spinnaker and trapeze. The event was sponsored by Vanguard.

Emily East and Hartley Meric (Fairhope YC) took second place with a total score of 25 points and Caroline Young and Shannon Heausler (Davis Island YC) with 31.

While the top two teams of Anderson/Kupersmith and East/Meric battled for the Ida Lewis Trophy, another race of significance was also going on. The U.S. Junior Women’s Doublehanded Championship serves as the qualifier for the 2003 ISAF Youth World Championship to be sailed on the island of Madeira, Portugal next July. Only teams who will not turn 19 during 2003 are eligible to represent the United States at the event; as such, the teams of Anderson/Kupersmith and East/Meric were not eligible. This opened up a whole new battle to represent the USA at the Youth Worlds, as each competing country can send only one entry per class. Going into the last race, two teams had a chance to earn the prestigious spot. with 29 points and with 31. Although neither Caroline Young and Shannon Heausler (Davis Island YC) or Blaire Herron and Lauren Usrey (Coronado, CA) had a chance to win the regatta, they sailed hard to earn the right to represent the United States. Young/Heausler passed Herron/Usrey on the final beat to place second in the race and win the battle to represent the United States at the 2003 Youth Worlds

Complete information about the U.S. Junior Women’s Doublehanded Championship
can be found at <http://www.ussailing.org/Idalewis/>. Results, pictures,
and reports are available at <http://www.nhyc.org/>.

"We tried to keep a positive attitude and stay focused no matter what went wrong during the race," said Emily East and Hartley Meric (Fairhope YC) after their first day of racing. “We didn't want to look at the boats around us too much. Every time we did that we went slow.” The team finished the day in first place, with one first place and two third place finishes and would eventually go on to take second place in the Championship.

Anderson and Kupersmith started the second day with a sixth in race one before rattling off a string of three consecutive bullets. Many day one standouts didn't fair as well in the stronger 8-15 knot winds. Former leaders East/Meric suffered an OCS in race 5 and Adrienne Patterson and Tinja Anderson (Balboa, CA) capsized in race 6 on the top reach; they finished the event in fifth place. Kitty Lovelace and Hillary Webb (Greenwich, CT) made the biggest jump of the day to post finishes of 7,8,2,2 and finished the Championship in sixth place.

"Kitty and Hillary get the award for the best comeback of the regatta after their first day finishes of 10,22,20. They turned their performance around on the second day to close out the regatta with a 7,9,2,4,4. They just seemed to get better every race,” said Brian Doyle, US SAILING’s Olympic Development Coach.

During the first day of racing, the wind swung 30 degrees to the west showing signs of a possible building sea breeze. The wind wavered between locking into a steady southwesterly direction and staying light out of the south. The shifts were frustrating for sailors, but according to Doyle, "Finding velocity is more important than hitting the shifts right now. In the lulls some boats are almost coming to a dead stop in the chop." Persistence paid off for East and Meric who won the day’s second race, despite having to return and restart. Locals Adrienne Patterson and Tinja Anderson finished second with Becky Mergenthaler and Mallory Fontenot (Toms River, NJ) third.

But despite the westerly windshifts, which at times went as far as 220 degrees-a good sign of building wind, the heavy southern California marine layer would not go away. This meant more light air, trying the patience of the seventy competitors. Just about every team in the top ten had problems in the last race of the day. Emily East and Hartley Meric (Fairhope Yacht Club, Alabama) proved to be the exception and dominated the day with a third in race three, hitting the dock with scores of 3,1,3 and a ten point lead. Caroline Young and Shannon Heausler (Davis Island Yacht Club) sat second with a 1,9,7. Derby Anderson and Lucy Kupersmith (Annapolis, MD) rounded out the day with a 2,10,9 and were third, just three points ahead of Adrienne Patterson and Tinja Anderson (Balboa, CA) who had a troubling 18th in race three to offset their solid performance in races one and two.

Olympic Development Coach Brian Doyle summed up the day by stating, "We only saw one boat with both skipper and crew on the windward rail today. These girls want some breeze. They want to go fast."

The scheduled 12:00 start on the second day of racing was delayed 15 minutes after a significant 30 degree left shift. Once underway, sailors set out on the double windward leeward course in 8-10 knots of wind. The marine layer had burned off completely, but returned for the start of the race sending the wind direction to 150 and giving the left side more pressure. Patterson/Anderson were third place around the first leeward mark before displaying breakaway speed on the second beat. The race was all but over at the next windward mark, as Patterson and Anderson had a 200-yard lead on the second place boat. Caroline Young and Shannon Heausler (Tampa, FL) crossed the line second with Becky Merganthaler and Mallory Fontenot (Tom's River
YC) third. Day one overall leaders East and Meric couldn't match the previous day’s consistency and finished thirteenth in race four.

Southerly winds built to 10-12 knots with slightly higher gusts for the start of race five. Natalie Vann and Lindsey Magus (Fort Worth Boat Club) pulled the trigger a little early and were forced to restart. Spinnaker work will be tested in the stronger breeze on the triangle windward leeward course. Derby/Kupersmith jumped out to an early lead and never looked back, winning easily. East and Meric regained their form with a well earned second followed by Blaire Herron and Lauren Usrey (Coronado, CA) in third. Race four winners Patterson and Anderson had a rough one, finishing 15th. "The extra breeze shuffled the standings a bit," commented Brian Doyle.

The westerly sea breeze didn’t stop the wind from increasing. Race 6 started with a steady 15 knots from 160 degrees and every team was comfortably on the wire and going fast. Race five winners Anderson/Kupersmith again jumped out to take the lead on the triangle windward leeward course, although the stronger wind took its toll on some of the top teams. Patterson/Anderson, who put together a string of good finishes, capsized on the first reach. They were not the only casualty. Anderson/Kupersmith held on to take the win giving them two bullets on the day. Lovelace/Webb who struggled in the series, finished second. Casey Williams and Kristen Rittenhouse (San Francisco YC), another team previously held out of the top ten finished third.

The south south easterly breeze direction continued, however the velocity slowly dropped during the race from 15 knots down to 8-10 by the finish. That didn't seem to bother Anderson/Kupersmith who sailed away with their 3rd straight bullet in a row leaving them comfortably in the lead with one race to go.

The final race of the 2002 U.S. Junior Women's Doublehanded Championship for the Ida Lewis Trophy started in 10 knots on the third day of racing. The breeze slowly built to 12 knots and at the second windward mark of the windward leeward finish upwind course, Anderson/Kupersmith had a two boat length lead over Herron/Usrey. Lovelace/Webb were close behind in third and East/Meric, who were leading by just one point going into the final race, were in eighth place. With just one lap to go, Anderson and Kupersmith looked poised to add to yesterday's dominant string of three straight bullets and take home the title. The race for Portugal also heated up. Young/Heausler had a solid lead over Blaire Herron and Lauren Usrey (Coronado, CA) on the first lap, but Herron and Usrey sailed a flawless second beat to round second overall, a few places ahead of Young and Heausler.

Anderson and Kupersmith took another bullet in race eight, giving them four straight wins and the U.S. Junior Women's Doublehanded Championship for the Ida Lewis Trophy (pending official results).

Every competitor, regardless of how she finished will go home with many new experiences. The sailors were treated to a two-day advanced racing clinic, a beach luau, and a harbor cruise on a 70 foot restored tug boat.

Before the racing began, seventy of the nation’s top doublehanded youth sailors completed a two day advanced racing clinic led by US SAILING Olympic Development Coach Brian Doyle. Coaches Alice Manard, Carisa Harris, Peter Wells, Stan Shreyer and Casey Hogan assisted Doyle. Each day began with on land advice on boat setup, tactics, local knowledge and other topics. The sailors then hit the water and were towed to the racing area for drills and practice races in winds ranging from 5-12 knots and sunny skies. Evenings consisted of video de-brief and an open discussion on what was fast during the day. After a few final words on the Sailing Instructions from Doyle, the clinic came to an end and the competitors were left to prepare for the next day's racing. "The coaching at this clinic was awesome. I learned so much," said Tinja Anderson (Coronado, CA). Sunday night was Luau night and the sailors were treated to a steel drum band, tropical smoothies on the beach and an island buffet.

The U.S. Junior Women’s Doublehanded Championship was first raced in 1995 and was sanctioned by US SAILING in 1996 as a doublehanded event for junior women sailors. It is preceded by several clinics held throughout the country, and the purpose of the championship is to encourage and develop women’s sailing in the U.S. by providing an opportunity for junior women sailors to compete at the national level. It is an open (no pre-qualification required) doublehanded fleet racing competition for ages 13 to 18.

Born in the mid-1800s, Ida Lewis was 16 when she became the lighthouse keeper of what was then Lime Rock Light in Newport, RI, after her father could no longer perform the job. Renown for her skill in her wooden rowboat in extreme conditions, Lewis is credited with 18 documented rescues and performed her job as lighthouse keeper until 1911. The Ida Lewis Trophy is a pewter representation of Lewis, heading from the lighthouse to her wooden boat.

Vanguard is the leading world manufacturer, and largest US supplier, of recreational and high performance small sailboats. Vanguard products include the Sunfish and Laser, two of the most recognized brands in the sailing world. Vanguard was started in 1967 and is located in Portsmouth, Rhode Island. Visit their website at www.teamvanguard.com <http://www.teamvanguard.com>.

The United States Sailing Association (US SAILING) is the national governing body for the sport of sailing. The mission of this volunteer organization is to encourage participation and promote excellence in sailing and racing in the United States. More information about US SAILING, which is headquartered in Portsmouth, RI, is available at www.ussailing.org.