ROLEX
WOMEN'S MATCH - Final Report
ST.
PETERSBURG, FLA. (April 15, 2003) - From April
10-13 the St. Petersburg Yacht Club (SPYC), with
support from title sponsor Rolex Watch U.S.A.,
hosted the Rolex Women's Match, an International
Sailing Federation (ISAF) grade 4 women's match-racing
event. Elizabeth Kratzig (Corpus Christi, Texas/Miami,
Fla.) went undefeated in the round-robin event
to claim victory with her crew of Leah Hoepfner,
Katie Lovelace and Sally Barkow, the 2001 champion.
“We
weren’t expecting the win as we had never
sailed together as a team,” said Kratzig.
“Communication and boathandling were great
on-board and that helped us in our starts and
maneuvering around marks. In fact, we gained around
every mark rounding.”
Organized
to introduce women sailors to one-on-one match
racing, the regatta featured a skills and rules
clinic by match racing world champion and America's
Cup skipper Ed Baird on April 10. Nine teams of
women sailors participated in the weekend event,
sailing 36 races - round robin-style – on
Tampa Bay in Sonar keelboats.
“The
clinic with Ed was helpful and he was so very
entertaining to listen to,” said Kratzig.
“Everyone thoroughly enjoyed it and we learned
a lot. He kept everyone’s attention going
over the basics of match racing, which are important.
We learned that the most important part of the
race isn’t the start, but the finish!”
True
to the regatta's mission of encouraging more women
to try match racing, the Rolex Women's Match attracted
women sailors of all ages and experience levels.
An
awards ceremony was held Sunday at SPYC and was
hosted by the event's principal race officer Tom
Farquhar and regatta organizer Pat Seidenspinner,
who also skippered a boat in the regatta to eighth
place.
With
her win, Kratzig earned an automatic invitation
to the 2003 Rolex Osprey Cup, an ISAF Grade 1
event. Kratzig is working toward a Yngling berth
for the 2004 Olympic Games with Rolex Yachtswomen
of the Year Cory Sertl and Jody Swanson.
Chief
Umpire of the Rolex Women's Match was Barbara
Farquhar (St. Petersburg, Fla.) with umpires:
Bob Burgess (Bonita Beach, Fla.), Sandy Grosvenor
(Annapolis, Md.) Donna Hobbs (Glastonbury, Conn.),
David Kilponen (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.), Henry
Menin (St. Thomas, USVI), Ann Newton (Ozona, Fla.),
Tom Rinda (St. Petersburg, Fla.) and Debi Schoenherr
(Grosse Pointe Park, Mich.).
Final
results are posted at www.spyc.org.
(end)
Results: Final April 15 (36 matches completed)
Finish, Skipper, Hometown, Crew
1.
Elizabeth Kratzig (Miami, Fla.) with Sally Barkow,
Leah Hoepfner and Katie Lovelace 2. Sarah Buckley
(Chicago, Ill.) with Laurie Poppen, Chafee Emory
and Lisa Vedder 3. Rachael Silverstein (St. Petersburg,
Fla.) with Meredith Pelton, Kristin Britt and
Alexis Ackman 4. Nancy Zangerle (Cleveland, Ohio)
with Susan McDowell, Susie Wulff and Keven Eiber
5. Sandy Hayes (Scituate, Mass.) with Fiona Lockwood,
Julie Wilkinson and Sue Michos 6. Kathy Lundeen
(Sheboygan, Wisc.) with Denise Strand, Laurie
Jost and Michele Villani 7. Charlie Arms (Vallejo
Calif.) with Colleen Cooke, Jessamine Lewis and
Trisha Birkenstock 8. Pat Seidenspinner (St. Petersburg,
Fla.) with Carole Bardes, Helen Larsen and Brooke
Taliaferro 9. Capucine Pin (Annapolis, Md.) with
Dianne Sullivan, Lisa Tate and Jennifer Wulff
