West Marine US Open Sailing Series
US Sailing and Lauderdale Yacht Club will welcome 133 competitors in the ILCA classes January 15 -17 for the first stop on the 2022 West Marine US Open Sailing Series. First sailed in 2021, the series was created to fill the demand for a high-level domestic training platform geared towards prospective Olympic hopefuls.
The Lauderdale event features sailors from North America and the Caribbean, with six countries represented including the United States – the US Virgin Islands, Canada, Bermuda, Puerto Rico, and the Cayman Islands will bring their all this weekend.
“We are so excited to have the ILCA class back at Lauderdale Yacht Club for the second West Marine US Open Series,” said Commodore Stephanie Toothaker. “LYC has hosted numerous Olympic class regattas in the past and look forward to making this another successful event.”
Among the registrants are many top finishers from the 2021 Orange Bowl Youth Regatta, like Robby Meek of Annapolis, MD who finished first overall in the ILCA 6 class; and Benjamin Smith of Ft. Lauderdale, FL, first overall in the ILCA 7 class.
Top US Sailing Team and Olympic Development athletes will be competing in Fort Lauderdale. Charlotte Rose, a member of the ILCA 6 (Radial) squad and Leo Boucher of the ILCA 7 (Full) are competing in the event fresh off the Jr. Pan Am Games and the team’s first training camp of 2022.
The Canadian Olympic team will also be represented this weekend by Tokyo 2020 Olympian Sarah Douglass, who is competing in the ILCA 6 class. Douglass placed sixth at the games in the Laser Radial.
New this year, sailors from the United States competing in Olympic classes will be eligible for prize money over the three Florida and three California events. Athletes will vie for $1000 for first place, $500 for second and $250 for third.
For information usopen.ussailing.org/florida-ocrs.
