West Marine US Open Sailing
Racing at the Miami West Marine US Open Sailing Series concluded Sunday with strong winds and even stronger racing across all classes. Biscayne Bay greeted competitors with a 12-15 knot northwest breeze. Though challenging, it was a welcome change from wind delays on Friday and Saturday.
“While racing was light the rest of the regatta, today was gorgeous racing,” said 49er and 49erFX PRO Lynn Lynch. “The shore breeze was shifty, but after a few tweaks here and there, we got the marks in we were able to run four good races.”
49erFX Class
The FX class was dominated by Canadian teams, with Tokyo Olympians Ali Tenhove and Mariah Millen taking first place. Teammates Georgia Lewin-LaFrance and Galen Richardson (CAN) came in second and Audrey Staples and Marion LaFrance-Berger (CAN) finished third.
“This was one of our first regattas after Tokyo, so we were focused on checking off our goals and learning as much as we can,” said Tenhove.
49er Class
US Sailing Team members Ian Barrows and Hans Henken came out on top in the 49er fleet with an impressive score line, finishing first in all but one race. Canadians Arie Moffat and Sam Bonin came in second, with a one-point lead over third place finishers Nevin Snow and Duncan Williford (USA).
Open 470 Class
In the 470 class, Americans Luisa Nordstrom and Trevor Bornarth made a clean sweep, finishing first in all nine races of the event. Winning the tiebreak for second place was Americans Kyra Phelan and Sawyer Bastian, with 22 points. Alec van Kerckhove and Dylan Murphy (USA) rounded out the podium in third.
Nacra 17
Even with only four competitors in the Nacra 17 class, racing was tight and tactical. US Sailing Team athletes Sarah Newbury Moore and David Liebenberg, who are campaigning for Paris 2024, came in first with 8 points. Carson Crain and Caroline Atwood (USA) came in second, while Ben Rosenberg and Cali Salinas (USA) took third.
Men’s iQFoil
Fresh off the last summer Games, US Sailing Team athlete Pedro Pascual won nearly every race of the weekend, finishing with a total of nine points. Olympic Development Program athlete Alexander Temko finished in second with 12 total points.
“Competition and conditions were tough, but I was able to focus on tactics and stay in the pressure,” said Pascual. “I’m looking forward to another great event at the US Open in Clearwater next weekend!”
Women’s iQFoil & Open Windfoil
The Women’s iQFoil and Open Windfoil classes were raced together on the iQFoil circle. ODP athlete Dominique Stater took first in the Women’s iQFoil, narrowly beating Bryn Muller, the US representative at the last Jr. Pan Am Games. American sailors JP Lattanzi and Garrett January took first and second place in the Open Windfoil, respectively.
Finn Class
Long-time participants in the Miami Olympic Class Regatta, the Finn class saw nine boats competing this weekend. After eight races, Miami local Rodion Mazin took first place with ten points. Peter Frissell took second and John Dane III rounded out the podium in third.
The West Marine US Open Sailing Series continues in Clearwater Feb. 3-6. Competitors in the ILCA 6, ILCA 7, Nacra 15, iQFoil, Formula Kite will go head-to-head in the last Series stop before the West Coast regattas. Clearwater is one of a two-part qualifying series for Youth Worlds in the ILCA 6, Nacra 15 and iQFoil classes. Registration is still open: ocr.ussailing.org/florida-ocrs
