2016 U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Sailing News

 BY WINDCHECK MAGAZINE 

Below we'll follow the 15 sailors who will represent the United States at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games in August, and the six who will represent the United States at the Paralympic Games in September.

Managed by award-winning Volvo Ocean Race and America’s Cup photographer and Onboard Reporter Amory Ross and US Sailing Team Press Officer Will Ricketson, and with additional imagery from 10-time Olympic Games photographer Daniel Forster, @USSailingTeam social media channels will turn out world-class coverage on an hourly basis during Rio 2016. Follow on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Youtube:

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Latest Results (Sailing)

Update August 10th: Sailing Day 3

Classes Covered Live: Nacra 17 (Bora Gulari and Louisa Chafee), Women’s 470 (Annie Haeger and Briana Provancha)

Streaming Live at noon: NBC Olympics Viewing Link (Sailing): August 10th

Update: August 9: Team USA Finn and RS X Classes

Day 2 of the Olympic Regatta kept all four classes to the Guanabara Bay courses and conditions made for challenging and unpredictable racing. Light winds and shifty currents kept the leaderboard interesting and as Caleb Paine (San Diego) proves, you were never out of a race until the finish.

Caleb Paine (San Diego, Calif.). executed a dramatic comeback in the opening race of the men's heavyweight Finn class. "It was exciting racing. [The breeze] was coming in from both the left and right, and it would die and then build," said Paine. After two races today, Paine sits in 8th out of 23.

The Finn fleet is scheduled to move from today's flat and shifty "Pão de Açucar" course on Guanabara Bay to the open-ocean "Niterói" course tomorrow, which often features sizable waves. Wednesday's forecast also calls for strong wind. "I think it's going to be a little easier [tomorrow] in the sense that it's not as shifty," said Paine. "It will be a physically taxing day outside, with big breeze. Grinding and boat speed are going to be key."

Paige Railey (Clearwater, Fla.) had an up-and-down day in the Laser Radial, finishing 10 ,23 in two races and is in 10th overall after two days of sailing on the "Escola Naval" and "Ponte" courses on Guanabara Bay.

Men's Laser athlete Charlie Buckingham (Newport Beach, Calif.) had a rollercoaster of a day as well, and recorded scores closely matching Railey's with a 10,23 on the "Ponte" course. The Laser North American Champion sits in 16th overall,

Marion Lepert (Belmont, Calif., Women's RS:X) recorded scores of 13,22(RDG),23 in the women's RS:X board fleet. In the second race of the day (Race 5), Lepert was involved in a collision with a Brazilian athlete. Lepert won the resulting protest and was awarded redress by the jury, which will make her Race 5 score equal to that of the average points of the rest of her scores during the regatta. In the Men's RS:X fleet, Pedro Pascual (West Palm Beach, Fla., Men's RS:X) recorded scores of 27,37,29 on the day.

U.S. Sailing Team Results:

Day 2: Tuesday, August 9

Men's Finn: (Top 10)

1. SLO - ZBOGAR Vasilij: 4 points

2. TUR - KAYNAR Alican: 7 points

3. ARG - OLEZZA BAZAN Facundo: 10 points

4. BRA - ZARIF Jorge: 10 points

5. CRO - KLJAKOVIC GASPIC Ivan: 14 points

6. DEN - HOGH-CHRISTENSEN Jonas: 15 points

7. ITA - POGGI Giorgio: 15 points

8. USA - PAINE Caleb: 17 points

9. EST - KARPAK Deniss: 19 points

10. GBR - SCOTT Giles: 20 points

Women's Laser Radial: (Top 10)

1. CHN- XU, Lijia, 7 points

2. IRL - MURPHY, Annalise: 12 points

3. DEN - RINDOM, Anne-Marie: 13 points

4. NED - BOUWMEESTER, Marit: 14 points

5. BEL - VAN ACKER, Evi: 16 points

6. LTU - SCHEIDT, Ginter: 18 points

7. FIN - TENKANEN, Tuula: 22 points

8. CRO - MIHELIC, Tina: 25 points

9. HUN - ERDI, Maria: 26 points

10. USA - RAILEY, Paige: 27 points

Women's RS:X: (Top 10)

1. ITA - TARTAGLINI, Flavia: 12 points

2. FRA - PICON, Charline: 13 points

3. RUS - ELFUTINA, Stefaniya: 18 points

4. NED - DE GEUS, Lilian: 20 points

5. ISR - DAVIDOVICH, Maayan: 24 points

6. ESP - ALABAU NEIRA, Marina: 31 points

7. FIN - PETAJA-SIREN, Tuuli: 31 points

8. CHN - CHEN, Peina: 39 points

9. USA - LEPERT, Marion: 45 points (unofficial)

10. BRA - FRETS, Patricia: 47 points (unofficial)

Men's Laser:

16. USA - BUCKINGHAM, Charlie: 37 points

Men's RS:X:

30. USA - PASCUAL, Pedro: 136 points

August 8: Team USA Is Ready to Race

The action starts on Monday, August 8, 2016 in Rio.

Monday, August 8 will see the opening races of the Rio 2016 Olympic Sailing competition, with 380 athletes from 66 nations ready to put four years of intense preparation to the test. Racing is scheduled to take place from August 8-18, and will be broadcast live online each day by NBC. Monday's action will include four classes: Men's Laser, Women's Laser Radial, Men's RS:X and Women's RS:X

The 2016 US Olympic Sailing Team

49er (Men’s Two-Person High Performance Skiff)

Thomas Barrows (St. Thomas, USVI) & Joe Morris (Annapolis, MD)

For Barrows, this will be a second shot at the Olympic podium, having represented the U.S. Virgin Islands in the Laser in 2008. Five-time U.S. National Champion and collegiate standout Morris is competing in his first Olympics.

49erFX (Women’s Two-Person High Performance Skiff)

Paris Henken (Coronado, CA) & Helena Scutt (Kirkland, WA)

Rio 2016 will be the first Olympics appearances for both Henken and Scutt, who won bronze at the Toronto 2015 Pan American Games.

Nacra 17 (Mixed Two-Person Multihull)

Bora Gulari (Detroit, MI) & Louisa Chafee (Warwick, RI)

Two-time Moth World Champion and 2009 US Sailing Rolex Yachtsman of the Year Gulari and collegiate All-American Chafee are competing in their first Olympics.

Laser Radial (Women’s One-Person Dinghy)

Paige Railey (Clearwater, FL)

Rio 2016 will be the second consecutive Olympics for Railey, a World Champion, Rolex World Sailor of the Year, three-time Pan American Games medalist and US Sailing Rolex Yachtswoman of the Year.

Finn (Men’s One-Person Heavyweight Dinghy)

Caleb Paine (San Diego, CA)

Paine, a Sailing World Cup Series Champion, has been the top-ranked American Finn sailor since 2012 and is competing in his first Olympics.

Laser (Men’s One-Person Dinghy)

Charlie Buckingham (Newport Beach, CA)

The Laser North American Champion, two-time College Sailor of the Year and Toronto 2015 Pan American Games representative is sailing in his first Olympics.

Women’s RS:X (Women’s Board)

Marion Lepert (Belmont, CA)

This is the first Olympics for the Toronto 2015 Pan American Games bronze medalist, who made the podium at the 2015 RS:X U21 European Championship and won the medal race at the 2016 Trofeo Princesa Sofia Regatta.

Men’s RS:X (Men’s Board)

Pedro Pascual (Miami, FL)

Pascual won the RS:ONE European Championship before making the gold fleet at the 2016 RS:X Worlds. He’s sailing in his first Olympics.

Women’s 470 (Women’s Two-Person Dinghy)

Annie Haeger (East Troy, WI) & Briana Provancha (San Diego, CA)

Winners of the 2015 Olympic Test Event in Rio de Janeiro, 2015 US Sailing Rolex Yachtswoman of the Year Haeger and Youth World Champion Provancha are making their first Olympics appearances.

Men’s 470 (Men’s Two-Person Dinghy)

Stu McNay (Providence, RI) & Dave Hughes (Miami, FL)

This is the third consecutive Olympics for McNay but his first with Hughes. Since teaming up in 2013, the veteran pair has compiled an impressive list of podium finishes at many of the world’s toughest dinghy regattas.

The 2016 US Paralympic Sailing Team

2.4mR (One-Person Keelboat; Open)

Dee Smith (Annapolis, MD)

A veteran of the America’s Cup, Volvo Ocean Race, Maxi competition and many other high-level racing programs over the course of his professional sailing career, Smith, 63, is competing in his first Paralympic Games.

Rick Doerr (helm), Brad Kendell and Hugh Freund are a strong medal threat in the Sonar. © Jen Edney/US Sailing Team Sperry

SKUD-18 (Two-Person Keelboat; Mixed)

Ryan Porteous (San Diego, CA) & Maureen McKinnon (Marblehead, MA)

Rio 2016 will be the second Paralympic Games for McKinnon, who won gold in the SKUD-18 at Beijing 2008 with the late Nick Scandone, and the first for Porteous, a student at the University of California, Santa Barbara.

Sonar (Three-Person Keelboat; Open)

Rick Doerr (Clifton, NJ), Brad Kendell (Tampa, FL) & Hugh Freund (South Freeport, ME)

The winners of the 2016 Para World Sailing Championships in May, Doerr (a Beijing 2008 Paralympian), Kendell and Freund are a strong medal threat at the Rio 2016 Paralympic regatta.

The US Sailing Team Sperry is managed by US Sailing. The top boats in each Olympic and Paralympic class are selected annually to be members of the US Sailing Team Sperry. US Sailing helps these elite athletes with financial, logistical, coaching, technical, fitness, marketing and communications support.

In addition to title sponsor Sperry, the US Sailing Team Sperry is sponsored by Gold Level sponsor Sunbrella and Silver level sponsors Harken, Team McLube and Groupe Beneteau. Yale Cordage is a team supplier. The US Sailing Center Miami in Miami, FL is an Olympic training site, and Oakcliff Sailing in Oyster Bay, NY and Clearwater Community Sailing Center in Clearwater, FL are US Sailing Team Sperry Training Centers. The National Team Tour, a nationwide presentation program for USSTS athletes, is sponsored by Chubb Personal Insurance and Gowrie Group. For more information, visit ussailing.org/olympics.