Heavyweight line up

Mastercard Etchells World Championship looks set for another classic in ten days time

The Coastal Fairfield County Sports Commission announced today at a luncheon in Bridgeport that the 2003 MasterCard International Etchells World Championships is just days away and preparations for the event are starting to heat up.

Currently, there are 290 competitors on 95 boats representing 9 countries from around the globe registered. In addition to representatives from sailing hotbeds such as the USA, New Zealand, Australia, England and Canada, countries such as Denmark, Israel and Hong Kong represented in the event. Some of the most notable names in sailing will be in Greenwich to participate in what promises to be the highest profile sailing event held in the New York metropolitan area in almost 10 years. Included in the list of sailors are past America’s Cup sailors Dennis Conner and Ken Read.

Dennis Conner, a.k.a. “Mr. America’s Cup”, most recent Cup campaign was this year as the head of the New York Yacht Club syndicate. An avid Star Class and Etchells racer, he is best known for winning the America’s Cup. Ken Read, helmsman for Conner’s “Stars & Stripes”, is a two-time winner of the Etchells North American Champs. In addition, he has also been named “Rolex” Yachtsman of the Year on two occasions.

The event will also include 6 local skippers including Indian Harbor Yacht Club members Steve Girling, a two-time Atlantic Coast Champion, and Jonathan Nye, current fleet captain of Fleet 9. Qualifiers from Riverside Yacht Club included Ty Anderson, a former Fleet 9 champion, and John Hoekman. Also qualifying were Milford sailor Theodore “Bear” Hovey, a Windjammers member, and former North Sails sail maker and Hugh Jones from Seawanhaka Yacht Club.

In addition to the heavy weight entries from the United States, there are also a number of very strong competitors from abroad. Defending World Champions Stuart Childerley, Simon Russell and Roger Marino head up eight entries from the UK. Childerley dominated the Worlds last November in Auckland, winning by a massive 36 points. Mark Bradford from Australia, who finished second to Childerley, heads up a strong southern hemisphere contingent of entries which includes third placed 2002 World's skipper Cameron Miles and New Zealander Cameron Thorpe who finished in eighth position last year.

Competition in the 2003 MasterCard International Etchells World Championships will begin with a practice race on Saturday, September 20th. The official competition will begin Sunday, September 21st through Friday, September 26th, with Saturday, September 27th reserved as an extra day of racing should it be required. Registration for the event will be held at Riverside Yacht Club in Riverside, Connecticut starting on Wednesday, September 24th.

The event will be held in the waters off Greenwich, Connecticut and is hosted by Indian Harbor and Riverside Yacht Clubs. MasterCard International, a global payments company with one of the most recognized and respected brands in the world, is the title sponsor. Supporting Tier 2 sponsors for the event are Cognizant, the international IT application outsourcing and enterprise consulting services company and Vineyard Vines, an up and coming Greenwich based apparel company.

Entries (as of 25th August)

AUS 1030, Noel Drennan, Peter Doriean, Greg Kameika
AUS 1082, Stewart Lewis, Luke Molloy, Jason Muir, Lynda Sawbridge
AUS 1102, Steve O'Rourke, Scott Condie, John Minter
AUS 1119, Tony Hirst, Michael Hughes, Michael Coxon
AUS 1150, Bill Steele, TBD, TBD
AUS 1271, Cameron Miles, Phil Smidmore, James Mayjor
AUS 738, Gordon Hinds, Andrew Gavenlock, Richard Blackwell
AUS 869, John Warlow, Greg Geiger, David Ingram
AUS 923, Mark Bradford, Mike 'Brien, Gary Adshead
BER 1249, Tim Patton, Robert Bllingham, William Thompson
CAN 1053, Allan Gray, Marc LaFleche, Nigel Sinclair
CAN 1072, Giles Anderson, Magnus Clarke (co), Robert Battye,
CAN 1154, Glenn McKay, Ian Brown, TBD
CAN 1179, Larry Creaser, Erik Koppernaes (co), Terry Yuill,
CAN 1231, Hans Fogh, Thomas Fogh (co), Roger Cheer
CAN 1246, Robert Kidd, Lawrence Lemieux, Greg Bratkiw
CAN 1247, Allan Leibel, Dave Caesar, John Finch
CAN 1265, Dirk Kneulman, Dwayne Smithers (co), Hank Lammens,
CAN 743, John Roy, Robert Gale (co), Paul Gallant
CAN 789, Paul Rafuse, Stephen Handrahan, Fred Kennedy
DEN 1003, Mikkel Weis-Fogh, Andreas Mülverstedt, Rasmus Bojesen
GBR 1020, Lucy Chaplin, Rowan Chaplin, Matt Johnston
GBR 1110, Howard Sellars, Mike Till, Marc Wait
GBR 1147, Nils Razmilovic, Brian Hammersley, Mark Nichols
GBR 1195, Paul Blowers, Jack McCarthy (co), Andrew Yates,
GBR 1250, Jervis Tilley, Edmund Peel, Milo Carver
GBR 1251, Ante Razmilovic, John Tremlett, David Bedford
GBR 967, Roger Wickens, , Mark Dowher, Tim Martell
GBR 987, Stuart Childerley, Simon Russell, Roger Marino
HKG 1051, Mark Thornburrow, Tim Parsons (co), Alex Webster,
ISR 204, Shimi Brokman , Azi Bilik (co), Assaf Shulman, Vivi Ben-kiki
NZL 1184, Cameron Appleton, Peter Merrington, Paul Gudmunson
NZL 991, Cameron Thorpe, Steve Barton, Brian Joyce
USA 1001, Bill Fortenberry, Dean Balcirak, TBD
USA 1012, Charles P. Baker, Peter Simpson, Macrae Sykes
USA 1016, Robert J. Schlesinger, TBD, TBD
USA 1063, Harcoourt Schutz, Hal Ostrom, Peter Ginz
USA 1070, Phil Garland, Dave Moffat, Tim Hotchkiss
USA 1071, Henry Springler, Bob Meagher, TBD
USA 1076, Rusty Bodden, Tim Yourieff (co), Scott Mogle
USA 1086, Don Miller, Tony Barrington (co), Jeff Silverman,
USA 1090, D. Jeffrey Dever, Richard Shellow, Anson Mulder
USA 1092, Sherwood Kelley, Ben Altman, Mark Hennelly
USA 1097, Jose Fuentes, Will Keyworth (co), Lindsay Clarkson,
USA 1103, John Ulbrich, Mark Storrs, Stuart deLisser
USA 1104, Bear Hovey, George Schimenti (co), David Hoffman,
USA 1107, Tom Boyle, John Criddis, Bruce Paulson
USA 1111, Patricia Stadel, Mark Toso, Stephen Gaynor
USA 1126, Rick Kaiser, Gerri Whitley, Vicki Matthews
USA 1139, Ron Ross, P Rowson, D. Shillingburg, Samantha Ross
USA 1152, Dave Champion, Scott Smith, Brian Ledbetter
USA 1153, Joseph Bainton, Gino Bottino,MD, Scott Citrin
USA 1155, Jim Batts, Jon Easley, Jeff Sale
USA 1166, Stuart Hebb, Glen Malcolm, Philip Gow
USA 1169, Thomas Hughes, Bob Pistay (co), James Stewart,
USA 1177, Chris Clark, Ron Sherry, Rob Wood
USA 1199, Ian Evans, Tim Britton, Mike Craig
USA 1200, Steve Girling, Chris Johannessen, Tim Maier
USA 1203, Glen Morrison, Keith Longson (co), Sergio Vinelli,
USA 1207, Jeff Padnos, Roger Gamache, Matt Munson
USA 1208, John Hoekman, Todd LaBaugh, Darren Ward
USA 1209, Dave Smalley, Garry Corwin (co), Dick Kurts,
USA 1212, Jonathan Nye, Tom Burnham, Simeon Alder
USA 1220, Hugh Jones, Dave Whelan (co), Mary Whelan, Charles Lewis
USA 1221, Jud Smith, Henry Frazer (co), Andrew Wills
USA 1222, Chris Marx, George Marx, Tom Marx
USA 1227, Dennis Conner, Peter Burton, Tony Rey
USA 1232, Marvin Beckmann, Lindsay Horvat, Mat Rogers
USA 1233, Robbie Doyle, Tyler Doyle, Ethan Doyle
USA 1238, Gary Gilbert, Cam Lewis, Rob Erda
USA 1241, Ken Womack, Joe Peine, Lauren Cozzolino
USA 1260, Bill Lynn, Tom Erskine, Doug Sabin
USA 1261, Tom Piper, Scott Rice, Tim Banks
USA 1262, Ken Read, Karl Anderson, Scott Norris
USA 1263, Andy Giglia, Sandy Weil (co), Garrison R. Corwin III,
USA 1266, Peter Duncan, Tom Blackwell, Bill Barton
USA 162, Elizabeth Altman, A. Whittome, William Kalmbach
USA 280, Glenn Burton, Bruce Burton, Greig Hümmel,
USA 294, Dick Neville, Mike Hobson (co), Chris Brown,
USA 44, Dave Curtis, George Iverson, Neal Fowler
USA 517, Wade Edwards, Tim Platt, Justin Muller
USA 579, Rick Stevens, Don Brush, Mark Grosby, Chris Seiler
USA 638, Peter Feldman, Bill Zemmin (co), Stu Thompson,
USA 663, William Chambers, Melinda Berge , Craig Schasiepen
USA 664, William O'Connor, Sted Beckwith, John Nyren
USA 706, Peter Isler, Artie Means, Will Stout
USA 744, William Porter, James K. Porter, Kurt Winkelman
USA 880, Ty Anderson, Dave Ornstein, Rob Phelps
USA 9, John Heinemann, TBD, TBD
USA 904, Eric Ash, Chris Krimendahl (co), Dave Sligh,
USA 960, Ched Proctor, Ben Kinney, Greg Stevens
USA 971, Kjeld Hestehave, Kers Clausen (co), Bob Branstad,
USA 981, Thomas Dawson, Kevin Germain (co), John Harvey,
USA 983, Kevin Hoyt, Patrick Sloan, John Rozwadowski
USA 988, Jerry Fulp, Randy White, TBD