In the bag for Hayes

Dana Paxton reports from the conclusion of the Rolex Women's Match in St Petersburg, FL

Sandy Hayes (Scituate, Mass.) won 2006 the Rolex Women's Match hosted by the St. Petersburg Yacht Club (St. Petersburg, Fla.) from March 30-April 2 on Tampa Bay.

Sailing with Hayes were Sandi Svoboda (Detroit, Mich.), Alexis Ackman (St. Petersburg, Fla.) and Phyllis Karlberg (Scituate, Mass.). Eight teams competed in Sonar class keelboats in the International Sailing Federation (ISAF) grade 3 match racing regatta. World match racing champion and four-time Rolex Yachtswoman of the Year Betsy Alison conducted a two-day match-racing clinic as part of the half-clinic/half-racing format. Hayes and second-place finisher Kathy Lindgren gained automatic invitations to the Rolex Osprey Cup, an ISAF Grade 1 match racing event scheduled for October.

"I didn't even realize we had won until the awards," said a surprised Sandy Hayes. "Since we had a three-way tie after all of the round robins, it basically came down to who beat who until one person was left standing. And it was my name at the top. I don't even feel like I should've won. On the first day I lost the first two matches by just letting them go by me. I felt so stupid. They were basic mistakes. So on the second day, heading out to the race course, we reviewed what we had to do and I told my crew that if we won I'd buy them all Porsches, since the St. Pete Grand Prix was going on beside the yacht club. Now I'm going to have to buy them cars!"

On Sunday morning, there almost wasn't a regatta. As co-chair Pat Seidenspinner explained, "There was only a bit of fog and no wind, but later in the morning, a light southerly breeze appeared and the race committee decided to take the competitors out into the bay. The breeze filled in and racing started just before noon." By the end of the weekend, a total of 39 matches were held and using the ISAF rulebook for match racing, the overall winner was determined on a tie-breaker formula of "who beat who."

Organizers of the Rolex Women's Match are Tom Farquhar (who also served as an umpire) and Pat Seidenspinner (both St. Petersburg).

Established in 2002, the Rolex Women's Match annually strives to improve opportunities for women sailors.

Final results: 2006 Rolex Women's Match (March 30-April 2)
Overall place, Skipper (hometown) with crew

1. Sandy Hayes (Scituate, Mass.) with Sandi Svoboda, Alexis Ackman, Phyllis Karlberg
2. Kathy Lindgren (Sheboygan, Wis.) with Denise Cornell, Amy Lundeen (Kathy's daughter), Robyn Barnett
3. Jo Ann Fisher (Annapolis, Md.) with Lynda Hiller, Liz LaBorde, Laura Jeffers/Amy Linton
4. Chafee Emory (Newport, R.I.);
5. Louise Bienvenu (New Orleans, La.) with Lisa Luongo, Marcy Lake, Michelle Hitter
6. Sue McDowell (Bay Village, Ohio) with Bev Keeler, Debbie Gibbs, Sue Michos
7. Karen Park (St. Petersburg, Fla.) with Laura Bryant, Sherry Welch, Susan Wallace
8. Debby Grimm (New Orleans, La.) with Janice Griglack, Jeanne Winters, Tirza Dabdoub