Betsy's return

Alison to hold match race clinic at Rolex Osprey Cup

Betsy Alison is returning to St. Petersburg Yacht Club, the esteemed Florida venue where she has won the Rolex Osprey Cup, the prestigious ISAF grade 1 match racing regatta, an unrivaled four times during her streak as the world’s top woman match racer. But instead of competing, Alison will be sharing her knowledge with 40 women gathered from around the U.S. to participate in the Rolex Women’s Match from March 30-April 2.

Created to introduce women sailors to one-on-one match racing, the International Sailing Federation (ISAF) Grade 3 event’s unique format features a combination of a skills and rules clinic followed by round robin racing in Sonar keelboats on Tampa Bay.

"This year we are thrilled that Betsy Alison will conduct the match racing clinic," said Pat Seidenspinner (St. Petersburg), co-organizer with Tom Farquhar of the Rolex Women’s Match. "In addition to being one of the world’s most recognized competitive sailors, a five-time Rolex Yachtswoman of the Year, and a past world match racing champion, Betsy is an equally accomplished and sought-after coach."

Eight of the registered skippers have participated in previous editions of the Rolex Women’s Match, with the exception of Debby Grimm (New Orleans, La.), who will make her debut this week.

Additional skippers include: Louise Bienvenu-New Orleans, La.); Chafee Emory (Newport, R.I.); Jo Ann Fisher, Annapolis, Md.); Sandy Hayes (Scituate, Mass.); Kathy Lindgren (Sheboygan, Wis.); Sue McDowell (Bay Village, Ohio); Karen Park (St. Petersburg, Fla.); Rachael Silverstein (St. Petersburg, Fla.).

Established in 2002, the Rolex Women’s Match annually strives to improve opportunities for women sailors. The winner of the Rolex Women’s Match will gain an automatic invitation to compete in the Rolex Osprey Cup, an ISAF Grade 1 match racing event scheduled for October.

For more information about the Rolex Women’s Match go to http://www.rolexwomensmatch.org/ .