Miami, Fla., USA (January 23, 2013) – An impressive collection of the best Olympic and Paralympic class sailors in the world will take their talents to Biscayne Bay in the second of four stops of the 2012-2013 ISAF Sailing World Cup. Racing at this world class five-day regatta begins on Monday, January 28 and concludes Saturday, February 2. Over 300 sailors representing 35 countries are expected to participate.

The international 49er fleet returns to Biscayne Bay in 2013. Photo Daniel Forster/Rolex

The ISAF Sailing World Cup Miami provides an opportunity for U.S. and international Olympic and Paralympic hopefuls to begin their campaign for Rio 2016. The 2013 field includes an eclectic group of sailors with diverse backgrounds and assorted skill sets. Experienced Olympic medalists and World Champions will be tested by a new generation of ambitious sailors eager to reach new levels of success on the world wide stage.

ISAF Sailing World Cup Miami, established in 1990 by US Sailing, is open to boats competing in events chosen for the Olympic and Paralympic Sailing Competitions. The 10 Olympic classes for 2016 are: Laser Radial (women), Laser (men), Finn (men), Men’s RS:X, Women’s RS:X, 49er (men), Men’s 470, Women’s 470, Nacra 17 (mixed) and 49er FX (women). The three Paralympic classes are: 2.4mR (open), SKUD (mixed) and Sonar (mixed). The 2.4mR and Sonar classes will be competing in Miami.

Two additions to the Olympic Class Sailing Competition highlights the excitement and anticipation surrounding this 2013 edition of the ISAF Sailing World Cup Miami. The Catamaran (Nacra 17) and Women’s Skiff (49er FX) have burst onto the World Cup scene and will be featured events in Rio 2016. Many of the athletes competing in these two events, especially, are making the transition from another boat or class. While the competition will be intense, World Cup Miami will serve as demanding and challenging training for sailors as they assess their abilities, expand their progress, and build camaraderie with new teammates.

Visit the event website for an updated competitor list at http://bit.ly/mocr13_competitors with complete ISAF bios for each sailor.

“We are proud to play host to the ISAF Sailing World Cup event here on Biscayne Bay,” said Event Chairman Gary Bodie. “We appreciate the participation by these talented sailors from around the world.”

Six of the Olympic Classes, including RS:X men and women, Laser, Radial, 49er and 49er FX will test new racing formats under consideration for Rio 2016. The remaining Olympic classes will consist of a five-day opening series (Monday-Friday) and a double-point medal race (Saturday). The top 10 finishers in the opening series of each class will advance to the medal race. Competitors in the Paralympic classes will have five days of fleet racing (Monday-Friday) and no medal race. Medals will be awarded to the top three boats in each Olympic and Paralympic class on Saturday, February 2.

Regatta Headquarters will be located at the US Sailing Center Miami, an official Olympic training center, in the Coconut Grove section of Miami, Fla. Event organizers have partnered with the city of Miami to provide world-class venues for competition. Additional hosts for the event include Coral Reef Yacht Club, Coconut Grove Sailing Club, Miami Rowing Club and Shake-a-Leg Miami. These sailing organizations host classes onshore, as well as help run the on-the-water racing. The Coral Reef Yacht Club also hosts the Opening and Closing Ceremonies.

The ISAF Sailing World Cup Miami organizing committee, headed by co-chairs Gary Bodie and Meredith Muller, with support from Carol Ewing, announced the International Jury: Bernard Bonneau (FRA), Pat Healy (USA), Eilliot Levy (VEN), Ana Sanchez (ESP), Luiso Fernandez (ESP), Lynne Beal (CAN), Charlotte Greppe (SWE), Sandy Grovsenor (USA), Marianne Middlethon (NOR), Jim Capron (USA), National Jury Kai Masuda (JPN), Chris Petracco (USA), Marty Ottenhimer (USA), Bruce Martinson (USA) and Pat Sheehan (USA).

The event’s  Principal Race Officer is Christophe Gaumont (FRA) assisted by Deputy International Race Officer Mark Murphy with International Race Officers Tom Duggan (USA, Laser Radial), Bruce Greene (USA, 49er, FX), John Craig (USA, RS:X), Peter Van Muyden (CAN, Paralympic classes),  Jim Tichenor (USA, 470, Finn, Nacra17). International Measurers are Barry Johnson (AUS), Dina Kowalyshyn (USA) and Carla Schieffer (USA).

The event’s website http://mocr.ussailing.org is where real-time racecourse blogging, commentary and fan interaction, regatta results, photos and news updates will be integrated into a live coverage platform once racing begins.

The event photo gallery at http://www.flickr.com/photos/ussailingmedia will be updated daily with both low-res and high-res versions by official event photographers and available for download.

Sponsors of ISAF Sailing World Cup Miami 2013 include Sperry Top-Sider, Harken McLube, Kattack, Switlik and the University of Miami Hospital.

About the ISAF Sailing World Cup
Sailors accrue points at each of the seven ISAF Sailing World Cup events to earn an overall Series Score. First place translates into 20 points, second place earns 19 points and so on. (Twentieth place earns one point.) The skipper/crew with the highest Series Score at the end of the season wins the ISAF Sailing World Cup Trophy. Find out more about the ISAF Sailing World Cup, overall standings, the scoring system and the Notice of Series at www.sailing.org/isafsailingworldcup.

About US Sailing
The ISAF Sailing World Cup Miami is organized by the United States Sailing Association (US Sailing), the national governing body for sailing, which provides leadership for the sport in the United States. Founded in 1897 and headquartered in Portsmouth, Rhode Island, US SAILING is a 501(c) (3) non-profit organization. US Sailing offers training and education programs for instructors and race officials, supports a wide range of sailing organizations and communities, issues offshore rating certificates, and provides administration and oversight of competitive sailing across the country, including National Championships and the US Sailing Team Sperry Top-Sider. For more information, please visit www.ussailing.org. For more information about the US Sailing Team Sperry Top-Sider, please visit: http://sailingteams.ussailing.org.

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Press contact: Jake Fish, US Sailing Communications Manager, jakefish@ussailing.org