On Saturday, October 8, 2011, skippers David M. Hyer and Amy Kleinschrodt caught fire and built significant leads in their respective fleets. Today, their teams cruised to victory on the final round of racing at the 2011 U.S. Men’s and Women’s Sailing Championships, hosted by the Lake Norman Yacht Club in Mooresville, N.C.
The win for Kleinschrodt, of Mobile, Alabama, marks her third U.S. Women’s Sailing Championship. She won most recently in 2009 and her first title was in 1997. Kleinschrodt has raced in this Championship on seven occasions, four as a skipper. Her first event was in 1977.
Kleinschrodt sailed with Sarah Hall, also of Mobile, and Kara Kimbrell, of Tgeodore, Alabama and a freshman at the University of South Alabama. Hall sailed with Kleinschrodt in the 2009 and 2010 U.S. Women’s Sailing Championships.
The women’s fleet sailed in Flying Scots and wrapped up the Championship with two more races on Sunday. Kleinschrodt placed second and first to finish with 18 points over 10 races and a 16 point win.
Clematis Everett, of Rye, New York, edged Heather Rowe-Ambrose, from North Ferrisburgh, Vermont, by one point to finish second. Overall, Kleinschrodt won seven out of the 10 races conducted over three days. Her team finished second twice and their worst finish was a seventh in race one. She led by nine points going into Sunday.
“Sailing so much on the Gulf Coast this summer has really kept us competitive,” said Kleinschrodt. “I’ve been sailing with Sarah for years and she did a good job as the trimmer. Kara stepped in and did a nice job as our wind spotter.”
Team Hyer, out of West Islip, New York, was also dominant in this week’s men’s Ultimate 20s fleet. Hyer’s crewmates included his father David A. Hyer and Gregory Schneller, both also from West Islip, New York.
They led by 11 points going into Sunday’s races and won by 21 after finishing fifth, and fourth twice on Sunday. Hyer won four of the 11 races total, all of them coming consecutively in races three through six. Their worst finish came in race two when they placed sixth. The win signifies a major improvement from last year’s fifth place finish out of nine teams.
“I felt like we had a handle on the shifty breezes on the lake,” said Hyer. “We stayed in the pressure and played for averages. I told my team after we finished third in race one that if we finished third in every race, it would be enough to win. Our average finish was just over third.”
Hyer also discussed winning with his father this week. “My dad got me into sailing and drove me all over the place from one junior sailing event to another. Since being home from college, we’ve sailed together quite a bit on our J/22. It’s been good to see how much we’ve both improved,” said the Roger Williams University graduate.
Finishing in second place was Pat Toole, of Santa Barbara, California, the 2010 J/24 North American Champion. Toole was joined by crewmates Dale Turley and George Witter, both also of Santa Barbara.
Toole finished four points up on skipper Charles Quigley, of Winthrop, Massachusetts for second place.
Sailors were greeted with stronger winds on Sunday. Wind speed reached 13 knots in the morning and dropped to six to nine knots by the afternoon. Temperatures were in the high 70s and low 80s.
The women’s fleet raced for the Mrs. Charles Francis Adams Cup, which originated in 1924 and is believed to be the first women’s championship ever held in the world. Past winners of the Adams Cup include sailing icons Betsy Alison, Sally Lindsay Honey, Allison Jolly, Timothea Larr, Cory Sertl and Jody Swanson.
The men’s fleet competed for the Clifford D. Mallory Trophy, founded in 1952. The Mallory Trophy has been won by sailing legends such as Buddy Melges, Jr., Cornelius Shields, John Kolius, Dave Ullman and six-time champion Scott Young.
The U.S. Men’s and Women’s Sailing Championships is sponsored by Rolex Watch U.S.A. and Gill North America.
For complete results, visit: http://www.regattanetwork.com/clubmgmt/applet_regatta_results.php?regatta_id=4322&show_crew=1