| ANNAPOLIS, MD-(11-10-2002) 2003 will mark the 10th running of
US SAILING’s biennial Rolex International Women’s Keelboat Championship
(IWKC) when the event returns to Annapolis, Md., Sept. 27-Oct. 3. The
Annapolis Yacht Club (AYC) also makes a return showing to host the event for
a second time, tapping Annapolis native and veteran sailor Molly Hughes as
Event Chair and partnering with the Eastport Yacht Club and the Severn
Sailing Association for additional organizational talent. Based on Hughes’
enthusiasm and the sustained momentum from the 2001 event, where a record 61
teams competed, the “mother of all women’s keelboat events” can’t come soon
enough.
“I sailed as crew in the last event,” said Hughes. “I was blown away by
the competition, the sportsmanship both on and off the water, and the
caliber—from A to Z--of all administrative aspects of this regatta. It made
me proud to be a woman sailor and proud to be a member of AYC.`
While the competition’s roster typically reads like a who’s who of
Rolex Yachtswomen of the Year, Olympic medallists, world champions and
America’s Cup veterans, the Rolex IWKC also encourages women of all ages
with varying levels of experience to compete. The regatta does not require
qualification for entry, only that each team become a member of its country’
s national governing authority for sailing. As in the past, a series of
worldwide Rolex-sponsored clinics will precede the event.
“The youngest skipper has been 14 and the oldest has been in her 60s,”
said Denise MacGillivray of Portsmouth, R.I., who is chairman of US SAILING’
s International Women’s Keelboat Championship Committee. “There are really
no parameters and teams come from all over for many different reasons, which
is what makes the event thrive.”
MacGillivray pointed out that several junior sailors from the event’s
lauded Next Step program plan to compete in 2003. “The Next Step program is
all about getting 12-16 year olds out of their yacht club dinghies and into
keelboats,” said MacGillvray. “It was a tremendous inspiration to the 2001
participants, and one gal even received a J/22 for Christmas so she could
skipper her own boat in a future Rolex Women’s event.” Three Next Step
Juniors are talking about competing in 2003, including Martha Fisher from
Ohio, daughter of elite sailor Greg Fisher.
The regatta’s five-day, 11-race format in J/22s is preceded by a day for
registration/measurement and a day for practice. Nightly social events will
culminate with the traditional Rolex gala and awards presentation. A Rolex
timepiece will be awarded to the winning boat.
The Notice of Race is available online at www.ussailing.org/riwkc/ and
annapolisyc.com/rolexkeelboats/. On the AYC web site, sailors also can sign
up for direct email updates about the 2003 event. For more information,
contact Molly Hughes at rolexiwkc@aol.com or the Annapolis Yacht Club, 2
Compromise St., Annapolis, Md. 21404, 443-994-1176.
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