The first day of racing at the U.S. Women’s Match Racing Championship, hosted by St. Francis Yacht Club, was spirited by typical ideal conditions on San Francisco Bay. The six teams competing this year finished the first round robin stage and the first flight in the second round robin.

Two-time U.S. Women’s Match Racing Champion Genny Tulloch and her crew had a stellar day on the water. Tulloch (San Francisco, Calif.), who is sailing with Margaret Shea (Wilmette, Ill.) and US Sailing Team Sperry Top-Sider teammates Jennifer Chamberlin (Washington, D.C.) and Stephanie Roble (East Troy, Wis.), went unscathed today. They won all six matches to claim the day’s top performance.

Nicole Breault’s (San Francisco, Calif.) team won five of six matches on Thursday, with their only loss coming against Tulloch. Breault’s crew consists of Evan Brown (San Francisco, Calif.), Casey Williams (Belmont, Mass.), and Julie Servais (San Diego, Calif.). Collectively, they are sailing together as a team for the first time this week.

Up to Date Round Robin Results:
Round Robin 2 Flight 1: Hayes def. Cooper; Tulloch def. Lawrence; Breault def. Cabito
Round Robin 1 Flight 5: Tulloch def. Cooper; Breault def. Hayes; Cabito def. Lawrence
Round Robin 1 Flight 4: Tulloch def. Breault, Cabito def. Hayes; Lawrence def. Cooper
Round Robin 1 Flight 3: Tulloch def. Cabito; Breault def. Cooper; Hayes def. Lawrence
Round Robin 1 Flight 2: Tulloch def. Hayes; Cabito def. Cooper; Breault def. Lawrence
Round Robin 1 Flight 1: Cooper def. Hayes; Tulloch def. Lawrence; Breault def. Cabito

Day One Championship Notes:
-Teams were greeted with breezes at 14 knots early in the day with partly cloudy skies and temperatures in the high 60s. By the afternoon, breezes built up to 20 knots with gusts reaching 25.
-The Principal Race Officer this week is Bartz Schneider.
-Racing begins at 10 am PT on Friday through Sunday.
-Quote of the Day: Chief Umpire Sandy Grosvenor was excited to be back in San Francisco for this US Sailing National Championship. “It’s a very unique venue because of the impact the current has. The Sailing Instructions have accommodations for an offset leg. This will allow us, depending on the wind angle, to make a true down wind leg.”
-This US Sailing Championship is a Qualifying Event for the 2012 ISAF Nations Cup Regional Finals.
-Artemis was out practicing near the course on San Francisco Bay.

For results, standings, photos and more information on the 2012 U.S. Women’s Match Racing Championship, please visit the event website at http://championships.ussailing.org/Adult/USWMRC.htm.

For breaking news and race results from San Francisco, stay connected with US Sailing through Twitter and Facebook.

The U.S. Women’s Match Racing Championship is sponsored by Rolex Watch U.S.A., Old Pulteney, and Gill North America. This championship is a Sailors for the Sea - Clean Regattas certification event.

Written by Jake Fish, US Sailing Communications Manager