Sunday, November 09, 2008, Charleston, SC - The final day of the 2008 Nations Cup Regional Final sponsored by Team One Newport was held in ideal match racing conditions, with clear skies, temperatures in the high-60’s, and 10-15 knots of breeze all day. The first match of the day was the final match of the Women’s semi-final round, featuring Bermuda’s Paula Lewin against Canada’s Lisa Ross. Each skipper had earned one point in the round, with the first skipper to earn two points moving on to the finals. Lewin held Ross to the starboard side of the line in the pre-start and was able to lead off the line at the gun. Ross never managed to pass, and Lewin moved on to the finals to face Anna Tunnicliffe of the USA.

In the Women’s finals, Tunnicliffe and Lewin battled fiercely in the pre-starts. But Tunnicliffe managed to control Lewin off the line and held the lead each race to win the finals 3-0. Commenting on the results, Tunnicliffe said "Paula pushed us constantly, we could never give her an inch or we knew she’d be right back in the match."

In the Open final, match-racing veteran Dave Perry of the USA faced newcomer Taylor Canfield from the USVI. What Canfield lacked in match-racing experience, he made up for with talent and determination. The first start was a draw, with Perry at the pin and Canfield at the boat. After splitting tacks, Canfield came out ahead and held the lead around the course to go up 1-0. Perry won the start of the second match and led around the course to tie it up. Match three provided the most excitement of the day. Canfield led most of the way around the course, with Perry trailing close behind. Down the final run, Perry managed to close the distance and draw a red-flag penalty on Canfield, which put Perry ahead 2-1. With the championship on the line, Canfield came out aggressively in the pre-start of the fourth match, but it wasn’t enough to hold off the veteran. Canfield was penalized just before the gun and Perry went on to win the series 3-1.

Congratulations to Anna Tunnicliffe, Molly Vandemoer, Ali Church and Liz Bower of the USA on their win in the Women’s division and Dave Perry, Chris Museler, and Ned Jones of the USA on their win in the Open division. Both teams have qualified to represent the North America/Caribbean region at the ISAF Nations Cup Grand Final in Porto Alegre, Brazil from 23-28 March 2009. Results can be found at www.cofc.edu/sailing/nationscup

THE ISAF NATIONS CUP: The ISAF Nations Cup is a global competition to find the world’s top match racing nations in both open and women’s events and to develop match racing infrastructure around the world. The Nations Cup encompasses a series of eight Regional Finals from September-December 2008, from which the top team will qualify for the ISAF Nations Cup Grand Final, taking place in Porto Alegre, Brazil from 23-28 March 2009. The 2008 North American/Caribbean Regional Final is being hosted by the Carolina Yacht Club and the College of Charleston on November 6-9, 2008. Racing is being held the College of Charleston’s fleet of J-22s and sailed out of the Carolina Yacht Club. Thank you to our title sponsor, Team One Newport - www.team1newport.com .