(from the US Sailing website)
(Event website: http://www.ussailing.org/)

DETROIT -- (September 7, 2007) – Skipper Anna Tunnicliffe (Plantation, Fla.), took full advantage of strong breezes kicked up by passing storms in the Detroit River to remain undefeated Friday in the second day of the U.S. Women’s Match Racing Championship hosted at the Bayview Yacht Club, sponsored by Rolex Watch U.S.A. and Dry Creek Vineyard.

“She (Anna) is being very aggressive on the water and really fast in the free starts,” said competitor Jamie Haines (New port, R.I), crewing with skipper Charlie Arms and crew Karen Loutzenheiser (Santa Cruz, CA). “She is an amazing competitor.”

Tunnicliffe finished her round robin with a 10-0 score. In second place after the second full day of match racing is Liz Baylis, who finished her round robin and is 7-3. In the third position is Katy Pilley-Lovell, who has two matches remaining and is 5-3. The rest of the field is tight with 5 teams sharing 4 wins and three teams with 2 match wins.

With winds gusting up to 25 knots, racing was halted twice by race officials to prevent damage to boats and potential collisions on the course off shore from the Bayview Yacht Club in the Detroit River across from the Canadian shore and river islands.

“They wouldn’t allow us to fly spinnakers today because of the strong winds,” said Loutzenheiser. “It would have made for some great sailing on the downward leg. The current was a big factor yesterday and took some getting used to but was offset by the heavy air today.

Competitors sailed Thursday in very light air in a Detroit River current that runs a constant 3 knots and can greatly impact a boat’s performance, especially in light breezes. While most of the 11 sailing teams were from all parts of the country, Detroit-based sailors didn’t think the current was a particular home water advantage.

“The winds were light on Thursday so it may have been a bit of an advantage but they had one day of practice and one day of sailing with the current,” said Sarah Somes, 16, (Detroit) crewing with skipper Lauren Knoles, 18, of Grosse Isle, Michigan.

“We had three wins and four losses and its our first U.S. Women’s sailing match,’ said Somes. “We feel really good about the day we had today. This is my first women’s regatta and it’s been thrilling so far.”

Late afternoon storms passed and sun and clouds allowed for sailing matches to continue until the late evening hours Friday. The strong winds were a dramatic contrast to 5-6 knots light air that marked the first day of the match racing. Temperatures both days have been in the mid-80s with sunshine mixed with clouds and passing showers on Friday. Saturday’s weather is expected to be in the high 70s with steady winds.

Tunnicliffe, who recently returned from China where she captured a Gold Medal at The Good Luck Beijing – 2007 Qingdao International Regatta, the last international sailing event to be held prior to the 2008 Olympic Games; is racing with crew Liz Bower (Rochester, N.Y.) and Jean "Ali" Sharp (Annapolis, Md.). Tunnicliffe signed an endorsement agreement Friday with K-Swiss apparel.

The 33 competing sailors in Detroit hail from compass points across America including home ports of Annapolis, Maryland; Alameda, California; New Orleans; San Francisco and some of the sailors are coming from world sailing events as far away as Italy and China for this premier women’s sailing competition held in the Detroit River near Lake St. Clair. The final race match will be held Sunday at 10 a.m, September 9.

Among the metro Detroit racers is Lauren Knoles, 18, the youngest skipper in the event and making her match-racing debut. A freshman at Michigan State University, Knoles won the Bayview Junior Riverfest Regatta Laser Radial division this summer. She lives in Grosse Ile. The other local skipper, Angela Scheibner, of Grosse Pointe, will compete here this weekend and then head to San Diego next weekend for the US Women’s Sailing Championship, another US Sailing national event.

“All of us at Bayview Yacht Club are extremely proud to be hosting the U.S. Women’s Match Racing Championship,” said Commodore Thomas Meier. “This event held at Bayview emphasizes the dedication, support and promotion of women sailors here and across the country.”