Chicago, Ill. — With an uncertain future due to stormy weather conditions, more than a 1,000 sailors from around the world waited anxiously at the Chicago Yacht Club today to see if races would be held on the third and final day of the 20^th annual Sperry Top-Sider National Offshore One Design (NOOD) Regatta in Chicago.

 

With less than 20-minutes before the regatta was scheduled to be cancelled by the race committee due to the poor weather; the storm passed, the sun appeared and sailors took to waters of Lake Michigan to begin the final races of the regatta

 

Among the 267 boats within the 15 various fleets competing this weekend at the 2008 Chicago NOOD regatta were standouts Robert & Dr. Cornelia Zerban of Kenosha, Wis. The Zerbans and their boat Zeitgeist paced the J/ 109 boat class on all three days and finished with a final score of 18-points. As a result of their outstanding performance this weekend, Robert and Dr. Cornelia were named the overall winners of the 2008 Chicago NOOD regatta.

 

"It's such an amazing feeling and an honor to be named the winners of this regatta," said Robert Zerban. "We had a such a great time in Chicago and we couldn't have accomplished what we did without the help of our excellent crew."

                                 

As the overall winner in the Windy City, the Zerbans will be invited to participate in the 2008 NOOD Regatta Championships in the British Virgin Islands in November to compete aboard Sunsail 39's against the overall winners from each stop on the nine-regatta Sperry Top-Sider NOOD circuit.

 

Seiko Watches presented David Hudgel and his PHRF 3 Bounder with the Seiko Award. The Award is given to most competitive boat in the PHRF fleet. Criteria for the Seiko Award, includes the boat's race record at the NOOD regatta, corrected time differences and the overall competitiveness.   

 

The Sperry Top-Sider NOOD Regatta series will next set sail for Marblehead, Mass., July 24-27, 2008. Additional venues for 2008 include St. Petersburg, Fla.; San Diego, Calif.; Annapolis, Md.; Seattle, Wash.; Detroit, Mich.; Larchmont, N.Y.; and Houston, Texas.

 

The Chicago NOOD regatta was the sixth stop of the nine-event series.

 

The NOODs routinely attract a very diverse group of competitors, from Olympic sailors, professional sailors and world and national champions to local day sailors participating in their first regatta.

 

Created by Sailing World in 1988, the NOODs attract nearly 2,000 boats and more than 30,000 competitors and spectators annually. Each event in the series features multiple days of sailboat racing for one-design models from 20 to 70 feet in length. In addition to local sailors, sailing's top stars — including America's Cup and Olympic champions — are well-represented at the NOODs. Competitive sailors rate the NOODs as the top national event in each region of the country.

 

For more information on the 2008 Sperry Top-Sider NOOD regattas, visit www.sailingworld.com.

 

Sperry Top-Sider is the national title sponsor of the 2008 Chicago NOOD, which is presented by Sailing World and Mount Gay Rum. Support sponsors who will join the event include Gill, Sunsail, North Sails, ClearPoint High Definition Weather, Active.com, Seiko, Heineken, Amstel Light, Furuno and Lewmar.

 

About Sperry Top-Sider

Since 1935, Sperry Top-Sider has been the leading brand of footwear for those who love the water. From its introduction of the world's first siped rubber outsole for nonmarking traction, to advanced technical fabrication to combat the elements, Sperry Top-Sider remains the vanguard of high-performance amphibious footwear and apparel. Available around the globe in fine independent, marine, outdoor and department stores, Sperry Top-Sider is the official footwear of US Sailing, the National Safe Boating Council and Team Horton-Nichols. Based in historic Lexington, Massachusetts, Sperry Top-Sider supports a wide range of water-related activities through its many sponsorships, including Acura Key West, the National Safe Boating Council and Sperry Top-Sider NOOD regattas. Sperry Top-Sider is a division of the Stride Rite Corp., a subsidiary of Collective Brands Inc. For more information, visit www.sperrytopsider.com.