Marblehead, Mass. — More than 1,000
sailors from throughout the United States
and Canada were set to hit
the waters of Massachusetts Bay today to begin the first of four days of
competitive sailboat-racing at the 11th annual Sperry Top-Sider
National Offshore One Design (NOOD) Regatta in Marblehead.
But
before the races could get underway, they were called off, due to dangerous
weather conditions.
"Unfortunately,
we were not able to host any races today, due to nearby tornado warnings and
the torrential downpour we had over the Bay," said NOOD Regatta Professional
Racing Officer Peter Reggio. "It was simply not safe to have people out on the
water today with these types of weather conditions."
Weather
permitting, the Marblehead NOOD regatta will start tomorrow, Friday, July 25 at
noon, where over 175 boats are expected to begin competing for the Marblehead
NOOD regatta overall title.
The
overall winner on Massachusetts Bay 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.
The
Marblehead NOOD regatta is the seventh stop of the nine-event series and is
consistently one of the most well-attended events on the NOOD schedule.
Following
Marblehead, the Sperry Top-Sider NOOD regatta
series will set sail for Larchmont,
N.Y., Sept. 6-7, 2008. Additional
venues for 2008 include St. Petersburg, Fla.; San Diego, Calif.; Annapolis, Md.; Seattle, Wash.; Detroit, Mich.; Chicago, Ill.; and Houston,
Texas.
The
NOODs routinely attract a very diverse group of competitors, from America's
Cup, 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 Marblehead NOOD, which is
presented by Sailing World. Support sponsors who will join the event
include Gill, Sunsail, North Sails, ClearPoint High Definition Weather,
Active.com, Furuno and Lewmar, Flagship Adventures and Mount Gay Rum.
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.
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