The Skipper Whyte Regatta , a US SAILING Team ranking event for the 470 Class was held off Ft. Pierce, Fla. January 5-6. Paul Foerster and Kevin Burnham won the event, followed by Steve Hunt and Michael Miller in second, with Mark Ivey and Howard Cromwell taking third. Earlier in December (7-9), Steve Hunt and Michael Miller won the 2001 470 North American Championship, held in Ft. Pierce, Fla. Second place went to Mark Ivey and Ward Cromwell, with Courtenay Dey and Linda Wennerstrom rounding out the podium spots.
The Championship of Champions, re-scheduled after the events of September 11, 2001, began January 8. Twelve teams from around the U.S. are sailing 12 identically rigged Snipes out of Mission Bay YC in San Diego, Cal.
Skippers in the Championship of Champions must be a current one-design or North American champion and be selected by a US SAILING committee. A list of past winners reads like a U.S. Whos Who of racing: Paul Foerster (JY15), George Szabo (Lido 14), Ed Adams (Snipe), John Kostecki (Sunfish) to name but a few. Follow the action online. http://www.mbyc.org/regatta/2001coc.htm
Outdoor Life Network has acquired the North American television rights to the Louis Vuitton Cup, the challenger selection series for the Americas Cup. The networks primetime coverage of the elimination series will begin airing in October 2002. OLN will present unprecedented coverage of the Louis Vuitton Cup with over 450 hours between October 2002 and February 2003. www.olntv.com
