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Sep 25, 2008, 4:31 PM
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Windy City Match Race 2008
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CONVEXITY WINS SECOND ANNUAL WINDY CITY MATCH RACE Regatta and Silent Auction Raised Funds for the Children Affected by AIDS Foundation
CHICAGO, 24 Sept., 2008 – Donald Wilson and team, sailing his Chicago-based Farr 40 Convexity, won 3-0 in the final round against Bob Hughes’ Heartbreaker (Holland, Mich.) to win the second annual Windy City Match Race. In the petite finals, two Chicago boats went head to head with co-skippers Helmut and Evan Jahn on Flash Gordon defeating Richard West’s Gravitas. The three-day event took place Sept. 19 – 21, 2008, at Chicago Yacht Club’s Belmont Station.
The victory is a testament to Wilson and his accomplishments as an amateur sailor and budding match race talent. Relatively new to the Farr 40 fleet (this is Wilson’s third regatta on the Farr 40), and with match racing pro Bill Hardesty calling tactics, Convexity finished second in the rigorous triple round-robin stage. He earned the right to meet the current Canada’s Cup champion in the finals.
Continuing a keen interest in match race sailing, Wilson and his crew finished fourth in this year’s Long Beach Yacht Club Ficker Cup, are competing now in the U.S. Sailing Match Racing Championship, and have accepted an invitation to the prestigious Bermuda Gold Cup next month. At the ISAF Grade WC World Match Racing Tour event, Wilson may possibly face current World Match Racing Champion Ian Williams, this time as skipper. Over the weekend, Williams was calling the shots for Hughes aboard Heartbreaker.
It was close racing throughout the weekend, with many lead changes in all matches. Hats off to Principal Race Officer Wayne Bretsch (Annapolis, Md.) and the Chicago Yacht Club race committee, for completing the triple round robin format in this ISAF Grade 4 match race event. Chief Umpire Steve Wrigley (Fayetteville, N.C.) and his team hailing from all over the U.S., kept a close eye on the competition, calling the shots throughout the weekend.
Interested viewers may check out video footage from each day’s racing, compliments of Breeze Productions. Kattack Performance Applications provided GPS tracking of the matches. Both will be available via the event Web site: www.windycitymatchrace.org, by the end of the week. In addition, photos are now posted of the event on the site.
WCMR is a key fundraiser for the Children Affected by AIDS Foundation and the Chicago Yacht Club Foundation. The silent and online auction was a great success, with bidders winning fabulous trips, weekend cottage visits, sailing gear and jewelry. The WCMR wishes to thank its premier sponsors DRW Trading Group and Fort Dearborn Brokerage Group, in addition to host Chicago Yacht Club, Breeze Productions, Kattack Performance Applications, Conrad Hotels, Line Honours, AV Chicago, Advertising Edge and Experient, in addition to numerous silent auction donors. Special recognition goes to the WCMR volunteer committee: Kevin Donahue, Liz Ware, Sarah Renz, Bow Lingle, Richard West and Laura Muma.
WCMR plans to extend eight invitations for skippers for the 2009 event and will announce the event dates by year-end.
Sailing for the Children
Benefiting from the event will be the Children Affected by AIDS Foundation, the only organization solely devoted to providing social, educational, recreational and other critical support programs to vulnerable children impacted by HIV/AIDS in the U.S. and other countries. While other pediatric AIDS organizations search for the cure, the organization is dedicated to caring for children who are infected or affected by this epidemic now. For more information, please visit www.caaf4kids.org.
Additional support will be given to the Chicago Yacht Club Foundation, which was formed to extend and supplement the educational and youth oriented objectives of the Chicago Yacht Club.
About Our Premiere Sponsors
DRW Trading Group
DRW Trading is a proprietary trading group which focuses on providing liquidity in exchange traded contracts. It trades a diverse range of financial instruments both on the floors of various exchanges and from its advanced dealing rooms in Chicago, New York and London. Throughout its history, DRW Trading has grown steadily by combining technology, quantitative research, and risk management. For more information, visit www.drwtrading.com.
Fort Dearborn Brokerage Group
Ft Dearborn Brokerage is a Chicago-based financial products execution firm that specializes in global fixed income derivatives with offices in New York, London, and Chicago.
About The Chicago Yacht Club
The Chicago Yacht Club is one of the oldest and most respected yacht clubs in the world. Today, the club boasts a membership of nearly 1500 boating enthusiasts, and is one of the preeminent organizers of regattas, races and predicted-log events in the United States. The club offers an array of spectacular off-the-water amenities, including fine dining and full-service catering at both its Monroe and Belmont stations. # # #
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