Rolex Miami Olympic Classes Regatta gets underway on Monday (26 January).
The Skandia Team GBR 49er pair triumphed in emphatic style at the first round of the inaugural World Cup series at Sail Melbourne last month, wrapping up victory by a massive 21 points, and they will be looking for a repeat of that form over the six days of racing in Biscayne Bay.
All 10 Olympic and three Paralympic Classes being contested at London 2012 will be competing in Miami, including an Olympic Classes debut for the new women’s match racing discipline.
Great Britain will have three crews taking part in the match racing, skippers Lucy Macgregor, Mary Rook and Charlotte Lawrence, leading their three-person teams in Laser SB3s, standing in for the Elliott 6m – the chosen boat for London 2012 – in this first regatta. Lucy will actually go head-to-head against her younger sister Nicky in Miami, Nicky sailing with Mary Rook.
World bronze medallist Andrea Brewster, another podium finisher in Melbourne, goes in the Laser Radial class as does Bejing 2008 470 women’s helm Christina Bassadone, who swaps the double-hander for the single-hander for this event.
Heading the Radial fleet will be newly-crowned Olympic champion Anna Tunnicliffe (USA).
Beijing Paralympians John Robertson and Hannah Stodel hook up with guest crew Alex Wang-Hansen in the Sonar class as Stephen Thomas recovers from shoulder surgery.
The Rolex Miami Olympic Classes regatta runs until Saturday 31 January. The seven-round ISAF World series reaches its climax at the Skandia Sail for Gold regatta next September.
Stay up to date with the latest from Miami and learn more about the sailors taking part at www.skandiateamgbr.com
Skandia GBR Rolex Miami OCR entrants:
Laser Radial:
Christina Bassadone
Andrea Brewster
Rosie Chapman
Star:
John Gimson/Ed Greig
Women’s Match Racing:
Charlotte Lawrence/Lavinia Paternoster/Liz Rushall
Lucy Macgregor/Annie Lush/Ally Martin
Mary Rook, Rebecca Marriott/Nicky Macgregor
2.4 Metre:
Megan Pascoe
SKUD:
Alex Rickham/Niki Birrell
Sonar:
John Robertson/Hannah Stodel/Alex Wang-Hansen