Northern Lights Cup Clinic and Regatta
June 15-19, 2011
This year will mark the 4th annual Northern Lights Cup taking place in Sheboygan, Wisconsin.
The Northern lights cup is an ISAF Grade 3 Women’s Match Regatta that will begin with a 2-day clinic facilitated by US Sailing Team AlphaGraphics Coach Dave Perry followed by a 3-day regatta sailed in the 2012 Olympic Women’s Match Racing Boat, the Elliott 6m.The highest ranking skipper not already invited will receive an invitation to the Buddy Melges Challenge being sailed at the US Sailing Center Sheboygan August 22-27, 2011.
Juliana Senfft returns to the Northern Lights Cup for her fourth time and will be attempting to recapture the title after losing to Adrianne Patterson in 2010.
The event will consist of the following stages: a Double Round Robin, a Semi-Final Round, and a Petit/Final Round. The winning skipper will have their name engraved on a sculpture designed by Chicago artist, Richard Hunt specifically for the event and dedicated by the Jacobson family in memory of sailing enthusiast, Frank Jacobson.
| Competitors | |
|---|---|
| Maegan Ruhlman | USA |
| Juliana Senfft | BRA |
| Renata Decnop | BRA |
| Jinnie Gordon | CAN |
| Martina Silva | ARG |
| Becca Dellenbaugh | USA |
| Liz Hjorth | USA |
| Stephanie Roble | USA |
| PRO |
|---|
| Dave Bronson |
| Umpires |
|---|
| Debi Schoenherr, Chief IU,J |
| Tom Rinda IU,IJ |
| Steve Wrigley IU,IJ |
| Bill Thorpe NU,IJ |
| Kathy Lindgren NU,J |
| Hans Graf NU |
| Mike Lindgren UIT |
| Tom Atkins UIT |
Updates
Saturday, June 18, 2011
After a morning scare of fog, the day settled in with excellent racing conditions – steady north winds at 8-10 knots and flat water. NLC PRO, Dave Bronson and race committee ran 44 races finishing both the first round robin and the second.
Juliana Senfft and crew Gabriela Sa and Luciana Kopschitz from Brazil had a great day of sailing losing just one match to Maegan Ruhlman. Senfft finished stage 1 in first place with 12 wins. Becca Dellenbaugh sailing with Kendall Reiley and Janel Zarkowsky went 11-3 to finish in second place. The Brazilian team of Renata Decnop, Fernanda Decnop and Tatiana Ribeiro went 10-4 to secure third place. The fourth place position went right down to the very flight of the day when the tied teams of Maegan Ruhlman and Stephanie Roble sailed. It was Roble sailing with crew Maggie Shae and Darby Smith from the Chicago Match Race Center, who led up the first windward leg. Ruhlman had a great downwind leg to close the gap and gain the inside position at the leeward mark. Team CMRC regained the lead during the next upwind leg and was able to fend Ruhlman off to the finish line to win the tie-breaker and claim fourth place.
The top four teams will sail the Semi-Finals tomorrow morning. Ruhlman sailing with Liz Powers and Abby Rowlands will face sixth place finisher, Martina Silva from Argentina in a first to two-point knockout. Sailing with Silva are Ana Lucia Silva and Trinidad Silva. Also sailing a first to two-point knockout for seventh place are Liz Hjorth from Marina del Ray, California and crew, Karyn Jones and Marylyn Hoenmeyer against Jinnie Gordon, Crystle Numan and Laurel Gordon-Taylor from Canada.
The winning skipper of this event will be extended an invite the 2011 Buddy Melges Challenge, an ISAF Grade 1 event being held in Sheboygan August 21-27. The top placing US skipper will receive an invitation to the 2011 US SAILING Women’s Match Race Championship being held in New Orleans this November.
Friday, June 17, 2011
PRO, Dave Bronson, started the 2011 Northern Lights Cup Friday morning with light north winds. Two flights were completed before heavy fog settled in over the race course forcing the race committee to postpone on shore. Several morning matches were very close, including an attempted pass by the Brazilian team skippered by Renata Decnop at the finish line with Connecticut skipper, Becca Dellenbaugh.
Racing resumed late afternoon right off the North Beach area. One more flight was completed in the light northerly before calling it a day. Saturday’s forecast calls for similar light northeasterly winds.
At the end of day one, the standings are:
Dellenbaugh – 3 wins
Juliana Senfft’s Brazilian team and previous 2-time winner – 2 wins
Renata Decnop, also from Brazil – 2 wins
Maegan Ruhlman from Ohio – 2 wins
Martina Silva from Argentina – 2 wins
Stephanie Roble sailing for Chicago Match Race Center Liz Hjorth and her California team and Jinnie Gordon from Canada are still looking for their first wins.
