ROBBIE DANIEL AND HUNTER STUNZI WIN U.S. MULTIHULL CHAMPIONSHIP
by Marlieke Eaton
Pensacola Beach, Fla. (March 23, 2006) - On the final day of racing, Robbie Daniel (Clearwater, Fla.) and Hunter Stunzi (Marblehead, Mass.) have won the 2006 U.S. Multihull Championship for US SAILING's Hobie Alter Cup. Competition was close throughout the five-day event and the team fought vigorously for its win. With the top three finishers posting consistently solid results, second place finishers Nigel Pitt (Harwell, Ga.) and Alex Shafer (Eustis, Fla.) had been in contention for the top spot from the beginning of the regatta. Last year's winners Greg Thomas and Jacques Bernier finished third overall.
After 18 heats in varying weather conditions, new champions Robbie Daniel and Hunter Stunzi showed conclusively that consistency is the key to getting to the podium.
We were careful not to be tricked into going for the big gains when we found ourselves behind,
said Daniel, who has been competing in the Olympic Tornado class for the over a decade.
The key was to go for the small gains to avoid the risk of big losses.
The winners clearly enjoyed sailing the Nacra 20, a powerful jib, main and spinnaker platform they felt was similar to the Tornado in many respects. Like the rest of the fleet, they also expressed an appreciation for the rotation format that has been developed to self-seed the competitors from heat to heat. This modified round-robin keeps the top sailors sailing head to head as they rotate through each one of the provided boats.
For complete results and photos from the U.S. Multihull Championship, please visit the event website at www.ussailing.org/
The U.S. Multihull Championship is sponsored by Rolex Watch U.S.A., which sponsors all of US SAILING's National Adult Championships. For more information about US SAILING's National Championships, visit www.ussailing.org/championships or contact US SAILING's Championships Manager Liz Walker at championships@usailing.org.
The United States Sailing Association (US SAILING) is the national governing body for sailing and sailboat racing. Headquartered in Portsmouth, Rhode Island, the organization's mission is to encourage participation and promote excellence in sailing and racing in the U.S. US SAILING offers training and education programs, supports a wide range of sailing organizations and communities, and provides administration and oversight of competitive sailing across the country, including the US Sailing Teams and the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Sailing Teams. For more information, please visit www.ussailing.org.