Huge news for the US team! So stoked for everyone campaigning. Now they can focus on the trials without the pressure of country qualification!

Just copy and paste:
http://www.sailing.org/tools/documents/2016QualifiedNationsMNAconfirmationfromallevents14.12.15-[19831].pdf

Broken link

Not broken, you just need to copy and paste. This forum doesn't like the url format.

You have to copy all of it not just the highlighted part.

Working link: http://tinyurl.com/hwd4g5e

Why is it listed as not confirmed? How did we earn this? More importantly, why is this so hard to find via searching?

Mike

My guess is that confirmed means the MNA will be accepting the slot. The US earned the slot based on Sarah/Matt's finish at the last worlds. There were no new Nacra 17 teams at the Oceania continental qualifier, so that spot was reallocated based on the Aarhus worlds.

Thanks Jeff! I'm sure this was spelled out somewhere long ago. Nice job Sarah and Matt!

Mike

Was just checking registrations for Miami OCR (link). Interesting mix for the US fleet. 9 boats registered.

39. Sandra Tartaglino
Chas MacBain
USA033 Nacra 17, Tiverton, RI

40. Stephanie Hudson
Dalton Tebo
USA 123 Nacra 17, Winnetka, IL - Illinois

41. Mark Mendelblatt
Carolina Mendelblatt
USA 027 Nacra 17, Miami, FL

42. Michael Easton
Katie Pettibone
306 Nacra 17, Burlington, Massachusetts

43. Bora Gulari
Louisa Chafee
USA286 Nacra 17, Detroit, MI

44. Sarah Newberry
Matthew Whitehead
305 Nacra 17, Miami, Florida

45. David Hein
[Pending]
025 Nacra 17, Rocky River, OH

46. Christina Persson
Todd Riccardi
88 Nacra 17, Ft Lauderdale, FL

47. Sarah Streater
Jensen McTighe
USA252 Nacra 17, Fort Lauderdale, FL

This is the first event of the USA Team Selection for Rio. Second event will be the Worlds in Clearwater.

Lots of good teams and many good friends and family racing. I'm just hoping that everyone gets through the week with no injuries or breakages, and that the best teams rise to the top.

Gulari/Chafee were the top US team at the recent Miami midwinters with two bullets on the last day.
http://www.regattanetwork.com/event/11485#_newsroom+results

Results available here: LINK

Race 1
5 Sarah/Matt
7 Mendelblatts
9 Easton/Pettibone
13 Gulari/Chafee
28 Hudson/Tebo
39 Hein/Darrow
43 Tartaglino/MacBane
44 Streator/McTighe

Wow, Sarah and Easton dropped quite a bit after Race 2. Any stories?

Mike

Haven't heard anything, and don't really expect to. Looking at the results a lot of teams were very up and down, not surprising in a big fleet with light air. Mendleblatts and Gulari/Chafee doing well because of consistency. Those keeper scores could be really helpful later in the event.

Only one team with two single digit scores...

Consistency tends to win these things. Besson is 32nd, that about says it all!

Don't we have anyone onsite? Matt Bounds maybe?

Mike

weather data says it was light out of the NNW at Miami airport until about 1pm when a sea breeze started to circulate. Then it increased to about 10knots out of the east at 2pm. Pretty much the same in Homestead.

I think it will be interesting to see how the different pathways to securing the olympic spot play out.

The Mendelbrats come from Olympic success in traditional sloops. eg.. Classical tactical sailboat racing skills.
Bora comes from wining the foiling moth worlds.... so high performance max apparent wind experience.
Sarah and Matt come from the world of beach cats...
While Mike comes out of the college sailing club 420 world of tactical sailboat and team racing into the multihull world.

My bet is that developing the instincts for cats and moths during those formative years is an advantage.. So Sarah/Matt and Gulliari/Chaffee have an edge. Time will tell.

Of course, The USA still barely cracks the top 20 world wide.

My take home... Folks.... should get their talented daughters to cross train in multihulls along with their training in 420s.... Time in the boats at an early age should be the key!

We will see if the US Selection supports my theory.

The lighter the air, the more "slow boat" tactics should help, right?

When it's blowing like stink, getting off the line and focusing on clear air and boat speed are the priority. Of course, at this level, it's still going to be tight at the marks.

Mike

When is this not the case?

oof, tough race 3 for the US boats