2005 Mayor's Cup Coverage
Article Index
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The Mayor's Cup was first sailed in 2005. Blast Reach Communications was chosen to handle all publicity for the event including photography. It was an extreme honor to be involved with such a great event.
HJORTH WINS INAUGURAL MAYOR’S CUP IN TIGHT COMPETITION
Long Beach, CA – Liz Hjorth of Marina Del Rey, California became the first skipper to win the Mayor’s Cup Friday when she beat Sandy Hayes of Newport, Rhode Island 2-1 in a best of three final.
The final started after the last two of a ten flight, double round-robin were sailed just off the Belmont Veteran’s Memorial Pier in Long Beach, California.
Hjorth, 7-1, came in to Saturday’s racing with a guaranteed spot for the finals. Hayes appeared to be in great shape for the second spot at 5-3, but Katy Lovell of New Orleans, Louisiana, along with Jessica Lord of Sausalito, California were right behind, both at 4-4.
Indeed, it came down to Lovell and Hayes who were tied at the end of ten flights. Both had beaten each other once before in the regatta, but because Hayes had won the most recent match between the two, she earned the tie-break to enter the finals.
In keeping with the Corinthian spirit of yachting, Lovell yelled over to Hayes, “Great job Sandy, go get her!”
The first race of the three-race final started with Hayes establishing an advantage with aggressive but effective boat handling and tactics. Right before the starting horn, Hayes “pinned” Hjorth against the committee boat and sailed away. However, Hjort battled back and won with about a two boat length lead.
In race two, it was Hayes once again winning the start. This time, she led Hjort around the course the entire time. However, in a heart-stopping moment, the clew on the halyard popped open and dumped the spinnaker in the water.
Hayes’ bow person, Tara Thomas, was fast to act and the spinnaker was back up in a matter of seconds and the team went on to tie the series 1-1. “We work better under a ton of pressure and when that happened, it went nuts. Everybody jumped in the right place at the right time. We had our trimmer up on the foredeck and everyone did awesome.”
Stacie McLean, Hjorth’s tactician commented on today’s racing and the near miss by Hayes’ crew. “It was tough racing in the light air, I hate racing in that stuff. We worked really hard, but I’m glad we didn’t win when the halyard dropped. I wouldn’t have wanted to win that way.”
In race three, Hayes’ starting record was cut short. When the horn sounded, she was heading the wrong way and Hjorth was sailing away in clear air to a 2-3 championship.
Hjorth was extremely happy in her first match race championship win, “It was wonderful and the competition was great. It’s been a really long haul and winning in match racing makes it that much better.”
In a trophy presentation, Long Beach Mayor, Beverly O’Neill presented Hjorth with a beautiful crystal trophy and stated, “I’ve been doing this job for twelve years and I’m happy that I was able to be a part of this wonderful women’s event.”
Russell Coutts the most successful America’s Cup skipper surprised Hjorth and personally congratulated her on her win. He is in-town to sail in the Transpacific Yacht Race aboard Morning Glory, a MaxZ 86, starting tomorrow.
Others in attendance were the CEO of presenting sponsor St. Mary Medical Center Chris DiCicco, and sisters Gerard and Gertrude from hospital with Sister Nora Christina visiting from St. Bernadine’s in San Bernardino. St. Mary has indicated they plan to continue their support of the Mayor’s Cup.
Finals Results:
Place Skipper Wins/Losses
1 Liz Hjorth 2/1
2 Sandy Hayes 1/2
Double Round Robin Final Result:
Place Skipper Wins/Losses
1 Liz Hjorth 8/2
2 Sandy Hayes 6/4
3 Katy Lovell 6/4
4 Louise Bienvenu 4/6
5 Jessica Lord 4/6
6 Samantha Treadwell 2/8
About the Skippers
Liz Hjorth is from Marina Del Rey, California and a member of California Yacht Club. She has extensive buoy, offshore (taking a 3rd place overall in the 1997 Transpac as skipper of a Perry 56), and one-design racing experience including the Rolex International Women’s Keelboat Championship.
Samantha Treadwell is from Coronado, California and a member of Coronado Yacht Club. Sam started racing dinghies as a child and continued through college at UC Berkley where she led her team to the national championships. Upon graduation, she moved back to San Diego where she placed second in the Sundance Cup as tactician. She continues to stay active with the dinghy classes as a coach for Coronado High School, and races keelboats as well.
Jessica Lord is from Sausalito, California and a member of St. Francis Yacht Club. She was awarded the St. Francis Yachtswomen of the Year award in 1999 and from 2001 to the present has participated in the Sundance Cup and Santa Maria’s Cup. In 2004 she was the winning tactician for “Bouncer” in the PHRF 6 fleet of Key West Race Week.
Louise Bienvenu is from New Orleans, Louisiana and a founder of the Lake Pontchartrain Women’s Sailing Association where she served as the first Commodore. She placed fifth in her first Sundance Cup in 2003 and has gone on to compete in the 2003 US Women’s Match Racing Championships and the 2004 Sundance Cup. She also took a second place in the Southern Yacht Club One Design Women’s Keelboat regatta in 2004.
Katy Lovell is also from New Orleans, Louisiana and is married to Olympic Tornado Class Silver Medalist Johnny Lovell. She grew up racing scows on Lake Minnetonka, MN, raced competitively for the University of Hawaii and the College of Charleston, and was a member of the US Sailing Team from 1993-1995. In 2002 she was the tactician for a forth place in both the Sundance Cup and the Women’s International Match Race. In 2003 she was the winning tactician for the Sundance Cup and in 2004 a forth place skipper for the same event.
Sandy Hayes is from Newport, Rhode Island. She has been active in international match racing since 2002 and has been ranked in the top twenty of the International Sailing Federation (ISAF) Women’s Match Race Rankings since 2004. In 2004 she won the Rolex Women’s Match Race and finished second in the 2003 and 2004 Sundance Cups.
About Match Racing
A match race consists of two identical boats racing against each other. With effective boat handling and prudent use of wind and currents, a trailing boat can escape the grasp of the leader and pass. The leader uses blocking techniques to hold the other boat back. This one-on-one duel is a game of strategy and tactics. There is only one winner.
The racing starts on the start/finish line, an imaginary line between a committee boat and a flag with the “top” of the course upwind. The boats will enter the starting area by passing through the start/finish line sailing downwind, then come together below the line into the “dial-up” which means both boats are bow-to-wind with the sails flogging. This is usually where the point of advantage begins.
When the race committee fires the start signal, the boats will sail upwind to the first floating mark, completing numerous “tacks” or turns to maintain or establish an advantage over the other boat. Once at the windward mark, the boats will set their spinnakers (large beetle wing-shaped sails) and sail downwind to the “leeward” or downwind mark which is just above the start/finish line.
There the boats will pull down their spinnakers, re-hoist their headsails and sail back up to the windward mark. Depending on the course set by the race committee the boats will once again round the windward mark and either go back around the leeward mark, or finish under spinnaker at the start/finish line.
About St. Mary Medical Center
Affiliated with Catholic Healthcare West (CHW), the largest non-profit health care system in California, St. Mary Medical Center strives to provide state-of-the-art healing to every person they serve. St. Mary is rated in the top 4 percent of all hospitals in the nation by the leading healthcare accreditation agency -- the Joint Commission on the Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO).
St. Mary also serves as the regional teaching hospital for the UCLA School of Medicine. Their patients benefit from access to this advanced healthcare in a comfortable setting.
St. Mary's unwavering commitment to "state-of-the-heart" healing has consistently been recognized by patients and professionals alike. From guiding the miracle of birth to providing dignified assistance to aging adults, St. Mary deeply believes that it shares, cooperatively with God, the responsibility to provide for the whole person -- body, mind and soul -- through all stages of life.
Their Services Include:
• 24-Hour Emergency Services
• Acute Rehabilitation - Physical, Speech, Occupational, Respiratory
• The Breast Center at St. Mary Medical Center
• Comprehensive AIDS Resource Education (C.A.R.E)
• Chest Pain Center
• Childbirth Services -- Blessed Beginnings
• Community Health Classes
• Community Health Screenings
• Employer Outreach Services
• GI Laboratory
• Home Care
• Hospice Program
• Older Adult Services
• Pain Management Institute
• Passages: A Mental Health Program for Older Adults
• Pediatric Intensive Care Services
• Physician Referral
• Priority One Industrial and Maritime Health Services
• Radiation Oncology Department
• Renal Center
• St. Mary Cancer Care Center
• St. Mary Heart Institute
• SurgiCenter
• Trauma Center
• Low Vision Center
About The Mayor’s Cup
The Mayor’s Cup was conceived in 2004 as an event for the annual Sea Festival in Long Beach, California. Fore many years Long Beach Yacht Club has wanted to host an all-female match racing event much like the Congressional Cup. The Sea Festival presented and opportunity to bring this idea to fruition and a partnership was formed between the city of Long Beach and Long Beach Yacht Club.
Both sides presented the idea to Mayor Beverly O'Neill who loved the idea of an all-female match race and it was placed on the calendar as an annual addition to the six week-long festival.
The winner of the Mayor’s Cup will qualify to race in the Ficker Cup. The winner of the Ficker Cup wins a seed in the Congressional Cup, one of the most prestigious match race events in the world.
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Note to Editors:
On race days, press releases and low resolution photographs will be distributed. High resolution photographs will be available upon request.
A press boat will be available on each day of racing. Space is limited to a first come first served basis, so members of the press are urged to contact Sean Downey to reserve a space. At least twenty-four hours notice is strongly requested.
Contacts:
City of Long Beach
Kathy Parsons
Public Information Officer
Mayor’s Cup Media
Sean Downey
Blast Reach Communications LLC
714/296-9955 mobile
