SAILING: Team Seven Sails to Second Place at Yngling European Championship in Blanes, Spain

Portsmouth, R.I. (April 5, 2008) After a week of extremely tight racing at the Yngling European Championship in Blanes, Spain, US Sailing Team AlphaGraphics members Sally Barkow, Carrie Howe, and Debbie Capozzi stole the medal race by a nose and finished in second place overall. Having led on the first day of racing, Team Seven fell after a bad race on day two, but kept chipping away in the close fleet where every point counted. They were just one point out of first place at this year's Yngling European Championship, and despite this close loss they seemed thrilled with the medal race results. In a team email, they gave a play-by-play of the medal race, which boiled down to a surfing contest on the last leg to the downwind finish. With five boats abreast all vying for the win, Team Seven's Debbie Capozzi called for a late gybe, which edged them about one foot in front of Sarah Ayton of Great Britain. Ayton and her team went on to win the regatta. Only the top ten boats in the 23-boat fleet sailed in the medal race to conclude the regatta and determine those final ten positions. Due to their smaller size, medal races are some of the most realistic Olympics simulations these teams will see in their coming months leading up to Qingdao. As Team Seven prepares for their Olympic debut in August, finishes like their most recent medal race win are very encouraging. Team Seven continues their intense European training schedule with the Semaine Olympique Francaise de Viole in Hyeres, France, which takes place April 19-25. About the US Sailing Team Alphagraphics The US Sailing Team Alphagraphics recognizes the top three teams in all Olympic and Paralympic classes. The top athlete in each class is also a member of the U.S. Olympic Team for Sailing. The US Sailing Team AlphaGraphics is managed by US SAILING, national governing body of the sport. Headquartered in Portsmouth, Rhode Island, the organization provides leadership for the sport of sailing in the United States. US SAILING offers training and education programs for instructors and race officials, supports a wide range of sailing organizations and communities, issues offshore rating certificates, and provides administration and oversight of competitive sailing across the country, including National Championships and the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Sailing Teams. For more information, please visit www.ussailing.org. To learn more about Team Seven, please visit http://www.team7sailing.com.