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The Notice of Race for the seventh annual C. Thomas Clagett Jr. Memorial Clinic and Regatta, scheduled for August 23-27, 2009, is now available online atwww.ussailing.net/Clagett/ along with registration and additional event details, including information on the U.S. Blind Sailing National Championship which has been incorporated into The Clagett.

Open to both U.S. and foreign competitors and hosted at Sail Newport, Rhode Island’s Public Sailing Center, the event continues to fulfill its mission of meeting the competitive training needs of sailors with disabilities: by expanding the classes of boats sailed in the event from Sonars (2003-2004) to include 2.4 Metres (2005), Skud-18s (2006), and J/22s (2008); and by bringing in coaches of varied backgrounds to share their expertise.  For this year’s event, noted sailing commentator Gary Jobson (Annapolis, Md.), 2003 Yngling Open World Champion Lee Icyda (Stuart, Fla.), 2009 Swan 42 National Champion Stan Schreyer (Northampton, Mass.) and 2005 J/24 Basilica World Champion Anthony Kotoun (Newport, R.I.) will join five-time Rolex Yachtswoman of the Year Betsy Alison (Newport, R.I.), the head coach of the US Disabled Sailing Team, for the clinic and on-the-water coaching.

The one-day clinic that has become the event’s hallmark kicks off the 2009 Clagett Regatta on August 24 and is followed by racing from August 25-27 in the single-person 2.4 Metre, two-person Skud-18, and the three-person Sonar — the classes selected for the Paralympic Games.  Sail Newport’s fleet of J/22s will be raced by blind sailors who will have a third day of racing added this year as they compete for the 2009 U.S. Blind Sailing National Championship.

Report: Jan Harley