SAIL - April 2015

PHOTO COURTESY

SAILING CHAMPIONS LEAGUE

UNDER SAIL

RACING

W

hile pro-level sailing events showcase world-class moves and

grand prix-level gear, we at SAIL especially respect high-level

Corinthian events, so we were particularly excited to learn

about the recently announced Premiere Sailing League (PSL). This new

transcontinental racing series—the first series of its kind in the United

States—is being modeled after the super-popular Sailing Champion

leagues that have been developed in Germany (the Segel-Bundesliga) and

Denmark (the Sejlsportsligaen), and will see teams competing aboard

J/70 one designs for both regional and national bragging rights.

The PSL is expected to kick off this August with teams from 72

different sailing clubs divided by geographical region competing in

four separate qualifying events unfurling in Chicago (north), New

Orleans (south), Newport, Rhode Island (east) and San Francisco

(west). Each club will effectively act as its own team and will create an

eight-person squad that represents the burgee at local regattas; four

out of the eight crewmembers can participate in any given race, and

individual sailors can be alternated. The top four teams from each

regatta will go on to compete for the PSL National Championships,

which will be held in Annapolis, and will coincide with the 2015

United States Sailboat Show (October 8-12).

According to Benjamin A. Klatzka, the PSL’s founder and director,

the league was created “with the objective of strengthening community

and camaraderie within the sport of sailing by providing an integrated

platform that brings sailing clubs together to compete at both a local and

national level.” For the record, Klatzka is so dedicated to his vision of

bringing European-style league racing to the North American waters that

he relocated from Germany to Newport to help make this concept a real-

ity. For more on the PSL, visit premieresailingleague.com. We at SAIL

will also be on hand to cover the PSL national championships this fall, so

stay tuned!—DS

A League of Our Own

The Premiere Sailing League hopes to

copy an already successful series of

amateur events in Europe

Xcruising

Cruising in ultimate comfort

X-Yachts’ world renowned Xcruising range
was launched in 2008, with the Xc 45. Since
then, the range has been established with
the launch of the Xc 42, the Xc 50, and fi nally
the Xc 38, with multiple wins in the European
and North American luxury cruising Yacht of
year awards.

The new Xc 35 offers true X-Yachts sailing
qualities; the standard fi ttings, systems and
detailing offered by X-Yachts truly set them
apart from the competition. And true to her
DNA, the Xc 35 won Boat of the Year honors
at her debut in Annapolis.

X-Yachts USA (860) 536 7776 1 http://www.yachtsusa.com

2015

WINNER