PORTSMOUTH, R.I. (December 14, 2005) - US SAILING, national governing body for the sport, has announced the U.S. sailors who have been short listed for its 2005 Rolex Yachtsman and Yachtswoman of the Year awards. Established in 1961 by US SAILING and sponsored by Rolex Watch, U.S.A. since 1980, US SAILING’s Rolex Yachtsman and Yachtswoman of the Year awards recognize outstanding on-the-water achievement in the calendar year just concluded. Widely regarded as the sport’s ultimate recognition for U.S. sailors, US SAILING’s Rolex Yachtsman and Yachtswoman of the Year awards have honored such sailing standouts as Betsy Alison, Dave Curtis, Dennis Conner, Courtenay Dey, JJ Isler, John Kostecki, Jody Swanson and Ted Turner, all of whom have won the coveted award multiple times.

Nominees for US SAILING’s 2005 Rolex Yachtsman of the Year are: Kiel Week 470 Men’s Champion Mikee Anderson-Mitterling (Coronado, Calif.); Laser North American Champion and World University Games Gold Medalist Andrew Campbell (San Diego, Calif.); Snipe World Champion Augie Diaz (Miami, Fla.); Kiel Week 470 Men’s Champion David Hughes (San Diego, Calif.); J/24 and Thistle National Champion Mike Ingham (Rochester, N.Y.); Etchells World Champion Jeff Linton (Tampa, Fla.); A-Class Catamaran World and North American Champion Pete Melvin (Huntington Beach, Calif.); 2.4 Metre World Champion Nick Scandone (Fountain Valley, Calif.); and Star North American and Snipe National Champion George Szabo (San Diego, Calif.).

Nominees for US SAILING’s 2005 Rolex Yachtswoman of the Year are: Yngling Women’s World Champion Sally Barkow (Nashotah, Wis.); Laser Radial World Champion Paige Railey (Clearwater, Fla.); and Laser Radial World Bronze Medalist Anna Tunnicliffe (Plantation, Fla.).

For additional information on the accomplishments of each nominee this year, please visit www.ussailing.org/awards/rolex.

The nominees will be reviewed by a panel of noted sailing journalists, who together will discuss the merits of each nominee and vote by secret ballot to determine US SAILING’s 2005 Rolex Yachtsman and Yachtswoman of the Year. The winners will be announced in January and honored during a luncheon at the New York Yacht Club in New York City, on February 24, 2006, where they will be presented with Rolex timepieces.

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