San Francisco, Calif. – The largest and most storied sailboat racing tour in the United States will make its seventh stop of the 2010 season, on June 26 & 27, when the Sperry Top-Sider National Offshore One Design (NOOD) regatta series returns to San Francisco. More than 1,000 sailors, crewing over 150 boats will hit the waters of San Francisco Bay for two days of racing to contend for individual fleet trophies and the event’s top prize – a trip to the British Virgin Islands to compete in the Sperry Top-Sider NOOD Championship regatta.
The 2010 Sperry Top-Sider San Francisco NOOD marks the series’ return to the Bay area after a six-year absence. San Francisco was an annual regatta in the NOOD series from 1990-2003.
The St. Francis Yacht club will again host the NOOD regatta, with a record turnout of 156 boats within 18 different boat classes. The previous record in San Francisco was set in 1996 with 153 boats within 13 classes.
Throughout the regatta, boats within each fleet will compete in a series of races, accumulating points based on final placement in each race. The boat finishing with the fewest total points will be declared the winner of its respective class, earning a fleet trophy.
Race officials will determine an overall winner, based on the strongest finish in the most competitive fleet.
The overall winner in San Francisco will be invited to participate in the Sperry Top-Sider NOOD Championship regatta in the British Virgin Islands in November to compete aboard Sunsail 39s against the overall winners from each of the eight other stops in the Sperry Top-Sider NOOD regatta series.
Following San Francisco, the Sperry Top-Sider NOOD regatta series will sail on to its next stop, Marblehead, Mass., on July 22-25. Additional venues for 2010 include St. Petersburg, Fla., San Diego, Calif., Annapolis, Md., Seattle, Wash., Detroit, Mich., Chicago, Ill., and Larchmont, N.Y.
Created by Sailing World in 1988, the NOODs attract nearly 2,000 boats and more than 30,000 competitors and spectators annually. Each event in the series features multiple days of sailboat racing for one-design models from 20 to 70 feet in length. In addition to local sailors, sailing’s top stars — including America’s Cup and Olympic champions — are well-represented at the NOODs. Competitive sailors rate the NOODs as the top national event in each region of the country.
For more information on the Sperry Top-Sider NOOD regatta series, please visit www.sailingworld.com .
Sperry Top-Sider is the national title sponsor of the NOOD regatta series, which is presented by Mount Gay Rum and Sailing World. Support sponsors who will join the event in San Francisco include Gill, Sunsail, North Sails, Regatta Network, Tim Wilkes Photography, Widmer Brothers Brewing, Bainbridge and Courtyard Marriott.
About Sperry Top-Sider
Since 1935, Sperry Top-Sider has been the leading brand of footwear for those with a Passion for the Sea. From its introduction of the world’s first siped rubber outsole for non-marking traction, to advanced technical fabrication to combat the elements, Sperry Top-Sider remains the vanguard of high-performance amphibious footwear. Available through independent, marine, outdoor and department stores, Sperry Top-Sider is the official footwear of the Sperry Top-Sider NOOD Regattas, the US Sailing Team AlphaGraphics, the US Sailing Association, the Salt Water Sportsman seminar series and the National Safe Boating Council.
Based in historic Lexington, Massachusetts, Sperry Top-Sider is a division of Collective Brands Performance and Lifestyle Group, a subsidiary of Collective Brands, Inc. (NYSE:PSS). For more information, please visit www.sperrytopsider.com.
