WRAP-UP REPORT AND FINAL RESULTS

by Dana Paxton on 5 Dec 2000 St. Petersburg, Fla. (December 3, 2000) - After a six-day battle on Tampa
Bay, Dorte Jensen of Denmark has been crowned world champion for the second
straight year at the Rolex 2000 ISAF Women's World Match Racing
Championship, held November 25 to December 2, 2000.

Jensen and her team of Annette Strom, Rachel Kiel and Helle Jespersen (all
DEN) also won last year's event in Genoa, Italy. Sweden's Marie Bjorling
came second, with Betsy Alison (Newport, R.I.) in third.

Each team received International Sailing Federation (ISAF) gold, silver,
and bronze medals. As the champion skipper, Jensen was presented a Rolex
Stainless Steel Lady Datejust timepiece by Bill Sandberg, Manager,
Advertising and Promotion, Rolex Watch, U.S.A.

In a week that was troubled by light and shifty wind, 24 teams from 17
countries - Australia, Bermuda, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany,
Great Britain, Ireland, Italy, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, The Netherlands,
New Zealand, Norway and the U.S. - sailed in a double round-robin series,
with 'knockout' rounds for the quarterfinal and semifinal rounds. The
final round was not sailed due to lack of wind.

Despite a fleet that included America's Cup, Whitbread and Olympic
champions, Jensen was not deterred and came to St. Petersburg Yacht Club
with one goal in mind. 'We came to win,' she said moments after winning
the title. 'It would have been better to settle the championship on the
water, but now that I've won it feels fantastic.'

The race committee, under the leadership of Principal Race Officers Tom
Farquhar (Marion, Mass./St. Petersburg, Fla.) and Pat Seidenspinner (St.
Petersburg, Fla.), made the decision to postpone the final round of racing
when the wind died to an almost undetectable breath

When the time limit for starting the final round was quickly approaching
and there was still no sign of competitive wind, the race committee
conferred with the international umpires for a decision. Since the final
round could not be completed and Jensen and Bjorling had scorelines of 2-1
in the semi-final round, the sailing instructions provided that whichever
skipper had beaten the other would win. In their only match up of the
series, Jensen bested Bjorling, and with that victory, she would retain her
crown.

The wait onshore was almost too much for Jensen, whose calm demeanor and
tactical confidence was exalted by many a competitor. 'This afternoon was
a very nervous time for me,' said Jensen.

Alison, the 1998 champion, came third, with Olympic gold medallist Shirley
Robertson (GBR) in fourth.

In the consolation round for 5th and 6th place Klaartje Zuiderbaan (NED)
beat Hannah Swett (Jamestown, R.I.), while Katie Spithill (AUS) defeated
Paula Lewin (BER) for 7th and 8th place, respectively.

Supporting sponsors of the Rolex 2000 ISAF Women's World Match Racing
Championship are Condé Nast Publications/SELF magazine and Florida 2012, an
organization working to bring the Olympics to the Tampa Bay area.

Contributing sponsors include Dry Creek Vineyard, Bitter End Yacht Club
(Virgin Gorda, BVI) for an invitation to the 2001 Pro-Am Event, Crown
Eurocars/Mercedes Benz, the official automobile, Bill and Jan Haueisen (St.
Petersburg, Fla.), Heineken Beer U.S.A. and Shumway Marine (Rochester,
N.Y.).

In-kind sponsors include Coca-Cola (Powerade), Harbor Sweets, Mt. Gay Rum,
Zephyrhills Spring Water, Protector Boats, Suncoast Inflatables and
Commodores Ships Store.

The city of St. Petersburg is a co-sponsor.

Other supporters include Commodore Ships Store (Treasure Island, Fla.),
Eastern Yacht Club (Marblehead, Mass.), Harken, Steve & Rogina Jeffries,
Corine Kantor, Little Pines Mulitmedia, Marina Points Ships Store, Masthead
Enterprises, Musto, Christopher G. Nelson M.D. (St. Petersburg, Fla.),
Nielsen-Kellerman, Poliglow Products, Profurl Reefing/Furling Systems, SAIL
magazine, Sail Care, Sailing Alternatives (Sarasota, Fla.), Seawanhaka
Corinthian Yacht Club (Oyster Bay, N.Y.), Speedtech Instruments, Uncommon
USA, US SAILING and the US Sailing Team (Portsmouth, R.I.).

Editorial, copyright-free photos by sailing photographers Daniel Forster
and Walter Cooper are posted daily to www.spyc.org. Slides/prints by Dan
Nerney are available by contacting Media Pro.

(end)


Final Results
Rolex 2000 ISAF Women's World Match Racing Championship
Finish, Country, Skipper, Crew

1. DEN, Dorte Jensen, Rachel Kiel, Helle Jespersen, Annette Strom
2. SWE Marie Bjorling, Elizabeth N. ilsonn, Anna Holmdahl, Annika
Carlunger
3. USA Betsy Alison, Carol Cronin, Nancy Haberland, Dini Hall
4. GBR Shirley Robertson, Sam Davies, Inga Leask, Jo Grindly
5. NED Klaartje Zuiderbaan, Francoise Broekhof, Marlin Cleyndert, Janneke
Hin
6. USA, Hannah Swett, Melissa Purdy, Dawn Riley, Meg Gaillard
7. AUS, Katie Spithill, Emma Bullough, Jenni Whalan, Sarah Roberts-Thomson
8. BER, Paula Lewin, Peta Lewin, Lisa Neasham, Leatrice Roman
9. FRA, Christine Briand, Pascale Dentraygues, Anne-Francoise Gentric,
Elodie Bour
10. ITA Cristiana Monina, Sabrina Bartolucci, Sabrina Gurioli, Ines
Montefusco
11. SWE Malin Millbourn, Kim Kulstad, Linda Ystrom, Asa Aronsson
12. GBR Cordeila Eglin, Diana Shanks, Victoria Symmers, Sarah Allen
13. NED Carolijn Brouwer, Annemarie de Ridder, Marene Ammerlaan, Marieke
Poulie
14. NZL Amy Waring, Amber West, Paula Knauf, Sally Garrett
15. USA, Dru Slattery, Carol Christopher, Linda Epstein, Heidi Benjamin
16. FRA Gwen Joulie, Marine Boulaire, Chlo Siffermann, Claire Leroy
17. DEN, Marie Klok, Corinna Sohns, Tina Christensen, Lotte Pedersen

18. FIN, Catharina Gylling, Miimu Matilainen, Susu Kukkonen, Natasha
Rubonim
19. CAN, Karen Johnson,Cynthia DesBrisay, Cathy McPherson, Anne Marie
Shewfelt
20. GER Nadine Stegenwalner, Anne Koschinsky, Nina Grunow, Judith Sasse
21. IRL Maria Coleman, Laura Dillon, Gillian McGuiness, Katie Dwyer
22. ESP Mar Castanedo, Areane Naenemare, Eva Deez, Sofia Rueloba
23. POR, Christina Pereira, Ana Margarida Sousa, Catarina Fagundes,
Margolida Agular
24. NOR Catherine Ranke, Anne Cecilie Ranke, Sabine Ameln, Alette Løedrup