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A total of ten teams competed in the regatta, where former world match racing champion and five-time Rolex Yachtswoman of the Year Betsy ALISON (USA) conducted the two-day match racing clinic that preceded competition in Sonar keelboats. With the win, BAYLIS, along with second place finisher Rachel SILVERSTEIN (USA), gained an automatic invitation into the Rolex Osprey Cup, an ISAF Grade 1 regatta, to be held from 18-22 October, at the St Petersburg Yacht Club.

'This was the first time we sailed together in this crew combination and it was great to have it come together so well,' said BAYLIS, the 2002 ISAF Women's Match Racing World Champion and Rolex Yachtswoman of the Year. 'The teamwork was fantastic. Lee, Karina and Suzy did a fantastic job. Even if I blew a start, we had the confidence that we could out 'boat handle' or out 'boat speed' the other teams. In addition, with the very shifty conditions we saw, it was imperative to be in the right shift and Lee kept putting us in the right place. I can't give the team enough credit, they were great. We look forward to carrying this momentum into the next Grade 1 events on our schedule - the IX International Match Race Criterium [Calpe, Spain], where Melinda ERKELENS will be joining the team, and the BoatU.S. Santa Maria Cup [Annapolis, Md].'

The Race Committee, led by Principal Race Officer Pat SEIDENSPINNER, held 17 flights of matches, for a total of 85 matches. The last day of racing was shortened slightly with the cancellation of the last flight of matches by SEIDENSPINNER with co-organizer Tom FARQUHAR, who also served as an Umpire.

Established in 2002, the Rolex Women's Match annually strives to improve opportunities for women sailors. Results and photos are posted on the St. Petersburg Yacht Club website www.spyc.org and the Rolex Women's Match website www.rolexwomensmatch.org.