Jacksonville, Fla.—The Jacksonville University Sailing team will partner with the Florida Yacht Club (FYC) to host the 2011 Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) Tournament Regatta on November 12 and 13 on the St. John's River. The event is the first of its kind to visit Jacksonville.
Up to 12 teams of sailors from colleges and universities from the entire Atlantic coast will compete in 420 class dinghies, which are racing sailboats requiring a crew of two. FYC is known nationally for hosting major sailing events in Jacksonville and has committed to promote and support JU Sailing through fund raising and promotional events.
“Hosting the ACC Tournament represents a significant accomplishment for JU Sailing, which is currently a club sport but has big plans for the future,” said Dr. Steven Davis, JU Sailing Club advisor.
JU is the home of Northeast Florida's only competitive collegiate sailing program. Currently a coed club sport regular member of the Southeastern Atlantic Sailing Association (SAISA), the JU Sailing team has improved over the last three years to qualify for the regional championships, which is the first step toward the national championships for the Intercollegiate Sailing Association (ICSA).
The JU Sailing team aims to be competitive at the national level within the next three to five years. Our competition regionally includes the College of Charleston, the University of South Florida and Eckerd College, which all have sent teams to the national championships in recent years and finished in either the top 10 or top 15 consistently. The JU program stands poised to add another high-level team to this growing region.
For more information, call 904-256-7139 or visit http://sailing.ju.edu/
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