(VALLEJO, CA – October 14, 2014)  Cal Maritime's national champion sailing team, sponsored by Jewell Insurance, departed for France today to compete in the Student Yachting World Cup in La Rochelle, France. Following 22 hours of travel on planes, trains, and buses, the team begins practice on Thursday, October 16.
 
"We will try to work the boat and sails as hard as we can so that if anything isn't up to the test, it can be replaced before racing starts on Friday," said Charlie Arms, Cal Maritime's director of sailing.
 
The Keelhaulers earned the right to represent the U.S. by winning the 2013 Kennedy Cup, defeating the University of Michigan, Navy, and seven other schools. The Kennedy Cup Regatta, at the U.S. Naval Academy, is the College Big Boat National Championship.
 
The Sailing Program spans the entire history of the Academy. This is the second time Cal Maritime has represented the United States at the SYWoC, finishing fifth in 2010. No U.S. team has ever won.
 
The Student Yachting World Cup has been organized every year since 1979 by students from the Ecole Polytechnique in France, and it was originally known as the "Course de l'Europe." Gradually, it began to incorporate competitors from other continents. In 1992, the International Yachting Race Union gave it the current name, and it is recognized as the World Cup by the International Sailing Federation (ISAF).
 
To follow the progress of the team in France, visit the Cal Maritime news page or follow Cal Maritime Sailing on Facebook.
 

Contact

publicaffairs@csum.edu

ABOUT CAL MARITIME
Established in 1929, California State University Maritime Academy is the only degree-granting maritime academy on the West Coast. Located in Vallejo, California, the campus offers undergraduate degrees that prepare students for careers in engineering, transportation, international relations, business, and global logistics. Cal Maritime also offers a master’s degree in Transportation and Engineering Management, as well as a number of extended learning programs and courses.