NEW BLOOD TAYLOR CANFIELD
HEADING THE RIGHT WAY: Te top-ranked match racer in the Americas is Canfield, seen here in action during the Chicago Match Cup.
Canfield ready to make the step up
Te top-ranked match racer in the
Western Hemisphere is not a veteran of the Alpari World Match Racing Tour (yet), nor a winner of the America’s Cup (yet). It is a young and hungry sailor from
St. Tomas in the US Virgin Islands. Having grown up on and around the water and having his extensive experience sailing and coaching in small boats, Taylor Canfield is one of those naturally talented sailors who can step into any boat and make it win. He got started in match racing only four
years ago, when he started entering – and winning – regional qualifiers to national championships. He also won the Carlos Aguilar in his home waters of St. Tomas.
46 MR360° May 2012 Tis was the first in a long strong of
Grade 3 victories and podium finishes that vaulted his ISAF ranking into the top 100 in only one year. As of the May rankings this year, he’s knocking on the door of the top 20 at No. 21. Perhaps his biggest break came in the
summer of 2009 where Taylor had the opportunity to learn on the new TOM 28’s at the newly-formed Chicago Match Racing Center. Te US intercollegiate circuit had also
decided to switch to match racing for its sloop championships, so Canfield then got exposed to longer, slower and heavier boats and that style of chess game match racing.
Tis helped him earn an impressive sixth
place in his Alpari World Match Racing Tour debut at the 2010 Argo Group Gold Cup in Bermuda. Does this presage more appearances
for Canfield on the Tour? “Absolutely, I hope so!” says the 22-year-
old. “Tat’s the top of the game, but we would need to find some support to help us get to the venues.” “We’re lucky to now have so many high-
grade events here in the US, there’s a lot of activity and interest like the Grade 2 Grand Slam series. And this summer in Chicago the Tour will come to us. So I’m looking forward to a great season, and hopefully this will create more opportunities to go further.”
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