David Pelling (CAN) IU / IJ
David is a retired aeronautical engineer living in Montréal. He has been umpiring match racing since 1991 and has been an IU and IJ since 1995. David has umpired many Grade 1, Swedish Match and World Match Racing Tour events and was on the umpiring team for the 1999/2000, 2003/2003 and 2005/2007 Louis Vuitton Cups. He was chief judge at CORK from 1997 until 2007 and has been either chief judge or on the panel of numerous international juries over the last fifteen years.
Don Becker (USA) IU / IJ
Don lives In Corona del Mar, California, and is a retired Optometrist. He has been umpiring match and team racing since 1991, and is an ISAF International Judge and International Umpire. He currently serves on the US SAILING Umpire and Judges Committees. He is still actively races keel boats in southern California, and in his free time Don messes around with his ’34 Ford hot rod and two old Jaguar sports cars.
William Thorpe (USA) IJ / NU
William is from Grosse Pointe Farms Michigan and is an International Judge and a National Umpire. He has umpired extensively in the U.S. and Canada including several Richardson Trophy finals and the ladder events leading to the finals. Recent events include umpiring the Detroit Cup and the Knickerbocker Cup. He has raced extensively for many years in one design and offshore boats.
Kathy Dyer (CAN) IJ
Kathy hails from Hamilton, Ontario and has been a certified judge since 1994, officiating at numerous local, national and international events. She serves on the CYA Racing Rules Committee, Ontario Sailing Appeals Committee, chairs the LYRA Appeals Committee and is Chief Judge at CORK in Kingston. Kathy campaigned as crew on a J24 for many years and has competed in the Trafalgar Cup and Ontario Sailing match racing events as well as umpiring at the Ira G. Ross Great Race in 2008 and the Richardson Cup in 2006.
Lance Smotherman (USA) NJ
Lance resides In the Troy, Michigan area and is a long term big boat racer of all pedigrees currently riding a Santa Cruz GL70. When not sailing, Lance has umpired the following list of great match racing regattas:
2008 Ficker Cup Long Beach, CA.
2008 Dynamite Cup Detroit, MI
2007 Great Lakes International Challenge Buffalo, NY
2007 USMRC – E/K Qualifiers Detroit, MI
2007 USMRC - E/K semi-finals Detroit, MI
2007 USMRC - E/K finals Detroit, MI
John Lee (USA) SJ / U Dana Point, CA
Cliff Black (USA) U Chicago, IL
DONNA HOBBS (USA) SJ
Donna lives in Glastonbury CT. and has been Judging and Umpiring Fleet and Match races since 2001. Donna was a judge for the 2002 US Olympic Team Trials and was invited to judge for the 2007 trials. In 2005, Donna was the Chief Judge for the US Women’s National Championship and the Chief Judge for the Snipe Women’s National Championship. Her resume’ reflects domestic and
international umpiring experience with both match and team racing. Donna has competitively sailed Thistles and Lasers for 20 years. When not involved with sailing activities, Donna is an equestrian competing in Dressage
Alec Borden (USA)
Alec hails from Kalamazoo MI and has been sailing for about fifty years in the Midwest. He has crewed in the National Lightning Regatta, several 210 National Championships, as well as the 210 Midwest Championships. Currently a US SAILING Certified Race Officer, he has served as the PRO for the 2007 Finn National Championship. Alec has recently taken and passed the US SAILING Judges Seminar. Alec attended the USSailing Umpires program in Buffalo and officiated at the 2007 IRA G. ROSS GREAT RACE. Alec has also paid his dues as a recent PRO for the Snipe Masters this September.
Rick Sullivan (USA)
Rick Grew up sailing in Rochester and attended college at Georgetown University where he participated in college sailing and subsequently coached the sailing team for 2 years. He has sailed and participated in numberous events when living in Annapolis and Rochester NY. He has been active at the Rochester Yacht Club where he has been active in race organization and management for a variety of Sailing events. He has been a US sailing Judge since 1999 and has judged national and international events.
Gary Hendrickson (USA)
Gary is a USSA Umpire-In-Training and has umpired in numerous regional championship events, including Richardson qualifiers on Lakes Michigan, Superior and Erie (The Great Race 2007), four Richardson Trophy regattas, Chicago J/105 Invitationals (Chief 2008), and serves as a match race event organizer on Lake Michigan.
He has served on protest panels including chair for many local and regional championships over 25 years, including Star 4th Districts (chair) and the Chicago NOOD’s. In LMSRF he chairs the Offshore Council and has served as the Lake Michigan delegate to YRUGL since 2001. He has competed in one-design and MORC-rule sailboats for almost 30 years.
JOHN TRACY (USA)
John is a native Buffalonian, currently living in Tonawanda and married for 30 years to his wife Deb.He has been sailing competitively for 29 years. He currently owns a Shark, Wavewacker USA 1757,which he sails out of Niagara-on-the- Lake. John has competed in several Worlds and a few USChampionship regattas throughout the years. You can find John most Wednesday nights racing aShark on Lake Ontario. In addition to big boat sailing, John designs, builds and races RadioControlled sailboats in 6 different classes. He has competed in over 15 RC National Championships,won one and placed second 4 times in different classes. Racing sailboats big and small is his hobby,so when he is not building boats, sails, rigs etc. he is usually designing or reading something aboutthem. John attended the USSailing Umpires program in Buffalo and officiated at the 2007and 2008 IRA G.ROSS GREAT RACE