Rankings on the US Sailing Team are based on attendance and performance at qualifying events. Athletes who have qualified for the US Sailing Team are identified as strong contenders for an Olympic berth and, as members of the Team, they will be assisted with coaching, training, and other benefits.

The 2005 US Sailing Team is coached by High Performance Director Gary Bodie, and Olympic Coaches Luther Carpenter and Skip Whyte. Sponsors of the 2005 US Sailing Team are Extrasport, Gill, Harken, Nautica, New England Ropes, Rolex Watch U.S.A., Sperry Top-Sider, Team McLube, Vanguard Sailboats, Vineyard Vines, and Zodiac of North America.

49er
1. Morgan Larson (Capitola, Calif.) and Pete Spaulding (Miami Beach, Fla.) 2. Dalton Bergan (Seattle, Wash.) and Zack Maxam (Coronado, Calif.) 3. Ty Reed (Santa Barbara, Calif.) and Bora Gulari (Detroit, Mich.) 4. David Fagen (St. Petersburg, Fla.) and Ned Goss (Madison, Conn.)
5. Sam Kahn (Aptos, Calif.) and Paul Allen (Santa Cruz, Calif.)

470 Men
1. Mike Anderson-Mitterling (Coronado, Calif.) and David Hughes (San Diego, Calif.) 2. Stu McNay (Boston, Mass.) and Graham Biehl (Point Loma, Calif.) 3. Seth Siegler (Charleston, S.C.) and Michael Miller (Charleston, S.C.) 4. David Dabney (Charleston, S.C.) and Hunter Stunzi (Marblehead, Mass.) 5. Aubrey Mayer (Orient, N.Y.) and Cotton Kelley (Annapolis, Md.)

470 Women
1. Amanda Clark (Shelter Island, N.Y.) and Sarah Mergenthaler (Harvey Cedars, N.J.) 2. Erin Maxwell (Stonington, Conn.) and Alice Manard (New Orleans, La.) 3. Allison Jolly (St. Petersburg, Fla.) and Isabelle Kinsolving (New York, N.Y.) 4. Molly Carapiet (Belvedere, Calif.) and Whitney Besse (Guilford, Conn.) 5. Genny Tulloch (Houston, TX) and Lauren Maxam (Coronado, Calif.)

Finn
1. Kevin Hall (Ventura, Calif.) 2. Zach Railey (Clearwater, Fla.) 3. Bryan Boyd (Annapolis, Md.) 4. Darrell Peck (Gresham, Ore.) 5. Andrew Casey (Mill Valley, Calif.)

Laser
1. Brad Funk (Belleair Bluffs, Fla.) 2. Andrew Campbell (San Diego, Calif.) 3. John Pearce (Ithaca, N.Y.) 4. Ryan Minth (New York, N.Y.) 5. Matthew Sterett (Corpus Christi, TX)

Laser Radial
1. Paige Railey (Clearwater, Fla.) 2. Anna Tunnicliffe (Norfolk, Va.) 3. Leah Hoepfner (Corpus Christi, TX) 4. Lindsay Buchan (Seattle, Wash.) 5. Stephanie Roble (East Troy, Wis.)

Star
1. Andy Horton (Newport, R.I.) and Brad Nichol (Hanover, N.H.) 2. Mark Mendelblatt (St. Petersburg, Fla.) and no qualified crew. 3. Mark Reynolds (San Diego, Calif.) and Phil Trinter (Lorain, OH) 4. John MacCausland (Cherry Hill, N.J.) and Brian Fatih (Miami, Fla.) 5. Eric Doyle (Costa Mesa, Calif.) and Brian Sharp (Franklin, Mass.)

Tornado
1. John Lovell (New Orleans, La.) and Charlie Ogletree (Kemah, TX) 2. Rob Parrish (Brunswick, ME) and Lars Guck (Bristol, R.I.) 3. Robbie Daniel (Clearwater, Fla.) and Enrique Rodriguez (Key Largo, Fla.) 4. Don Thinschmidt (Holland, Mich.) and Andrew Wierda (Miami, Fla.) 5. Michael Grandfield (Oak Bluffs, Mass.) and Mike Kuschner (Coon Rapids, Minn.)

Yngling
1. Sally Barkow (Chenequa, Wis.), Deb Capozzi (Bayport, N.Y.), and Carrie Howe (Grosse Pointe, Mich.) 2. Carol Cronin (Jamestown, R.I.), Kate Fears (Ocean City, Md.), and Jaime Haines (Jamestown, R.I.) 3. JJ Isler (San Diego, Calif.), Pease Glaser (Long Beach. Calif.), and Laura Schmidt (Chicago, Ill.) 4. Liz Baylis (San Rafael, Calif.), Nancy Haberland (Annapolis, Md.), and Katie Pettibone (Port Huron, Mich.) 5. No qualified team

Japanese Bulk Carrier Attacked in Straits of Malacca
The attack occurred in the widely used One Fathom Bank, a narrow strait just north of Port Kelang. The International Maritime Bureau said the attack was particularly worrisome, because the attack was so close to Malaysian waters, which is traditionally considered safe.

On February 28th, a Malaysian tugboat was attacked. The chief engineer was shot in the leg, and the captain and chief officer were kidnapped, but later freed.

On March 12th, a gang of 35 pirates armed with machine guns and rocket launchers boarded an Indonesian gas tanker and kidnapped the captain and chief engineer. They were released after a ransom was paid.

On March 14th, a Japanese tugboat was boarded by armed men who kidnapped the captain and two crew members. They were released a week later.

There is great concern about the ease with which pirates are boarding commercial vessels in the straits, because terrorists could board a tanker and use it as a floating bomb and block the vital channel and disrupt world trade.

Design A Better Life Jacket And Win $5,000
Innovation in Life Jacket Design Competition is Calling for "Out-of-the-Box" Entries Current models of life jackets save lives everyday, however, a 2004 BoatU.S Foundation study found that many boaters often don't wear them because they are uncomfortable. So what would a life jacket look and feel like if there were no government guidelines?

To encourage innovative ideas and new technology to design a life jacket that the majority of boaters might wear, the BoatU.S. Foundation for Boating Safety and Clean Water and the Personal Flotation Device Manufacturers Association (PFDMA) are sponsoring an "Innovation in Life Jacket Design Competition," which seeks entries that embrace new technologies and out-of-the-box thinking to solve the age-old problem of why certain boaters won't routinely wear life jackets.

Entries are being encouraged from armchair inventors to high school science clubs and collegiate design programs. The winning designer will receive a $5,000 award.

"We believe that out-of-the-box thinking may lead to the next generation of life saving devices," said BoatU.S. Foundation President Ruth Wood. "By opening the competition to the widest audience of professionals and amateur tinkerers, we anticipate designs that will be creative and unconventional."

PFDMA Executive Director Bernice McArdle said, "Today's life jackets are well designed but follow a defined and somewhat controlled set of guidelines. Our hope is that this competition will open up the playing field and encourage entries that will ultimately influence greater use of life jackets among boaters."

The competition will be judged based on four criteria: wearability, reliability, cost and innovation. "Wearability" relates to the level of comfort. "Reliability" will take into account the chances for potential failure, while "cost" will look at the affordability of the design. "Innovation" will take into account originality or the employment of new technologies.

There are no rules regarding types of materials to be used or whether the design meets any current U.S. Coast Guard or Underwriters Laboratory standards. However, certain entries may be submitted to the U.S. Coast Guard to review for possible financial assistance towards gaining full USCG approval.

Entries do not have to include a working model or prototype, as detailed drawings will be accepted. For more information including an entry form and contest rules, visit http://www.BoatUS.com/Foundation/lifejacketdesign.

You may also contact Ruth Wood at 703-823-9550, x3204/ RWood@BoatUS.com or Bernice McArdle at 312-946-6280/ BMcArdle@NMMA.org
Entries will be accepted from March 31, 2005 to December 15, 2005, with the winner announced at the Miami International Boat Show in February, 2006.

The BoatU.S Foundation for Boating Safety and Clean Water is a national 501(c)(3) nonprofit education and research organization primarily funded by the voluntary contributions of 580,000 members of BoatU.S., the nation's largest recreational boat owners association. The Foundation operates more than a dozen programs including the only accredited, free, online general boating safety course, a low-cost EPIRB rental program, the "Help Stop the Drops" clean fueling campaign, a free kid's Life Jacket Loaner program, and awards grants to nonprofit groups for boating safety and environmental projects.

The Personal Floatation Device Manufacturers Association is an affiliate of the National Marine Manufacturers Association (NMMA), the leading trade organization representing the recreational boating industry. NMMA member companies produce more than 80% of the boats, engines, trailers, accessories and gear used by boaters and anglers in the United States. The association is dedicated to industry growth through programs in public policy, market research and data, product quality assurance and marketing communications.