While the 2016 Rio Olympic Games may still be two years away, 2014 is an important year in the Olympic sailing cycle. The ISAF World Championships, held in Santander, Spain earlier this month, are hosted every four years and serve as the country qualifier for the Olympics. The worlds best dinghy sailors and Olympic hopefuls gathered in Santander for this pinnacle event in each of the Olympic classes.

We are pleased to share exceptional results from several of our sponsored sailors who participated in the event. In the Laser Radial (Women's Singlehanded), Canadian hopeful Isabella Bertold placed 18th and Bay Area native Claire Dennis placed 56th in the competitive 120 boat fleet. Congrats to Isabella and Claire!

In the Laser (Men's Singlehanded), West Coast Sailing Team member Chris Barnard placed 15th, his highest finish in a World Championship. This SoCal sailor has shown tremendous improvement over the last year and we're proud to be able to support him.

Excerpt from Chris: "Nearly to the date, this regatta concluded my "rookie season," the first full year of my Olympic Campaign. Consequently, my result here would show the improvements made in just one year, particularly in comparison to finishing 65th at last year's World Championships. Clearly a huge improvement, much greater than even my expectations."

Full results and media coverage can be found at www.santander2014.com