Tom Duggan signs as Principle Race Officer for C. Thomas Clagett Regatta

World renowned and respected Principal Race Officer (PRO) Tom Duggan (East Sandwich, MA) has signed up with the C. Thomas Clagett, Jr. Memorial Clinic and Regatta as the PRO starting with the 2016 Clinic and Regatta.

Duggan, who was recently appointed by the World Sailing (ISAF) as the PRO of the Paralympic Sailing competition for Rio 2016, is an ISAF accredited international race officer and international umpire. Duggan, who has been running regattas for over 15 years, has served as a race officer at regattas in the US, Europe, Asia, South America and Australia. In 2009 Duggan was the PRO for the US Sailing Disabled Championships in Greenwich, CT and has been a race officer for multiple ISAF Sailing World Cup and Youth World Championships. He was a race officer at the ISAF Sailing World Cup finals in Abu Dhabi in October and will be on deck again over the coming week in Miami for the first ISAF Sailing World Cup event of 2016. Prior to the Paralympic Games which will take place at the Marina da Glória, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil in September, Duggan will be PRO at the 2016 Sailing World Cup Weymouth and Portland in the UK.

"I am looking forward to joining the Clagett Team. I know this is an important event for the sailors and that it serves as one of their last chances to tune up before the Paralympic Games in September. The same applies for me- working with the top level adaptive sailors in North America will also help me to be ready for the Games. At Clagett I get to be 'guest conductor' for the race management team that has done a fantastic job of serving adaptive sailors for many years." commented Duggan after he accepted the PRO position with The Clagett.

He continued "As race officer for the US Championships in 2009 I developed a great respect for adaptive sailors and what they are able to accomplish both on and off the water. They are an inspiration to all sailors. This will be fun!"

"We are incredibly excited to announce the news that Tom has agreed to be the PRO for The Clagett in 2016 and we look forward to working with him in continuing the high level of race management provided to adaptive sailors by The Clagett for the last 13 years. The Clagett team has been able to provide opportunities to over 500 sailors over the last 13 years to get on the water through coaching clinics and regattas and we plan to continue this for many more years to come," said Clagett President and co-founder Judy McLennan (Portsmouth, RI).

The 2016 Clagett will be held at Sail Newport, located in Fort Adams State Park, Newport RI, June 23-26.

For more information about The Clagett visit: www.clagettregatta.org

About the C. Thomas Clagett, Jr. Memorial Clinic and Regatta

Founded in 2003, the C. Thomas Clagett, Jr. Memorial Clinic and Regatta honours the late Tom Clagett (1916-2001), a U.S. Navy World War II veteran who learned to sail on Chesapeake Bay. As a youngster he suffered temporary paralysis as the result of a bout of meningitis; an experience that left him with a deep respect for the accomplishments of people with disabilities. The Clagett's stated mission is "to assist sailors in realizing their potential on the water by providing them both the knowledge and tools to improve their skills and the opportunity to use these skills in competition". Tom Clagett's motto was "Reach for Success", which resonates with every Clagett participant. The event includes all three boats that have been chosen as the equipment of the Paralympic classes: the three-person Sonar, the two-person SKUD-18 and the singlehanded 2.4 Metre. Clagett competitors have seen medal success at the 2008 and 2012 Paralympic Games. Competitors often comment that, The Clagett, has improved their quality of life as they apply what is achieved on the water to everyday situations.