Sailing World Champs: Bermuda Wins Race #5
Five of Bermuda’s best young sailors are competing at the Byte CII World Championships in Cannes, France, which started on April 7 and ends tomorrow [April 11]. Bermuda had a victory in Race #5 with Owen Siese breaking away from the pack right from off of the starting line and winning the race - and sitting in a very impressive 2nd place overall after 7 races.
With young sailors from over 20 countries worldwide competing, Team Bermuda consists of Rahiem Steede [15], Kalin Hillier [15], Alex Davis [14], Dimitri Stevens [15] and Owen Siese [14].
The regatta consist of 16 races, and Bermudian team had already completed 3 races on Day 1, with racing cancelled for Day 2 and 3 due to weather.
After two days of sitting at the Yacht Club de Cannes for wind to arrive, it finally came at around 11:30 hours on Saturday [April 10]. With initial winds at 5 knots, the first two races of the of day started under bright and sunny conditions.
Two of Bermuda's team on the left. Credit: Bermuda Sailing Assoc
Race 4
Race 4, which allowed the Regatta to now officially become a series, went off well. The course was kept short to take into account the light conditions. Bermuda placed in the following positions:
- Owen Siese – 10th
- Rahiem Steede – 19th
- Dimitri Stevens – 21st
- Kalin Hillier – 30th
- Alex Davis – 33rd
Race 5
Race 5 saw Owen Siese break away from the pack right from off of the starting line, and when he hit the windward mark in the lead, he kept it all the way to the end. A great win for the team. The results are:
- Owen Siese – 1st
- Kalin – 13th
- Alex – 27th
- Rahiem – 33rd
- Dimitri – 43rd
Race 6
Race 6 was delayed due to shifting wind and an increase in overall winds to over 10 knots, which is great for the fleet. The fleet picked up the pace, and the racing got started in earnest with a lot of jostling on the starting line for position. At the end, results were:
- Owen – 11th
- Dimitri – 21st
- Rahiem – 24th
- Alex – 33rd
- Kalin – 35th
Race 7
Race 7 had winds of up to 15 knots and waves increasing which made the course much harder to sail. The temperatures also began to drop which made all of the kids reach for jackets! Results were:
- Kalin – 18th
- Owen – 22nd
- Rahiem – 35th
- Dimitri – 37th
- Alex – 42nd
Final Results After 7 Races:
- 2nd – Owen Siese
- 18th – Kalin Hiller
- 28th – Rahiem Steede
- 31st – Dimitri Stevens
- 42nd – Alexander Davis
[Thanks to Somers Cooper and the Bermuda Sailing Association for this report]
