Youngsters Rise To Win Amlin Optimist Racing
The Royal Bermuda Yacht Club Autumn Series 1 for the Optimists sponsored by Amlin concluded on Sunday [Oct 21] afternoon. 19 of the 37 Amlin Autumn Series sailors came out to compete in the moderate breezes.
With a few heavy rain clouds around the conditions gave the sailors and the RBYC Race Committee challenging conditions to work with.
Principle Race Officer and former Bermuda Olympian Jay Cameroon Hooper said after the racing “another great day full of smiles, these kids are so lucky to have the support of Amlin, the Clubs, their Coaches and their parents to allow them to have such fun out there.
“I am just thrilled to be a part of this fabulous team of volunteers who make it all happen. We were joined today by a member of the London Olympics Sailing Race officials who witnessed competitive but fair sailing all afternoon.”
At the start of the racing just a few points separated the leading Gold Fleet sailors and with as many as 6 races able to be raced, the racing was a competitive as ever. Youngsters Matilda Nicholls (10) and Campbell Patton (11) from the RBYC Sailing Academy had it all to race for.
Gold Fleet Winner Matilda Nicholls (1111) approaches the finish line with runner-up Campbell Patton (1008):
While the two of them sailed a very tactical set of races against each other, it left others with an opportunity to get to the front of the Fleet, an opportunity fellow RBYC training partner Benn Smith (13) and Joe Arrowsmith (11) siezed with great effect.
Smith won the day scoring 2nd, 1st, 2nd 6th and 2nd, just 3 points ahead of rising RHADC star Arrowsmith, who recorded his first “bullet” in the Gold Fleet. Patton and Nicholls were tied at the end of 5 races, the 2 young sailors leap-frogged the absent Wollmann siblings, Ceci and Mikey, who had led the Series going into the last day. Matilda Nicholls won the title of the Amlin Gold Fleet Champion for Series 1.
In the Silver Fleet, racing was just as competitive, but Felix Cutler dominated the racing with 5 wins out of 5, with Jay Hall in 2nd, Luke Madeiros 3rd and Micah Thomas-Raynor in 4th. Cutler (10) is a talented sailor from the RBYC Sailing Academy and shows very promising skills.
Luke Madeiros sailed a sensible day and secured his title of Amlin Series 1 Silver Fleet Champion, followed by 8 year old Christopher Adderley. RBYC Sailing Academy Director said “these young sailors just keep on getting better, we have more and more sailors developing realy well at the moment and the future of junior sailing looks to be very strong.
“It is great to see so many different kids taking their turn at the front of the fleet this Autumn. The way the racing has been run by the experienced Jay Hooper has encouraged the developing sailors all the way through. Series 2 looks set to be even better than the first in the lead up to the Bermuda Optimist National Championships in November.”
Silver Fleet winner Felix Cutler (1406) racing amongst the Gold Fleet:
Carried across both Series 1 and 2 is a set of results scored when both the Gold and Silver Fleets race together. This Sunday two Combined Races were sailed with Joe Arrowsmith winnng both races followed by Smith in 2nd and Nicholls 3rd.
After 5 combined races with 37 sailors competing, Matilda Nicholls leads the Combined Racing Series. Veteran RBYC Coach Paul Doughty added “we are once again building the makings of a significant Optimist fleet in Bermuda, a few years from now we hope to make a big splash at the highest levels.
“At RBYC we are hosting the Bermuda Optimist Nationals in November and then next July we host the IODA North American Optimist Championships. It is a busy, fun time ahead for our sailors.”
Racing for the 2nd Amlin Series starts next Sunday and runs up to the middle of December. Final Results of Series 1 for Gold Fleet and Silver Fleet can be found here.
