10-Yr-Old Lily Barboza Wins Green Fleet
10 year old Lily Barboza [pictured below] was the uncontested winner of the Riihiluoma’s Flying Colours Green Fleet Fall Series after she won her second of the last three Green Fleet regattas day this past Sunday. 9 year old Joe Arrowsmith was second and was followed by 11 year old Alice Reeves in third place. Thomas Penruddocke (12) and Grace Reeves (9) rounded out the top five.
A total of seventeen novice racing sailors took part in the series which was sailed over 3 regatta days, September 25th, October 31st and November 28th. The 18 races were completed, organized and run by volunteer parents from the Bermuda Optimist Dinghy Association (BODA), most notably Ben Nicholls, Adam Barboza, Charles and Maja Penruddocke. Green Fleet Chairman Nicholls was “amazed at the progress the sailors had made since the first event in late September,” and congratulated the sailors on practicing on a regular basis throughout the Fall. Many of the sailors participate in one of the club programmes at the RBYC or RHADC and sail at least a week. Prizes will be presented at the BODA Christmas party on December 12th.
Green Fleet racing is the introduction to racing for novice sailors between the ages of 8 and 14. The emphasis is on having fun while racing and also allowing practical on-the-water coaching for those that need it in the back half of the fleet. The sailors race short courses in the Harbour, with each race lasting less than 15 minutes. The day is usually split up with a long lunch break on a nearby island or dock with organized games and other fun activities.
While the “top dogs” typically will graduate to the BODA Intermediate fleet next spring, the organization hopes to see a dozen or so regulars back out for some more springtime fun next year. They also look forward to welcoming new sailors to join the Green Fleet and plan to bring Green Fleet guru Tom Coleman back in April to encourage more young sailors to get out on the water for this fun and safe activity. For more information on how to get involved in the BODA Green Fleet please email info@boda.bm. Complete results are available at www.boda.bm.
