Sailing: BODA Completes Selection Trials
The Bermuda Optimist Dinghy Association (BODA) completed their selection trials last week to determine which local youth sailors would qualify to attend the IODA North American Championships this summer in California. According to the BODA selection procedures, the top 7 sailors in the series are eligible to attend the IODA North American Championships. The Championship will be hosted at the Cabrillo Beach Yacht Club in Long Beach and will run from June 29th through July 7th.
National Optimist Champion Sam Stan was able to hold once again hold off the competition to win the trials, which was completed over four race days with 20 races sailed for the series. Stan won with the lowest score of 33 points followed by Rory Caslin with 47 points. Ceci Wollmann placed third with 54 points.
The other qualifiers in order were Antonio Bailey, Michael Barit, Chase Cooper, Makai Joell. Full results are available at www.boda.bm. The four qualified sailors who have elected to attend the North American Championships are Sam Stan, Rory Caslin, Michael Barit and Chase Cooper. They will be accompanied by team officials Somers Cooper, Sue Stan and high performance Coach Zizi Staniul. The team will depart on June 26th.
The final day of racing for the NA trials was action packed with winds topping 20 knots. Antonio Bailey was the winner for the day showing great consistency in the challenging conditions. During the racing spectators and officials witnessed one of the most sportsmanlike gestures seen on the water in recent history. The Race Committee had set an unfamiliar course for the sailors for the racing that day in order to create a course long enough in the confined space of Granaway Deep.
On the first downwind leg the leader, Antonio Bailey realized late in the leg that he had sailed past the turning mark by a number of boat lengths. When he turned to correct his mistake, Bailey certainly thought he had lost his lead to Sam Stan who was in second place. Stan had seen the mistake and could have easily capitalized on the error to take the lead. Instead Stan waited for Bailey to get to the mark, allowed him to round it ahead and resume his position in the lead of the pack. Back at the dock, Sam Stan was praised by officials and parents for his unselfish actions. In the Spring Series for the Gold Fleet, Antonio Bailey leads Sam Stan by 5 points and Makai Joell by 10 points.
