Optimist World Championships Concludes
Officials from the Napier (NZ) Sailing Club were unable to complete any races yesterday [Jan.9] on the final day of the 2011 IODA World Sailing Championships due to light winds and strong currents, leaving the championship to be determined by a total of 11 Races over 9 days.
Bermuda was represented in Napier, New Zealand by 5 sailors from the Bermuda Optimist Dinghy Association (BODA). While most of the Bermuda team struggled in the constantly changing conditions, Rory Caslin thrived and produced an extremely credible 45th place in the 210 boat fleet.
Photo of Rory Caslin by Charles Anderson:
Caslin sailed consistently throughout the regatta with six top twenty finishes and at one stage was 33rd overall after Day 4. His best finish of the regatta was a 3rd place in the 65 boat flight in Race 7.
Makai Joell finished in 141st followed by Antonio Bailey in 143rd, Michael Barit in 150th and Ceci Wolmann in 157th. The Bermuda team’s major sponsors were Aspen Insurance and the Kitson Group of Companies.
The regatta was won by Kimberly Lim of Singapore followed by 2011 Bermuda Jr Gold Cup visitor, Bart Lambriex of the Netherlands and Javier Arribas of Peru in 3rd. The 2012 World Championships will be sailed in Dominican Republic this coming July.
Video report of the final day of sailing:
The BODA sailors’ next major contest abroad will be the IODA South American Championships this coming March in Argentina. The final qualifier for this event will held locally on Sunday, January 22nd.
