Sailors Compete In Overseas Youth Regatta
The Orange Bowl Youth Regatta finished on Sunday [Dec 30] at Coral Reef YC in Coconut Grove, Florida. The wind waited until the last day to arrive and glorious sailing conditions prevailed for the final two races. It made for quite a change after the less predictable lighter winds of the first 3 days.
A number of the more experienced BER sailors used their knowledge of the area to good effect and started the week well, the less experienced found it hard going at the beginning, but soon learnt how to master the Miami conditions and all were seen improving as the Regatta progressed.
In the 330 boat Optimist Fleets, it was Great Britain’s Max Clapp who came out ahead in the main Championship Fleet which is split into age groups; Red (13-15), Blue (11 & 12), White for 10 and under, seperately the less experienced sailors raced in the Green Fleet… 18 Bermuda Optimist Sailors competed in total, including 5 from the Digicel Development Squad.
Some standout performances included George Buckley who won a race and managed 3 top 20 finishes, World’s Team sailor Chase Cooper who finished 11th overall, won a race and scored 7 top 10 results, the Wollmann siblings Ceci and Mikey who between them scored 6 top 10 results, James Amaral sailed his last race in an Optimist on Sunday, his fellow sailors wished him well as he progresses onto his next boat.
RBYC Director of Sailing Tom Herbert-Evans said “This has been a great week for all the kids with many valuable experiences gained, it is fantastic to see 19 Bermuda sailors at such an International sporting event, Bermuda sailing is on the rise once again”.
Championship Fleet:
- 11th Chase Cooper RBYC/SBC
- 27th Ceci Wollmann RHADC
- 28th Mikey Wollmann RHADC
- 74th George Buckley RBYC/StGD&SC
- 76th Matilda Nicholls RBYC/SBC
- 83rd James Amaral RHADC
- 102nd Joe Arrowsmith RHADC
- 107th Benn Smith RBYC/SPBC
- 120th Peter Dill RHADC
- 153rd Samantha Dill RHADC
- 171st Tre Maxwell RBYC
- 200th Charis Todd RHADC
- 238th Flo Nicholls RBYC/SBC
- 240th Taj Maxwell RBYC
RED Fleet (13-15):
- 10th Chase Cooper
- 22nd Ceci Wollmann
- 49th James Amaral
- 65th Benn Smith
- 69th Peter Dill
- 79th Samantha Dill
- 88th Tre Maxwell
BLUE Fleet (11&12):
- 6th Mikey Wollmann
- 26th George Buckley
- 27th Matilda Nicholls
- 33rd Joe Arrowsmith
- 68th Charis Todd
- 87th Taj Maxwell
WHITE Fleet (10 & under):
- 46th Flo Nicholls
Bermuda’s top 10 Optimist success came in the 85 boat Green Fleet, where Digicel Squad Members Micah Thomas-Raynor finished the week in 6th place overall. Jay Hall, Liam Perrin and Jah Hall all finished in the top 50.
Coach Paul Doughty was thrilled to see Micah come to terms with his first major regatta so well. “This was a truly International Fleet and it is great to see so many Bermuda sailors racing at this great end of year regatta once again.
“Micah, Jah and Jay were the little STARS of the Green Fleet. If we could have stopped Micah from chasing all the pretty girls around the race course he probably would have won.
“Micah was also a stand out in the regatta centre with his open pesonality and engaging manner.These 3 boys have just made a giant step foward in growing up, and I look forward to them assimilating all of their new experiences and lessons and putting them to use in their daily lives.”
Green Fleet:
- 6th Micah Thomas-Raynor RBYC
- 29th Jay Hall RBYC
- 35th Jah Hall RBYC
- 36th Liam Perry RHADC/EEMYC
In the Laser Radials, Owen Siese continued to show his promise in the class for older teenagers, whilst recording a few disappointing results during the week, he also managed eight top 10 results and joined Micah Thomas, George Buckley, and Chase Cooper as 4 Bermuda sailors who managed to win a race during the week. Owen finished the week an impressive 2nd overall and continues to demonstrate his undoubted talents in this sport.
Full results can be found on the yacht club’s website. A group spokesperson said, “The Bermuda sailors return from Miami this evening having learnt a great deal. The kids are very grateful to their parents and the various sponsors for helping them to attend the regatta; particularly BODA/Sandy’s BC and Digicel.”
Well done to you all. Jay & Jah your family are so proud of you both keep up the great work. Thanks to all who made this possible for them to sail in the Orange Bowl we are truly grateful. Micah congradulations.