Digicel Optimist Summer Series Concludes
Over the course of the last three weekends, Bermuda has seen 55 Optimist sailors entered in the RBYC’s Summer Series which concluded this past weekend.
The IODA North American Championship Teams from New Zealand, Singapore and Canada came out to race with the Bermuda sailors and enjoyed fabulous sailing conditions in the Great Sound. The Optinam Principle Race Officer (PRO) Jay Hooper used the Series as an opportunity to get used to setting accurate IODA Championship Courses.
“We had a great team of volunteers who made it all possible, we set IODA race courses to give races lasting between 45 and 50 minutes and we got it spot on all weekend. We kept this Series relaxed and encouraged the Coaches to go onto the race course and help give the sailors tuition”, Mr Hooper said.
“There were a lot of happy smiling faces on the water over the course of this Series and it is great to be a part of the kid’s enjoyment.”
Racing on Saturday was held in the Great Sound with breeze of 12-16 knots from the South. In the first race of the day, Campbell Patton (12) took control and had his school classmate Joe Arrowsmith (11) in hot pursuit and ahead of Matilda Nicholls (11), George Buckley (12) and Yannick Hillier (12).
Race two saw Chase Cooper (15) in charge, with Joe Arrowsmith having another great race in 2nd, with Adriana Penruddocke (13), Matilda Nicholls and Camille Chin-Gurret (13) close behind. Felix Cutler (11) also had great race finishing 6th just ahead of Bermuda National Champion Benn Smith (14).
The final race of the day was won again by Chase Cooper with George Buckley second and Matilda Nicholls 3rd, Peter Dill (15) and Digicel Squad sailor Micah Raynor-Thomas (12) rounded out the top five.
Going into the last day of the Series, there were four sailors within striking distance of claiming 1st Overall for the Summer Series. Winds were a little lighter, 8-12kts from the South East. Singapore sailor Samuel Neo (SIN119) runner-up at the 2012 World Championships lead race one around the first mark by a comfortable margin, with Chase Cooper leading the rest of the Fleet in hot pursuit.
George Buckley and Matilda Nicholls narrowed the winning margin by the end of the race to finish 2nd and 3rd, New Zealander Hamish Clark (NZL4372) finished 4th with Joe Arrowsmith again having a great race in 5th. Race two was impacted by a major windshift; this time Alice Reeves (14) took the lead, she held on to the end narrowly beating Chase Cooper at the finish.
In form RHADC sailor Joe Arrowsmith was again at the front in 3rd, with Ceci Wollmann 4th and Campbell Patton 5th. In 6th place was the leading overseas sailor from Singapore, Isaac Tang (SIN139).
The Bermuda sailors continued to put down their marker in the final race of the day; this time it was the turn of George Buckley to lead the fleet home, he was followed in by Ceci Wollmann and Yannick Hillier. Sinagpore sailors SIN 133 and SIN 137 came in 4th and 5th, with leading Canadian Eric Lyall (CAN1428) in 9th.
RBYC Sailing Director Tom Herbert-Evans was thrilled to see his sailors, some as young as 7 competing and in many cases beating some of the experienced International sailors; “The intention of this regatta was to give the BER Team for Optinam a chance to prepare for the main Optinam Regatta and for the many sailors not in the Team to have a chance to experience sailing on an IODA Championship Course against a number of top quality Optimist sailors, we certainly achieved that.
“We have been working hard all year to help all our sailors improve, it was great to see so many different sailors hit the front of the Fleet at various times during the weekend. It will give the Bermuda sailors a huge confidence boost ahead of the Optinam Regatta and all the other regattas the kids will be attending this summer.”
The sailors came ashore to a Prize Giving; Sunday’s winner of the day prize was George Buckley, also recognised was Alice Reeves. For the hotly contested Digicel Summer Series, Matilda Nicholls was overall winner, and received the Digicel Trophy.
A special award was given by PRO Hooper to youngster Fiachra McDonnell, aged 8, who bravely completed every race in the Series, an impressive achievement for someone so young. Thomas Penruddocke was also acknowledged for his help every day with the results.
Overall Results – RBYC Summer Series sponsored by Digicel
- 1st Matilda Nicholls
- 2nd Campbell Patton
- 3rd George Buckley
- 4th Adriana Penruddocke
- 5th Alice Reeves
- 6th Flo Nicholls
- 7th Camile Chin-Gurrett
- 8th Nasojah Hall
- 9th Micah Thomas-Raynor
- 10th Thomas Penruddocke
