Bermuda Sailors See Positive Results Overseas
Three Bermuda Optimist Sailors have been away sailing for the summer, representing Bermuda at four regattas in the United States and Canada and earning some very positive results along the way.
A spokesperson said, “Adam Larson, Tayte Stefaniuk, and Mikey Wollmann, three young Optimist Sailors, left the island on June 28 to join the Lake Ontario Optimist Team [LOOT] for a summer of sailing and competition.
“After two weeks of training with coach Roberto Fabbini of Uruguay, the team had their first event, the Great Lakes Championship in Sheboygan Wisconsin. This is a two day regatta that saw 56 entries. Unfortunately, day one came with no wind, so the boys were unable to sail making this a one day event.
“Day two brought light wind resulting in four races. Adam Larson got a bullet in race three and ended up finishing the event in second place overall. Tayte and Mikey had some good results in three of the races, however each got penalized with a last place finish, pushing their overall results back; they both still finished in the top 20, with Mikey in 18th and Tayte in 19th.
“The boys then flew to Los Angeles to complete in the U.S. Nationals, a long event with the first part being a team racing event followed by the championship fleet racing. The three Bermuda boys were teamed with one American to complete their team of four. The boys did very well in the qualifying round , going eight and three to give them a spot in the gold fleet round.
“Unfortunately, some controversy ensued; with the team being made up of 3 non-U.S. members, the decision was made to move the team to the silver fleet for the next two days of team racing. The team went seven and zero for the following day, and then six and one for the final day, earning them a first place finish in the silver fleet.
“Fleet racing started a day later. Day one is a qualifying day, which then leads to splitting the fleet into the championship fleet, based on the top 78 racers, followed by the silver fleet. All three boys qualified for the championship fleet.
“Adam Larson finished with 106 points, earning him 13th overall and 10th in the red fleet, Tayte Stefaniuk finished in fifth place for the blue fleet and in 22nd place overall, and Mikey earned a 33rd overall for the event.
“The boys then flew to Boston and drove to Newport for the New England Championships, one of the largest Optimist regattas of the year in North America with 376 entries. Based on age, the boys were split into three fleets for the three days of racing.
“The mornings were spent waiting for wind to fill in, leading to some long days on the water. Over the three days, they were able to get seven races in, however a significant wind shift in race 5 led to this series being abandoned, leaving scoring based on six races.
“Tayte Stefaniuk took fifth place for the blue fleet with an overall finish of ninth in this event, Mikey Wollmann finished the event with a bullet to earn him an 11th overall finish, and Adam Larson finished inside the top 20 with a result of 19th overall.
“Following prize-giving, the team loaded their van and drove through the night to arrive in Kingston, Ontario for the CORK regatta, another three day event, with 87 entries from Canada, the United States, Mexico, and elsewhere.
“Adam Larson was a model of consistency on day one of the event, placing second in each of the three races. Day two brought some shifty conditions and the boys’ results were not as strong as in day one.
“Wanting to finish the summer on a high note, the boys entered the third and final day of two races ready to compete. Tayte took two bullets for the day which placed him in second for the red fleet and third overall, Adam’s consistency paid off to earn him a first in red fleet and second place overall, and Mikey finished at fourth in red fleet to earn him fifth overall.
“The three Bermuda boys all finished in the top 5 amongst a tough fleet of Optimist racers.
“Mikey and Tayte now prepare for the World Optimist Championships to be held in Argentina in October, while Adam will stay on home waters and compete in the Jr. Gold Cup over the same time.”
Well done to all the sailors.
Yes …we need exposure…..a racing team in every diciplin of sort ,and or sailing,cycle racing,powerboat racing……if any good at all sponcorship would foot the bill after a certain standard implying talent to that level be meeted…..good exposure…..target your perspective markets…..
Why don’t we have our own marketing specialists?
Well done!
This is great news. The youngsters are the future of the great sport of yachting. As the Commodore of BBIRYC, I think these youngster should be commended. Keep up the good work.