Optimist Team Returns From Racing In Poland
The Bermuda National Optimist Sailing team returned home over the weekend after spending nine days of racing in fluky and very light winds in Dziwnow, Poland for the World Optimist Championship 2015.
Most of the sailing was in 6 knots or less wind with one race starting with 2 knots winds. Many races were abandoned due to light winds and one day there was no sailing at all with a few days with only one race. The light winds proved to be a very challenging for the Bermuda team who were more used to sailing in moderate to heavy winds.
Bermuda team member results at 2015 IODA World Championships:-
- 133- Campbell Patton
- 156 – Tayte Stefanuik
- 164- Micah Thomas Raynor
- 215- Camille Chin-Gurret
- 251- Luke Madeiros
It will be Camille’s and Campbell’s last World’s as they will be moving on to different boats as Camille is 15 years old and Cambbell is sizing out. All Bermuda optimist team sailors look forward to sailing in the Gold Cup and the Bermuda National Championships this the fall.
The winner of the World’s 2015 was a 14-year-old Rok Verderber of Slovenia. Verderber won with 18 points followed by Singapore’s 13-year-old girl Jodie Lai with 41 points and Norway’s 14-year-old Mathias Berthet with 58 points.
In the team racing Bermuda just missed getting into the final 16 losing out to Slovenia. Eventually after two days of team racing Singapore was the winning team.
The team manager for the event Steve Stefanuik lead the team while Nicky Gurret the Country Representative assisted and represented Bermuda at the official International Optimist Association meetings and Annual General Meeting where voting on changes to rules were heard and countries who bid for the 2017 Worlds were heard and then voted on in the Annual General Meeting with all countries castings votes. Thailand’s 2017 bid beat out Oman, Switzerland and Hungary.
Next on the calendar for the young sailors will be the Bermuda Gold Cup and the Bermuda National Optimist Championships. Both events will have young optimist sailors from around the world also attend.
