(CNS): Before anyone had even hear of Hurricane Paloma Cayman’s young sailors were enjoying some challenging ocean conditions during this year’s Scotiabank Cayman Islands Youth Sailing Championships which were held on 1 & 2 November at the Cayman Islands Sailing Club and proved to be an enjoyable event for both participants and spectators alike.
On the first day of racing the advanced Optimist and Byte sailors endured wind speeds above 20 knots and blinding rain. Unfortunately, due to the very windy and rainy conditions, racing in the Optimist beginner fleet had to be cancelled. However on the second day of racing, the weather relented somewhat and the slower wind speeds allowed all three fleets to be able to get onto the water for a great day of racing.
A total of 15 races were held and Stuart Jennings (16) dominated the Byte fleet by winning every race. In the Optimist fleet, Matthew Courtis (13) showed his speed and consistency on the water and also won very race in his class. Appropriately he won the Optimist class in a Scotiabank sponsored boat. Meanwhile, promising newcomer Jamie Williams (8) also demonstrated his skill and endurance by winning the Optimist beginner fleet.
Director of Sailing, Michael Weber, acknowledged the amount of effort that was put into the event by all parties involved. “This was a very tiring regatta for the sailors and I am very happy with their hard work on the water,” he said. “We continue to see improvement and all of the sailors should be very happy with their results.”
He also expressed his gratitude towards Scotiabank, for their “continued support for youth sailing in the Cayman Islands”. This is now the second year that Scotiabank has sponsored the event.
The annual Laser National Championships will be held on 29th & 30th November 2008 and is open to youth and adult Laser sailors. For more information on racing at the Cayman Islands Sailing Club, please contact admin@sailing.ky.
