Young sailors get competitive at local regatta

(CISA): Hosted by the Cayman Islands Sailing Club (CISC) the 2012 Scotiabank Youth Sailing Championship was held on 20-21 October in the North Sound. This annual regatta proved to be the most successful one yet in two respects. Firstly the number of sailors was the largest amount on record and secondly the youths proved to be more competitive than in previous years, “This year all the competitors that started on day one also went on to compete on day two which is particularly impressive as the conditions on day two were tough and dinghy racing is a physically demanding sport,” said Peta Adams, the CISC Race Officer.

There were a few standout performances over the weekend, but most notable was that of Pablo Bertran (pictured above) and Trey & Drew Milgate (Optimist championship & RS Feva fleet competitors respectively). Both Mr. Bertran and the Milgate brothers had seven first place finishes in as many races. But it wasn’t all smooth sailing for Pablo; he faced stiff competition from the three-time champion, Allena Rankine, who was constantly nipping at his transom around the racecourse. But Pablo was just too fast on the day.

In the hotly contested Laser Radial class, the 2010 Youth Olympian, Lizzy Wauchope, and 2014 Youth Olympic hopefuls Jesse Jackson, Shane McDermot and Thomas Bishop all battled for laser supremacy. After a dominant performance in the first two races on day one, it looked like Lizzy was going to sail away with the first place trophy – uncontested.  But a resurgent Jesse came back on day two and fired three bullets, which catapulted him into first place – earning him his first youth championship. There was also a strong challenge from Mr. Bishop who sailed very well and finished the last race of the series with a bullet, which guaranteed him a second place finish, two points ahead of Lizzy.

In the Optimist green fleet, Charles Allen had a field day, dominating both days of sailing and in the end winning quite comfortably by an 18 point margin.

In the Pico class Jonathon Wight, sailed a consistent regatta to hold off competition from Jade Wilkinson & Sam Bailey, and Matthew Hanson & Doug Rowland who finish in second and third place respectively.

The final day of the 2012 Scotiabank Youth Sailing Championship was not one to miss with 10 to 16 knots of north-easterly winds. The youth sailors showed off their prowess in the stronger winds (not to say that there weren’t a few capsizes). For the families and friends watching from the sailing club’s dock it was quite the spectacle.

Raph Harvey, the CISC Club Lead Instructor, said, “The turn out, performance and endurance that these youth sailors showed demonstrates that the youth sailing programmes are yielding results and that sailing in the Cayman Islands has a bright future. All of this would not of course have been possible without Scotiabank’s unwavering support for youth sailing in the Cayman Islands and we thank them again for another year of sponsorship.”

While this year’s competition had the biggest turn out ever, the CISC are very excited about an even bigger event next year. For more pictures of the regatta check out the facebook page: Cayman Islands Sailing Club and the National Sailing Center.