The third annual Sint Maarten Optimist Sailing Championships that took place on Saturday 13th October showed an increasingly high level of sailing ability as 17 youth sailors from Sint Maarten and Anguilla sailed a series of seven races in the Simpson Bay Lagoon. The event is sponsored by Sol, the suppliers of fuels, lubricants, and gasses, who have given youth sailing ongoing support over the years.
The sailors were split into two fleets, gold and silver, the top sailors into gold and the newer sailors into silver. The gold fleet winner was Stephen Looser who has won this event since its inception but who only just scraped by on this occasion. He was one point ahead of Zoe Pfeiffer from Switzerland and the last race made the difference. Third place went to Jolyon Ferron who blew his lunchtime lead of two points in the afternoon. Fourth place went to Kendall Richardson of Anguilla who is likely to be a strong contender in the future.
The Silver fleet was won by Ethan “Rumple” Loyd of Anguilla, followed by Max Hootsmans of St Maarten, and third was Micheal Curtis of Anguilla.
Many of the upcoming young sailors are products of the training programmes of the Sint Maarten Yacht Club and this regatta saw a number of younger and newer faces who are currently being trained by the club coach and sailing teacher Daniel Pennings. Andrew Rapley was the race officer and an enthusiastic crowd of parents watched the races and the numerous moments when the shifty winds of the Simpson Bay lagoon created some interesting moments with many position changes.
The Optimist is the most popular small racing dinghy in the world and is the class in which more top sailors developed their skills than any other. Sailors cannot be older than 15 years to compete. For further information: Cary Byerley 552 0068
Report submitted by Sint Maarten Optimist Championships
Winners
Results: Gold
1 Stephen Looser
2 Zoe Pfeiffer
3 Jolyon Ferron
4 Kendall Richardson
5 Rhone Findlay
6 Saskia Looser
7 Harry Antrobus
8 Diederik Pasman
9 Noah Gumbs
Results: Silver
1 Ethan Lloyd
2 Max Hootsmans
3 Michael Curtis
4 Alec Scarabelli
5 Johanna Looser
6 Daan Jobse
7 Marco Piazzi
8 Eva Pfeiffer
