Team Island Water World acquire second Melges 24
St. Maarten – Team Island Water World are now campaigning a second Melges 24. Although not new, their latest boat is hull number 605, whereas the old boat was number 24.
Team captain Frits Bus said that with the old Melges in need of some love and care, they had decided to upgrade by finding a boat with a newer hull to give them even better performance out on the race course.
The team’s decision seemed like a good one as they won all three races on their first time out. However, Bus wasn’t overly confident. “The weather was very shifty and we won on tactics. We couldn’t do much testing for speed,” he said, adding the real test will be the Heineken Regatta.
In other news, Island Water World, Spinlock and Essilor sponsored life jackets for St. Maarten’s Kidz At Sea program ensuring that the youngsters stay safe while out on the water. A long-time supporter of the program, IWW secured the sponsorship with Spinlock, one of their suppliers.
“All kids involved in the program can swim, but the life jackets provide an additional safety feature when sailing in strong winds and high seas,” said Garth Steyn, President of Kidz At Sea. “Fun and safety are the most important aspects of the sailing program. When conditions become a bit more intense, the life jackets are a sensible addition to the sailing gear as the kids are still learning about boat handling and we don’t want to take any unnecessary risks. Some kids actually prefer the life jackets, it makes them feel more secure and therefore more comfortable to sail and race hard!” (See p82.)
