September 23rd to the 25th marked the first
annual Colombian Emeralds Caribbean Ladies Championship Regatta, hosted by the
Royal BVI Yacht Club. Nine competitors from four countries made up the fleet,
using full-rig Lasers.
The pre-regatta format was centered around a training and coaching session on Friday presented by Kurt
and Meka Tualbee who own
and operate Sailfit, based in
Florida. Sailing techniques as well as
proper diet and exercise are part of Sailfit’s
program. On the water coaching by Kurt during the day was followed in the
evening with a presentation on nutrition by Kurt’s wife Meka.
Racing began on Saturday with very light winds with one point in the
standings separating first and second and third and fourth places at the end of
the day. A dinner banquet Saturday night, hosted by the yacht club, capped off
the day’s activities.
Sunday racing was more exciting with a building southwest wind mixing up
the results from the previous day. Emma Paul (BVI) was the winner at the end of
the day, holding off Sydney Jones (VI) by two points, closely followed by
Patricia Villafane from Puerto
Rico. The awards were presented by Genny
Kung of Colombian Emeralds to the first three finishers, showering them with
jewellery and emeralds! All of the women were winners in the regatta, receiving
bottles of Moet and Chandon
Champagne.
The hosting club did an outstanding job both on the water and at the
clubhouse, with excellent meals offered to all of the competitors over the
three days of sailing. Regatta winner Emma Paul is also the sailing captain for
the yacht club and race organizer, and was busy all through the weekend making
the regatta one that will attract an even larger fleet next year.
Results:
1 Emma Paul (BVI)19 pts.;
2 Sydney Jones
(VI)23
pts.
3 Patricia Villafane (PR) 25 pts.
4 Felice Bryan (VI) 29 pts.
5 Linda Phillips
(BVI)45
pts.
6 Jane Paull (GBR) 53 pts.
7Elsa Myers
(BVI)66
pts.
8 Claire Burke
(BVI)79
pts.
9 Pip Nockolos (BVI) 83 pts.
