Caribbean Compass Yachting Magazine - December 2019

december 2019 CARIBBEAN COMPAss pAGE 12
REGATTA NEWS
Sunfish World Championships Held in Bonaire
Bonaire, famous for its strong and consistent tradewinds, left racers short during the
Sunfish World Championships held from September 14th through 25th. Although officials
had to amend the rules to meet the upwind/downwind requirements of the
course, all races were completed.
David Misael Hernandez from Guatemala took the overall trophy, winning a tiebreaker
to beat the Peruvian Renzo Sanguinti, who placed second. Alonso
Collantes, a two-time Sunfish World Champion from Peru, ended up in third place.
Chinese sailor Nancy Huang Yineng received the Marco Polo Prize for having traveled
farthest to participate.
In the week following the Open Championships, the Youth and Masters events took
place. In the Masters, Alex Zimmermann from Peru took first place, with Sipke Stappert
of Bonaire in second, followed by Jason Pigot from the USA in third. Others on the
Bonaire team had notable finishes as well. Ton Nuijten, one of the main organizers,
won the Grand Masters category and Ezra Buys topped the Apprentice Masters.
In the Youth competition, 18-year-old Simon Gomez Ortiz from Colombia finished
first. Fernanda San Roman from Peru took second place and Diego Castro from
Guatemala secured third. Fernanda Higueras, 15 years old and also from Peru, was
the youngest competitor in the Worlds Open competition. At 14, Jeaneau Thode
from Bonaire was the youngest participant at the regatta.
Laser Performance and regatta sponsor Maclaren brought 72 brand-new boats to
Bonaire to make the event fair for all. Smart Design Bonaire provided sail graphics and
shirts sponsored by Budget Marine and Marlow Ropes. The boats proudly displayed the
Blue Destination logo, to remind sailors and their supporters of the importance of the
environment. Stream to Sea sunscreens and lotions were supplied to all sailors by Oduber
Agencies. These products do not contain oxybenzone, which is harmful to coral.
Visit sunfishworlds.org for full results.
CSA Conference Ends with Closer Collaboration
Alison Sly-Adams, President of the Caribbean Sailing Association (CSA), sums up the
annual CSA Conference, which ended on October 20th at the Antigua Yacht Club
in Falmouth Harbour: “The conference enabled all the island regatta organizers who
came here to represent their events, to examine, learn, and agree on issues to support
collaboration of the 16 key regattas that make up the Caribbean calendar. We
are cooperating on marketing, we explored more options in terms of race management,
and we examined the importance of sailing development.”
The CSA Conference was one of several elements of Caribbean Sailing Week, a
new-format event that also included a three-day race management clinic and the
Caribbean Dinghy Championships.
The representatives agreed that fundamental to the forward momentum of regattas
is grassroots participation, particularly of the next generation of local sailors, and that
a greater gender balance in sailing needs to be encouraged. Antigua Sailing Week’s
initiative to put young sailors aged 13 to 24 onto competing boats, and the availability
of coaching programs for clubs, firmly place young participation on the agenda.
The marketing program was designed to attract entries from overseas and the
regatta management session focused on ensuring that the CSA is ready for the
future. “We are successful at sharing as an island region and we can boast the success
of our yacht rating system. We need to focus on supporting the smaller territories
to develop their involvement and capabilities,” Vice President Robbie Ferron said.
“Our regattas happen in the winter/spring, allowing us to ‘own’ that period on the
international calendar. The work of the CSA in coordinating our calendar and promoting
the region is key,” past president Peter Holmberg stated. Sasha van der
Wouden presented the newest regatta on the circuit, the Caribbean Foiling
Championships in St. Maarten.
Eight measurers convened during the week. Bastien Pouthier led the team, which
has worked hard to reach the milestone of presenting the 2020 Rule.
Paige Myatt looked at sustainability and the role the regatta community must play
in supporting long-term ecological balance. Steps already taken include well-signed
recycling bins, the banning of plastic straws and styrofoam, and making biodegradable
products like coffee cups and garbage bags available to competitors.
Presentations about the achievements of Antigua’s Sailing Academy in bringing
children into sailing free of charge, and the Sailability scheme and facilities for “differently
abled” sailors, were also well received.
Alison concluded, “For our sport to survive and thrive, we have to hand it on to the
next generation. This means involving them in the development process now, teaching
them in a relevant way, encouraging participation, debate, and input. We have
to be adaptable and restructure to ensure sustainability of our clubs, organizations,
and regattas.”
Visit www.caribbean-sailing.com for more information.
Caribbean Dinghy Championships 2019
The Caribbean Dinghy Championships (CDC) were held from October 17th
through 20th in Falmouth Harbour, Antigua. With 15 races finished in a variety of
conditions, competitors completed three sunny days of racing, proving that
October is a great month for dinghy racing.
Four classes were represented: Optimist (for youths under 16), Laser Standard, Laser
Radial, and RS Feva. The organizing Antigua
Yacht Club welcomed crews from St. Maarten,
Trinidad, Barbados, and St. Kitts & Nevis.
“It feels good to win this,” sums up Jules
Mitchell, who took first place in the Laser
Standard class. Jules took ten wins out of the
15 races.
Mauriceson Valentine and his crew Nahio
James, both Antigua sailors, not only won the
RS Feva class, but also took the title of
Caribbean Regional RS Feva Champions. “The
light winds were a challenge in the beginning,
but on the final day it was windier and that’s
better for us. Boat handling is our strong point
as we both keep pretty fit,” said Mauriceson.
—Continued on next page
Jules Mitchell, winner of the Laser
Standard class