Volvo Musto Optimist Selection Trials

James Grant (left) & Phil Sparks (right) dominate at the first Volvo Musto Optimist Selection Trials © Charles Ainsworth

Optimists compete at Weymouth for 2007 GBR Teams

The forecast was set fair for the first 3 day weekend of the 2007 Volvo Musto Optimist World and European Team Selection Trials at Weymouth and Portland National Sailing Academy 20-22 April.

Two 3-day events are held annually at different venues to select the International Optimist Class Association UK (IOCA) teams to represent GBR at the IODA Worlds, IODA Europeans and the French Nationals. 90 sailors are invited based on previous year’s rankings and a small number of discretionary places including promising Zone Squad sailors selected by their RYA High Performance Managers.

This year 87 keen Optimist sailors were hoping that their winter training and recent race experiences would help them in achieving their goals. With 4 of the 5 members of the 2006 Worlds Team eligible for this year’s Worlds as well, the competition is hot for the Europeans Team. This team of 7 sailors is composed of the highest placed (after allocation of Worlds places) 3 boys and girls respectively with the 7th member being the next highest placed boy or a girl.

In the event clear skies accompanied by light breezes from the east and south east prevailed throughout the weekend, presenting a great opportunity for some of the lighter sailors who had been challenged by the heavy wind winter training. Some new names came to the fore to join the established favourites and the girls sailed particularly well – by the end of Sunday four are within the top 13.

At the end of the weekend with 8 races completed and one discard allowed, National Champion Phil Sparks (Royal Lymington Yacht Club) is leading on 8 points, having won 6 of the 8 races and several by a typically convincing margin. James Grant from Restronguet - who beat Phil to win the recent Joint Squads competition which concluded the winter training - has sailed intelligently and competently, and is currently second with the other 2 race wins and only 17 points. Some way behind the two clear leaders Alex Mothersele aged 15 from Emsworth Sailing Club has had the weekend of his life with a second, 3 thirds and a fourth and is lying third overall on 47 points.

At this stage others in contention for Worlds and Europeans team places are: 4th David Grant (Restronguet) only 2 points behind Alex on 49, 5th Anna Burnet (Royal Northern & Clyde) 72 points, 6th Ben Robinson (West Kirby SC) 76 points, 7th Aaron Smith (Papercourt) 87 points, 8th Christian Townrow (Restronguet) 90 points, 9th Calum Murdock (Lymington) 93 points, 10th Hermione Stanley (Oxford) 95 points, 11th Jane Sceales (Yarmouth) 99 points, 12th Tarra Gill Taylor (Spinnaker) 102 points and 13th Annabel Vose (Royal Southern) 103 points.

Just below these are several sailors with only a very small points disadvantage: Josh Sparks (Lymington) and Ben Harden (Burnham) on 106 points, and Craig Dibb (Warsash) on 113 points. And not far behind are a number of experienced sailors who would relish stronger winds at Pwllheli…so a lot could still change.

The competition will resume at the second Selections weekend to be held over the May Bank Holiday 5-7 May at Pwllheli Sailing Club.