Optimist Team Racing US National Championship - Day 2
by Talbot Wilson 21 Jul 2015 08:33 BST
19-21 July 2015
Day 2 of the USODA Team Race National Championship © Talbot Wilson
Young Opti sailors in Pensacola. Florida for the USODA Team Race National Championship had a merry marathon of racing Monday in Day 2 of their regatta. Sunday's racing was cut short by nearby lightning. Circle A had completed twelve races on Sunday while Circle B finished eleven. Monday was brilliant. Both circles completed the 78-race round robin.
The committee decided to cover their bases after loosing so many race opportunities on Sunday. With the mandatory round robin completed, they decided to amend the format and go straight to the round robin between the top four teams from each circle for the medals. They didn't want to face another set of afternoon thunderstorms and fail to finish the sail-off for the championship.
Circle A Preliminary Qualifying Series overall standings have
Long Island Sound's LISOT Black, Newport Rhode Island's BCRP Red, Lake Ontario's LOOT 2, and Fishing Bay Virginia's FBYC moving into the medal round.
Circle B Preliminary Qualifying Series overall standings find the top four as New Jersey's Colie Elite Racing Team CERT, Lake Ontario's LOOT 1, and Houston Texas teams Lakewood Red and Lakewood Blue. They join the Circle A top four in an eight boat round robin for the USODA Team Race Championship title.
The next four boats from each circle will sail in the silver fleet sail-off.
During the lightning delay on Sunday we talked with LOOT team members and the mother of two of the sailors, Katinia Blauvelt who told us while team racing is special. "What makes team racing unique,' she said, "is that it takes teamwork and strategy. Team racing teaches kids to reach their goals."
LOOT team-member Charlie Savard talked about teamwork and 'chatter.' He said, "There are two kinds of chatter. If you are yelling at your own team, you are telling them to tack or gybe because you may have a better angle to see the action. If you are yelling at the other team, you are yelling about your rights, your right of way on the course. We are a team and work together in a group."
Teams have code words that they use for their communication and may have times when what they say means for their teammate to do just the opposite.
The USODA Team Race National Championship, the first event of this sailing trifecta of youth championship regattas started Sunday. Team racing concludes on Tuesday. With the 86-boat USODA Girls National Championship on Wednesday and the boys and girls racing in the 306-boat USODA National Championship, this is the biggest week of sailboat races in the history of Pensacola, Northwest Florida and Pensacola Yacht Club.
www.usoda2015nationals