Digicel Bermuda Open and National Optimist Championships

Digicel Bermuda Open and National Optimist Championships 2012 © Somers Cooper

Digicel Bermuda Open and National Optimist Championships 2012 © Somers Cooper

Digicel Bermuda Open and National Optimist Championships 2012 © Somers Cooper

An all time record number of Bermuda sailors competed in the Digicel Bermuda Open and National Optimist Championships over the 3 day Remembrance weekend in Bermuda. Of the 76 sailors racing in total, a record breaking 66 were Bermuda sailors split into 2 Fleets. Over 70% of them were from the RBYC Sailing Academy, the new RYA Training Centre recently established as part of the Royal Bermuda Yacht Club. RBYC Director of Sailing Tom Herbert-Evans and his Coaches Sean Evans and Paul Doughty are the energy behind a significant young Optimist Fleet building in Bermuda.

"Some of the younger sailors are already competing well with the older sailors and this weekend was no exception when the winds rarely dropped blow 18kts and were sometimes gusting to 28kts." said Herbert-Evans. The RYA Training Centre is one of the first of it's kind throughout the America's and is seen as a model from which junior sailing programmes can be launched and based upon the Bermuda experience with considerable success..

The RBYC Academy sailors picked up a number of the prizes from this weekend's racing in the Championship Fleet, including winner Benn Smith (13) who led all through the Digicel Nationals. He was pushed all the way by Peter Dill (14) who had Chase Cooper (14), Campbell Patton (11) and Mikey Wollmann (12) not far behind. In 6th and 7th place were the leading girls Ceci Wollmann (14) and Matilda Nicholls (11). Leading overseas sailors were Christian Ehrnrooth (SFYC, USA) in 10th and Vita Heathcote (Royal Lymington YC, GBR) 11th. There were also age category prizes as listed below.

Tom Coleman was the guest Coach of the Green Fleet, he has been a regular visitor to Bermuda and was thrilled to see so much good progress with Optimist sailing in Bermuda. There were 38 enthusiastic Green Fleet sailors ranging in age from 13 down to young Cameron Simmonds aged 6. Coleman was assisted by Bermuda Youth sailors Owen Seise and Makai Joell, both ex-Bermuda Optimist Champions. The challenging winds did not deter most of them and a great 3 days were had by all.

Bermuda Optimist Dinghy Association President Anthony Bailey said "I would like to congratulate our 2012 Champion Benn Smith on his great achievement, these young sailors keep on getting better."

Championship PRO Jay Hooper particularly enjoyed the high level of sportsmanship shown by most of the competitors, he singled out 3 in particular for the Peter Mitchell Sportsmanship Award, "This award is an important part of our sport, I am delighted to award this to Peter Dill, he sets an example others should follow".

Event Chairman Ben Nicholls said "We were thrilled by the number of Bermuda sailors wanting to come out and race their Optimists, there were tough conditions out there for these kids. The Bermuda Keelboat Nationals were also taking place, the adult sailors came ashore with utter respect for the youngsters who left the dock in the morning before the keelboats and returned home well after them as well! The big thing I noticed about this weekend is just how well the younger sailors in Bermuda are developing. The conditions at times were brutal this weekend, yet young sailors were regularly at the front of the races, their commitment to their practicing at their Clubs week in week out is clearly making a massive difference, I would particularly like to congratulate some of the newer sailors from the RBYC Sailing Academy Digicel Sailing Squad, who with less than a year's sailing experience sailed well all weekend."

Also sailing in Bermuda this weekend was sailing legend Lawrie Smith "It's great to see the kids out there working away all day in these near perfect sailing conditions", Lawrie was race training in a Dragon with Tim Tavenor of Petticrows in Burnham. Top Canadian sailor Andreas Josenhans of North Sails said "to see these young kids working so hard and returning home with big smiles is just fabulous, the RBYC Sailing Academy seems to have got the success formula right". British Etchell's sailor Jason Owen narrowly lost out on winning the Bermuda Etchell's Championships this weekend, "I love coming to sail in Brmuda, the waters, the friendships and the enthusiasm are simply fantastic. These Optimist kids at RBYC are really on a mission and very lucky to have such great coaches encouraging them on all the time."

RBYC Vice Commodore Somers Kempe thanked the event Title Sponsor Digicel for their help and encouragement of Junior sailing in Bermuda. A few months form now RBYC plays host to the IODA North American Optimist Championships where 180 boats are expexcted to participate.

Please see the full results [PDF] and more information at www.BODA.bm