Optimist Asian & Oceanian Championships - Day 1
by Icarus Sailing Media 26 Oct 2015 07:19 GMT
25-31 October 2015
Optimist Asian & Oceanian Championships day 1 © Jayaram Korambil
Welcome to Qatar and the magnificent city of Doha, that hosts the Optimist Asian and Oceanian Championship 2015. Organized by the Qatar Sailing & Rowing Federation under the authority of the International Optimist Dinghy Association, the event brings together all the young guns of Asia & Oceanic territory that will take their chances for the prestigious crown.
The opening ceremony took place yesterday afternoon with all the teams doing the Flag round representing their country, then the Qatari organizers welcomed all the guests with their speech and they enjoyed a wonderful dinner at the Qatar Sailing Club in Katara.
And the day opened with a bang as 119 boats lined up seeking the optimum position out on the race track. Not an easy task as among the fleet were the worlds top optimist sailors. Jodie Lai from Singapore, 2015 Optimist World title holder is here to add one more title to her palmare. Her first day was productive and she managed to easily achieve a place close to the top.
The first day of the event was really successful and the competitors enjoyed the favorable weather conditions. Two fleets and windspeed from light to medium were the best background for 3 neck to neck races. Racing in such big and tight fleets, wrong decisions were not an option. Sailors had to achieve a good start and collect some valuable points for the following days in order to have a chance for the podium.
The end of the day found all sailors back ashore enjoying the hospitality that Doha Sailing Club has always on offer. There is no time for rest as tomorrow teams will fight each other for podium glory. Can China defend its title or will Singapore would come up with the goods to reclaim the scepter? Find out tomorrow.