USA Junior Olympic Sailing Festival at Pensacola Yacht Club - Day 1
by Talbot Wilson 1 Jul 2018 02:55 BST
29 June - 1 July 2018
Local sailor Gil Hackel (USA 21447) had the race of the day in the Optimist Class taking a come from behind victory in the only race completed - 2018 USA Junior Olympics © William Striege
Racing got off to a great start at the USA Junior Olympic Sailing Festival-Gulf Coast- at Pensacola Yacht Club on Saturday with racing in Laser classes, Club 420s and International Optimist dinghies. Local sailor Gil Hackel (USA 21447) had the race of the day in the Optimist Class taking a come from behind victory in the only race completed.
Hackel at 11 years old has been sailing Optimist dinghies since the USODA Optimist Nationals were held in Pensacola in 2015. He is a member of the USODA National team and has represented the USA in Belgium and Italy over the past year.
Today Gil got a decent start near the pin end of the starting line, but was seventh to the first weather mark. After the reaching leg he was in fifth and around the downwind mark he was in second.
Laura Hamilton was ahead and went to the left to cover the fleet going back upwind. Hackel thought the right was favored so he split away and did get a good shift and found a good lane to sail in. When they crossed tacks and entered a tacking duel up to the finish, Gil was able to take the win to sit in first place in the 27 boat fleet.
This was the only race of the day. A thunderstorm built in the west and moved toward Pensacola Bay and Principal Race Officer Hal Smith sent the boats safely back to the beach at Pensacola Yacht Club. Skies didn't clear in time for another race.
When asked how he took the lead, Hackel said, "It was luck... but not really luck. That was part of it."
"She (Laura Hamilton) went left," he continued, "thinking that covering the fleet behind us would be best."
"I felt like getting a lane to the right and then tacking back getting a righty would be smart. That's because in the first upwind there was a right shift, so I just went right, and trusted the right."
"Laura crossed back and it was a tacking battle to the finish and I managed the win."
Both Gil and Laura and the third place sailor, Madeline Janzen, from Southern Yacht Club in New Orleans are on the Lake Ontario Optimist Team (LOOT) that has been training and practicing in Pensacola for the past week. As a matter of fact, the top eight places out of the 27 Opti racers went to LOOT team members. Practice pays.
In the Laser Radial Class Matthew Dupuy from Pontchartrain Yacht Club took the day's race with James Simkins and Addison Jones both of Pensacola in second and third. Eight lasers are entered.
Five boats are entered in the two person Club 420 class. Two teams from Southern Yacht Club led the day, Emily Alfortish and Scott Sonnier are in First followed by Claire Housey and Mallory Edwards. Isabel Smith and Windley Sanders from the Birmingham Sailing Club are in third.
Less experienced and younger opti skippers raced more informally on a 'Green Fleet' course set just for them. They sailed two races and Claire Hackel, Gil's younger sister won them both.
Pensacola Yacht Club (PYC) has made the JO's an annual special event for youth sailing for almost two decades. This year will be no exception. Some of these young Optimist Dinghy sailors will use this regatta as a training event for the Optimist National Championships scheduled at PYC July 13-22. In that week, some 350-400 sailors, 8-15 years old, will be racing for the top Opti prizes on Pensacola Bay in the four-day overall National Championship, the Girls National Championship, and the three-day Team Racing National Championships.
The Notice of Race includes the following Schedule of Events:
Friday June 29, 2018
0900-1600 Clinics for Opti and Opti Green, 420 and Laser
1500 – 1800 Early Check-in for Coaches and Sailors
1730- Mandatory Race Committee Meeting
1800- Mandatory Safety Committee Meeting
Saturday June 30, 2018
0730 – 0830 Continental Breakfast and Check-in;
0845 Opening Ceremony
0900 Skippers, Coaches and Parents Meeting (Mandatory)
1155 First Warning
Lunch on the water
Sunday July 1, 2018
0730 – 0830 Continental Breakfast
1055 First Warning
Lunch on the water
1500 No first Warning Signal after this time
After Racing Awards ceremony