June 14, 2009 — More than 80 junior sailors from throughout the Caribbean and around the world will arrive on St. Thomas this week, along with coaches, families and friends, to take part in the 2009 Sea Star Clinic, Sea Star Team Racing Championships and then the 2009 Scotiabank International Optimist Regatta.
The Sea Star Clinic, a three-day instructional event taught by top international coaches, begins Monday and ends Wednesday.
"The idea of the clinic is to offer high level coaching to kids with a wide range of skill levels, from medium to advanced," said Agustin 'Argy' Resano, the USVI National Team coach who is heading up the clinic with Optisailor.com coaches Alejandro Sole, Puerto Rico National Team coach Gonzalo "Bocha" Pollitzer, and Manny Resano, with the invitation of BVI National Team coach Chris Watters, Spanish National Team coach Magda Resano and USA coach Justine O'Connor.
Each day of the three-day clinics will run from 8:30 p.m. to 5 p.m., featuring morning and afternoon sessions. Each session will start with a meeting before going out on the water and a video briefing after sailing. This allows two different sets of goals to be accomplished each day.
Cost of the clinic is $250 for all registrants; $225 for Green Fleet and Virgin Islands' residents, and includes breakfast and lunch for the three days.
The Sea Star Team Racing Regatta is scheduled for Thursday.
"Team racing is a different game," Resano explained. "The winning of a race by an individual sailor is not as important, but it is the combination of the entire teams scores that determines who wins. It is a very exciting sailing format where communication, strategy, and boat handling skills are keys to success. The courses are short so the positions turn around very quickly. The sailors have to constantly calculate the numbers in their heads to see if they are winning or loosing, and based on this they have to decide what action to take. There is no time to waste. All decisions have to be fast and the right ones. This is very exciting to watch too."
Twelve teams competed last year. Entry fee for the team racing is $150 per team of 4 or 5 sailors. Registration closes at 5 p.m. on Wednesday.
The Sea Star Race is followed by the three-day Scotiabank International Optimist Regatta, which kicks off Friday.
Junior sailors from age 8 to 15 years will represent all three U.S. Virgin Islands, the British Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, Trinidad, St. Maarten, the Dominican Republic, Spain and the U.S. mainland, among other places.
“Youth sailing provides wonderful physical, social and cultural opportunities for the kids and these parents are committed to providing the best for their children,” said regatta director Cindy Hackstaff. “This year, the Scotiabank International Optimist Regatta is a great way to practice for the Optimist North American Championships, which will start June 30 in Boca Chica, Dominican Republic.”
Hackstaff said two factors make the Scotiabank International Optimist Regatta special.
"We have an extremely high caliber of racing amongst the young sailors, plus we always have great sailing conditions.”
Final registration for the Scotiabank International Optimist Regatta will be Thursday. The three-day competition kicks off Friday. The regatta entry fee is $225, which includes an event rash guard, registration ‘goodie’ bag, and all meals from Thursday’s welcome party through Sunday's brunch.
Shoreside activities will include an opening "Parade of Nations," a welcome party attended by U.S. Virgin Islands’ Governor John P. deJongh, Jr., raffle, a Wii tournament and Caribbean-themed night that includes fire blowers. The fun culminates with a beachside brunch and awards ceremony June 21.
“Sailing offers many life-lessons that will serve young people well and can make them better members of our community. The sport teaches, focus, discipline, self-reliance and respect for the environment. It encourages youngsters to push themselves beyond their comfort zone and leads to the pursuit of excellence,” says Lawrence A. Aqui, vice president, Scotiabank, U.S. and British Virgin Islands. “These are all the qualities that Scotiabank values and promotes. We are proud to again be the title sponsor for the Scotiabank International Optimist Regatta.”
Further information can be obtained by sending an e-mail to Cindy Hackstaff or
Bill Canfield. The notice of regatta, registration forms and other information can be found at the St. Thomas Yacht Club website.
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