Only four points separated the top five sailors going into the third and final day of racing at the 20th Scotiabank International Optimist Regatta, held out of the St. Thomas Yacht Club this weekend. And after three final races in 12- to 15-knot winds, it came down to a tie-breaker Sunday to make 14-year-old Will Logue, from Riverside, Conn., the overall winner, topping nearly 100 other sailors.
“I didn’t do well in the second race this morning, so it was really close. But I came back strong in the last race to win,” Logue said. “My strategy is always to stay positive and do the best I can.”
This was Logue’s first trip to the Caribbean, and he was enjoying it. “What I really like here are the heavy winds,” he said. “It was great sailing.”
Logue won not only the overall championship, but also the 13- to 15-year-old Red Fleet.
In the 11- to 12-year old Blue Fleet, it was Ivan Shestopalov from Miami who finished first.
“The winds were very consistent and that’s what I need, heavy air,” said Shestopalov, who added that he would be staying on St. Thomas another week with his team to train before leaving for the Optimist World Championships in the Dominican Republic in July.
Thad Lettsome from the British Virgin islands won the age 10 and under White Fleet – an impressive feat as Lettsome has been sailing only a little over one year in the Royal BVI Yacht Club Sailing Program.
“It was fun,” said Lettsome. “It was also the biggest regatta I’ve sailed in to date. I just tried to stay left or right, whatever direction the wind was coming from.”
The Dominican Republic’s Justina Pacheco earned the Top Girl award.
“I always tried to read the wind shifts correctly and get good starts,” said Pacheco of her strategy for success.
In the beginner Green Fleet, it was Mateo DiBlasi from St. John who took a commanding lead to win.
“I always went where there was the most wind,” said the 9-year-old DiBlasi. “Now, my next race I get to go in White Fleet. That will be hard, but I’m ready.”
The USA’s Logue also won the Pete Ives Award, given for a combination of sailing prowess, sportsmanship, determination and good attitude both on and off the water.
Meanwhile, the V.I.’s Maggie Finley earned the Chuck Fuller Sportsmanship Award.
A record 127 sailors competed in the Advanced Red, Blue and White Fleets and beginner Green Fleet. The Advanced Fleets completed 11 races and the Green Fleet a total of 16 races over the three days of competition. Sailors hailed from 16 nations around the world – Antigua, the Bahamas, Barbados, Bermuda, the British Virgin Islands, Canada, Curacao, Dominican Republic, Mexico, Puerto Rico, Russia, Spain, St. Maarten, Trinidad & Tobago, the USA and USVI.
The Scotiabank International Optimist Regatta, organized under authority of the Virgin Islands Sailing Association and a Caribbean Sailing Association-sanctioned event, has been sponsored by Scotiabank almost since the event’s inception. The week started off with the Sea Star Clinic, run from coaches from OptiSailors.com, and included the one-day Sea Star Team Race on June 21, which was won by the USA Worlds Team.
RESULTS :
RED FLEET
1. Will Logue, Connecticut, USA (37)
2. Romain Screve, California, USA (37)
3. Nic Muller, Florida, USA (38)
BLUE FLEET
1. Ivan Shestopalov, Florida, USA (39)
2. Wiley Rogers, Texas, USA (82)
3. Maria Paz Pacheco, Dominican Republic (153)
WHITE FLEET
1. Thad Lettsome, BVI (242)
2. Rayne Duff, BVI (247)
3. Zane Rogers, Texas, USA (256)
GREEN FLEET
1. Mateo DiBlasi, St. John, USVI (23)
2. Luke Sanford, St. Croix, USVI (48T)
3. Mia Nicolosi, St. Thomas, USVI (48T)
For full results, visit www.regattanetwork.com and for more information about the regatta, visit www.styc.net
