The deluge of rain stopped just in time to allow 80 young sailors from around Canada to hoist their sails in the Canadian Optimist Dinghy Sailing Championship.听
鈥淚t was the first time the national championship was held in Squamish,鈥� said Garry Cotter, the Squamish Yacht Club co-chair of the event.听
The two-week regatta kicked off on Aug. 28 with a week of training before the race horn blew. Youth ages eight to 14 set out in square-shaped Optimists to put their skills to the test.听
Optimists are stable dinghies but are not the easiest boats to sail, Cotter said. As such, it takes understanding of the sport and good technique to get the Optimists to go to windward.听
鈥淚t really teaches the children a lot,鈥� said Cotter.
The regatta was divided into fleets based on experience and age category. The green and silver fleets are intended to provide sailors with opportunities to develop skills and experience a major sailboat race. The green fleet competes but is not classified at the end of the race.听
The white fleet is for sailors not yet comfortable in winds stronger than 15 knots, while the gold fleet is aimed at top-level sailors vying for a spot on the national team for next year鈥檚 world championship in Portugal.听
Four Squamish sailors competed in the green and white fleet races. Lynnette Conn, 10, and Grayson Blann, 11, crossed the line in the green fleet.
鈥淭hey sailed very well,鈥� Cotter said, adding it is an amazing experience for them to be in a race with 22 other sailors.听
Benn Sweeny, 10, and Adrian Conn, 12, competed in the white fleet. They placed 11th and 12th overall respectively. Adrian placed first in green fleet and Sweeny took bronze in his age category of 10 and under.听
鈥淭hey did great,鈥� Cotter said.听
The gold fleet championship was split into two divisions based on age. Ethan Kinsman, from Royal Vancouver Yacht Club, won gold for the oldest age group. Georgia Phillips of Toronto was first across the line for the younger division.听
Approximately 200 people came out for the event, which was co-hosted with the West Vancouver Yacht Club. The championships presented an opportunity for Squamish to place itself firmly on the yachting radar, Cotter said.听
听鈥淲e had a bunch of Canadian yachting officials from out east in town,鈥� he said, adding some sailors had come from as far away as Florida and Bermuda.听
The feedback from the visiting teams, coaches and sailors was overwhelmingly positive, Cotter continued.听
鈥淭hey would like us to run it again in three years,鈥� he said. The regatta rotates from the east coast to interior and west coast every year.听
Cotter hopes the championships will build on Squamish鈥檚 reputation as a town of sails. There鈥檚 been talk among the community of creating a sailing centre as a part of the Squamish Oceanfront development plans.听
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鈥淭here has been lots and lots of interest to see more sailing here.鈥�
