A record number of 35 young sailors from 6 Caribbean islands are registered and gearing up for the 11th Annual Sol St. Maarten Optimist Championship to be held November 7th & 8th in Simpson Bay.
This two day international sailing event is sponsored by Sol St. Maarten, featuring both male and female sailors ages 8 to 15, competing in the one-design Optimist class sailing dinghies. It is the second largest Optimist-only event in this part of the world and attracts some of the best young sailors in the Caribbean. The organizing authority is the St. Maarten Yacht Club which has successfully hosted this event for the past 11 years.
Yacht Club officials are elated to have 6 different islands and so many competitors entering this year including Anguilla (5), Antigua (5), Curacao (7), St. Barths (7), St. Maarten (4), and Tortola (7), supporting its status as a qualifying regatta for the Optimist World Championship which will be held next year in Vilamoura, Portugal in June 2016.
The regatta will be divided into two classes, by age and ability. Blue being the top class, and Orange featuring the intermediate sailors. Trophies will be awarded to 1st, 2nd, and 3rd in each class, as well as a Sportsmanship Trophy and “Top Girl” in each class.
St. Maarten Yacht Club Youth Sailing Coach Neil Maher has also confirmed the Sol Optimist Championship has been signed up officially as a “Clean Regatta.” “This means will be thinking about our trash management, encouraging refilling water bottles and educating the kids in keeping everything clean,” says Maher. Maher has just taken part in the 3 day CSA (Caribbean Sailing Association) Conference held this past weekend here on St. Maarten at Divi Resort.
Mr. David Antrobus, General Manager for Sol’s Operation in St. Maarten expressed Sol’s continued support of the event. He remarked, “Sol is pleased to continue its support of the Sol Optimist Championship international sailing event. Marine activity is an integral part of everyday life in the region and we are happy to be able to facilitate the transfer of life skills obtained through sport. We look forward to another successful year and are pleased to support the Optimist sailors as the official fuel partner.”
Mr. Antrobus also thanked the organizers for their commitment to hosting the event and commended them on their efforts of further developing the event. “The Optimist sailors in the region continue to show great interest in the growth of this sailing event and they must be applauded.”
Spectators will be able to watch the event from Simpson Bay Beach. If the event is not held outside in Simpson Bay waters due to weather, it will be held in the lagoon and spectators can watch the competitors rigging up at the Sint Maarten Yacht Club and sailing off to the start line in the lagoon. Racing starts at 9:30 Saturday and 9:00 Sunday.
