The Caribbean Sailing Association(CSA) sanctioned Caribbean Dinghy Championships were held in Antigua over the weekend of November 17 and 18, 2013, hosted jointly by Antigua Yacht Club and Antigua’s National Sailing Academy. Five Caribbean nations participated in the event including Barbados, the British Virgin Islands, Trinidad and Tobago, St. Maarten and Antigua and Barbuda. The race conditions were challenging with light and variable winds but between eight and ten races were held for each class over the course of the weekend.
Race Officer and Treasurer of the CSA, Kathy Lammers, said: ‘The national teams love this event and the opportunity it gives them to compete regionally for a championship title. It is excellent for the development of sailing in the Caribbean and is an event that the Caribbean Sailing Association will continue to support in years to come.’
The Zoom 8 class was won by Antigua and Barbuda 1’s Rocco Falcone with 7 points. Second place was taken by Thad Lettsome of the British Virgin Islands with 16 points and third place went to Antigua and Barbuda 2’s Louis Bavay.
In the Optimist class Rayne Duff of the British Virgin Islands took the title with straight first place finishes for a total of 7 points. Daniel Smit of Antigua and Barbuda 2 finished in second place with 20 points and Maria Eldridge of Antigua and Barbuda 1 finished in third with 22 points on a tie-breaker with Carson Gifford of St. Maarten.
The Laser Pico class was also won with a total of 7 points, this time by Rhone Kirby and River Andrews of Antigua and Barbuda 1. In second place were Sam Morrell and James Dawson of the British Virgin Islands with 15 points and in third place were Joshua Ho and Meiling Chan Chow of Trinidad and Tobago with 21 points.
Kelly Ann Arrindell of Trinidad and Tobago took the win in the Laser Radial class with 15 points. Antigua and Barbuda 2’s Jules Mitchell took second place with 24 points and Amy Cox of Barbados finished third with 26 points.
The Laser class was very hotly contested with the winner being decided by half a point. Gregory Athill sailing for the British Virgin Islands won with 23.5 points, Jason Tindale of Barbados finished second with 24 points and Frits Bus of St. Maarten took third place with 25 points. Louis Fitzgerald of Antigua and Barbuda 1 finished right behind in fourth place with only 26 points.
The team trophy was awarded to the team with the fewest points. This year’s Caribbean Dinghy Championship team was British Virgin Islands with a total of 92.5 points. Congratulations to Thad Lettsome, Rayne Duff, Sam Morrell, James Dawson, Matthew Oliver and Gregory Athill.
The organisers express their thanks to the competitors and their coaches for taking part in the event, to the volunteers who worked hard all weekend to ensure the success of the event, and to the many sponsors who helped make the Caribbean Dinghy Championships possible including Horizons Antigua, Premier Beverages, Club Sushi, United Insurance Company Limited, Budget Marine Antigua and the Caribbean Sailing Association.
Full results for individual class and country can be viewed here.
Photo Credit – Kevin Johnson – www.kevinjohnsonphotography.com
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