Young sailors retain regatta crown
(L-R) Ava Hider and Charlotte Webster, who took first place in the Pico class
(CNS): Two young sailors were repeat winners in their class in the Captain Leroy Watson East End Regatta held at the Reef Resort 23-24 January. Last year’s defending champions, Ava Hider, 13, and Charlotte Webster, 11, again took first place in the Laser Pico class, which involved nine boats competing in six races over the two days.
Following Sunday’s races, global sailing legend Ian Walker, the winning skipper of Abu Dhabi in the 2015 Volvo Ocean Race, made an appearance. Walker will also be speaking at the Cayman Islands Sailing Club at 6:15pm today (29 January). Club members as well as the general public are invited to attend.
Six Lasers also competed, with an extra strong current and the northwest breeze creating a challenging course. The athletes were exhausted after racing, and were treated to a barbeque planned by their parents.
The next day the conditions were much more favourable. The course was made slightly longer and parts of it began to make some boats run aground, adding more excitement to the races.
Parents lined the beach beside the course to watched the competition and provide support between races. Four races were sailed on Sunday to decide the winners in both fleets.
In the Pico fleet, Ian and George Hider took second, and Fenna Madison and Chloe Bentick-Lalli came in third. In the Laser fleet, Andres McDermot took first place followed by Allena Rankine in second and Jesse Jackson in third.
Category: Sports
