Cayman sailors competing in Europe
(L-R) Sailors Jaspar Nielsen, George Hider and Matheo Capasso
(CNS Local Life): Three young sailors from the Cayman Islands Sailing Club are representing their country at two high-profile regattas in Europe. Matheo Capasso, George Hider and Jaspar Nielsen, all students at Cayman International School, are competing in the 36th Lake Garda Optimist Meeting, in Italy, through 1 April. The three will be among the almost 1,400 sailors estimated to be participating in the five-day regatta.
The event is expected to break its own Guinness World Record for the largest single-class regatta in the world, of which the Cayman sailors will be a part, stated a press release.
The unique regatta also featured a country cup one-day race, held 28 March, where the top-ranking sailor from each entering country was invited to participate. Capasso only found out about his invitation the day before so wasn’t able to plan an earlier arrival date. His invitation marked the first time a Cayman sailor was asked to take part in the event.
After arriving in Italy the morning of 28 March, Cayman’s sailors and their coach drove three hours to Lake Garda, hoping to make the start of the first of the three races in the cup but did not get there in time. Capasso sailed in the second race and finished mid-fleet, ahead of the winner of a regatta earlier this year in Palamos, Spain, in which more than 550 sailors took part. The third race was cancelled due to lack of wind.
From Italy, the Cayman sailors will head to the Netherlands to compete at the smaller International Opti Spring Regatta, which is expected to attract about 200 competitors. The event should prove challenging, with cool temperatures and high winds, as well as be a good test for Cayman’s young fleet of their readiness to compete at the North American Championships to be held in Mexico at the end of June, stated the press release. The three will be joined in Mexico by their teammate James Costa.
Capasso and Hider will then go on to compete at the World Championships in Cyprus at the end of August. These events will mark the first time the Cayman Islands will send a full team of four sailors to the North American Championships and a team to the Worlds.
The sailors will be also competing at home in Cayman over the long weekend in May, against an international fleet.
How exciting. Let’s hope they make it to the race in time to compete!