Young sailors make Barbados proud
Web Posted - Fri Jul 09 2004

Barbados’ young sailors continue to impress at international competitions bringing much glory to their country.
The youngsters started their international campaign early this year at the Schoelcher competition in Martinique where ten-year olds, Amy Cox and Sarah Douglas, brought home first and second place trophies for Barbados.

Following that fine display, Barbados’ Optimist Dinghy sailing team continued to put Barbados on the map at a number of international and regional events.

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Compliments of the Barbados Advocate

Web Posted - Wed Aug 25 2004

Five young Barbadian sailors, Jason Tindale, Lily Dash, Holly Trew, Gregory Douglas and Sarah Douglas are now back in Barbados from Ecuador after a two week trip to compete in the International Optimist Dinghy Association World Championships in Salinas, Ecuador.

The youngsters competed in the 8-15 age group and faced some tough opposition as they competed against 234 competitors from 54 countries. Despite being exposed to foreign conditions in Ecuador, the young sailors dawned full cold weather gear and braved the cold.

Each competitor was required to sail 15 races with an average of three races a day and were in the water from around 10:30 a.m. until 4:30 p.m. Competitors were evenly divided into groups so that each race consisted of three starts of around 78 boats.

Young Tindale was Barbados’ best performer at these World Championships. The young sailor received the highest rank by a Barbadian competitor at the World Championships with the position of 98, and he also finished third in the Long Distance Race and received a Salinas Yacht Club Cup.

Fellow compatriot, Gregory Douglas also performed well in the Long Distance Race, receiving a plaque at the official Closing Ceremony in recognition of his seventh placed finish in that event.

China’s Wei Ni is the new World Champion, finishing ahead of competitors from New-Zealand and Spain who finished in second and third positions respectively. In the girls’ division, Tina Lutz of Germany came first while Peru and the United States of America were second and third respectively.

It was the first time at the Word Championships for the three younger female members of the team and although they didn’t rank highly overall, they have gained immense experience from that level of competition and this will stand them in good sted for future competitions.

Coach Peter “Wipers” Hoad and chaperones, Dale Douglas and Peter Douglas, felt that the Barbadian team behaved in a responsible and disciplined manner and they were pleased with their efforts.

All the competitors enjoyed a great camaraderie with other teams, as they exchanged memorabilia from their respective countries at the Closing Ceremony.

The next World Championship takes place next summer in Switzerland.

Compliments of the Barbados Advocate

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