2013 Laser Junior National Championship

2013 Bahamas Junior Laser Nationals Press Release:

Over the weekend of September 14-15 Grand Bahama Sailing Club hosted the 2013 Bahamas Laser Junior Nationals. Competitors from Freeport, Nassau, and Abaco traveled to Grand Bahama for their chance at winning the National 4.7 and Radial Championship titles.

Thirteen competitors took part in this competitive sailing event. The typical regatta format in the Bahamas follows a strict schedule with racing on Saturday and Sundays. For this particular event, the skippers were expected to complete 4 races on Saturday and an additional 3 races on Sunday, 7 races would complete the series. As the competitors from the surrounding islands arrived in Freeport, the equipment and boats were all checked and rigged according to the sailor’s specific criteria. This prepares the sailor and the boat for the long weekend of racing.

On Saturday morning, sailors were met with a very calm sea. The water was flat with no wind in sight. The forecast throughout the day was also dismal, causing a postponement and delay in racing. In the early afternoon, the race committee noticed a slight breeze and the decision to tow the 13 Lasers towards the southern shore was announced. After a quick tow through the Grand Lucayan Waterway all the competitors were able to scope out the racecourse, trying to get an edge on the rest of the fleet.

Photo: Laser 4.7 and Laser Radials sailing downwind on a “run”.

On Saturday conditions ranged from 4-8 knots of breeze from the southeast. Despite a delay in the morning, all 4 scheduled races were completed. Paul De Souza and Branden Sands resulted in a commanding lead in both the Radial & 4.7 divisions with straight bullets.

Photo: Branden Sands finishing with another 1^st Place (bullet)

On Sunday there was a short postponement due to thunderstorms, but racing was quickly underway. Winds were from the southeast around 10-13 knots, which died throughout the day. Three races were completed for a total of 7 races in the series. In the 4.7 division Branden Sands was challenged by Tom Paine, who ousted Branden in race 5. Branden was quickly able to adjust to the heavier winds and took 1^st in race 6 & 7. In the Radial division Paul De Souza placed 1^st in all but one race.

Congratulations to Branden Sands from Cherokee Sound, Abaco – the 2013 Bahamas Junior 4.7 Laser Champion.

Congratulations to Paul De Souza from Nassau, New Providence – the 2013 Bahamas Junior Radial Laser Champion.

Both Branden and Paul sailed with excellent technique in the light and windy conditions. The next regatta on the Bahamas Sailing schedule is over the weekend of September 21-22. Royal Nassau Sailing Club will be hosting their annual Mix-Up regatta in the Optimist, Laser, Snipe, and Sunfish classes. 

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GBSC Mix-UP Regatta

2013 GBSC Mix-UP Regatta

Freeport, Grand Bahama

June 22-23 

Over the weekend of June 22-23 over 35 sailors arrived at Grand Bahama Sailing Club for the 2nd Annual GBSC Mix-UP Regatta. Sailors traveled from Abaco, Harbour Island, and Nassau to compete in the Optimist, Flying Junior, and Laser class dinghies. The regatta weekend presented beautiful conditions for the sailors, providing great and competitive races.  

The competitors arrived at the GBSC clubhouse early Saturday morning and prepared 24 boats for racing. Each boat is classified as a one-design dinghy, meaning all the boats and equipment are the same. This means the sailors are ranked by their performance, rather than their equipment. 

There were 4 divisions in this regatta:

A - The Flying Junior - A double-handed boat controlled by a skipper and crew. These boats are very popular in the collegiate sailing scene. 

B - The Laser Radial - A single-hand dinghy that is very popular internationally in the world of sailing. It's known for being very technical and physically demanding. 

C - Championship Optimist - A popular boat for children under the age of 15. Championship sailors have racing experience. 

D - Green Optimist - Green sailors have limited regatta experience, their goal is to have fun and learn as much as they can. 

Conditions on Saturday were perfect. The sun was out and the wind was light to moderate at 7-10 knots of breeze. The sailors raced a simple windward / leeward course, allowing them to beat upwind to round the windward mark, then head straight downwind on a run to the leeward mark. Four (4) races were completed in the morning, where sailors then enjoyed a packed lunch on the sand bar in front of Banana Bay. The tide was extremely low, which allowed sailors to relax before sailing again in the afternoon. After lunch, two (2) more races were completed for a total of six (6) races. Three (3) protests were filed, resulting in one disqualification. All the sailors and volunteers enjoyed a casual Taco Night Social at the GBSC clubhouse. 

Sunday morning presented slightly windier conditions. The wind was from the southwest at 10-15knots, which made conditions difficult for the Optimist Green sailors, who are new to sailboat racing. However, the heavier breeze made for some very close racing. Three (3) races were completed as scheduled. Two (2) protests were filed, resulting in one disqualification. The regatta ended with a total number of nine (9) races. 

The regatta was scored with individual divisions and then the scores were combined to determine the overall best performing team. 

Individual Division Results:

A Division - Flying Junior
	Team
	Grand Bahama 1 - Trevor Goodrum & Audrey O'Brien
	Abaco - Dean Bethel & Cassidy Adams
	Grand Bahama 2 - Alexander Thompson & Lian LeBlanc
	Harbour Island - Azlan Imlach & Laquille Cleare
	Nassau 1 - Paul De Souza & Dwayne Dames
	Nassau 2 - Nathaniel Burnside & Andrew Hennis

B Division - Laser Radial
	Team
	Nassau 2 - Pedro Rahming
	Grand Bahama 2 - Nick Rolle
	Grand Bahama 1 - Eric Nabb
	Abaco - Tim Sands
	Harbour Island - Wesley Cleare
	Nassau 1

C Division - Opti Championship
	Team
	Grand Bahama 1 - Branden Sands
	Harbour Island - Malisha Higgens
	Grand Bahama  2 - Britni Thompson
	Nassau 2 - Richard Estime
	Abaco - Chloe Sweeting
	Nassau 1 - Tahj Ramirez

D Division - Opti Green
	Team
	Harbour Island - Joshua Higgens
	Nassau 1 - Piaget Munroe
	Grand Bahama 1 - Bridget Aylen / Henry Aylen
	Grand Bahama 2 - Dylan Thompson
	Abaco - Rachel Sands
	Nassau 2 - Skyler Saunders

	Overall Team Results:
	Team	A - FJ	Laser Radial	Opti Champ	Opti Green	TOTAL
	Grand Bahama 1	13	23	10	30	76
	Grand Bahama 2	24	21	25	35	105
	Harbour Island	40	44	23	19	126
	Abaco	19	43	36	42	140
	Nassau 2	47	16	35	55	153
	Nassau 1	52	54	37	27	170

Congratulations to Grand Bahama Sailing Club team #1 (Trevor Goodrum, Audrey O'Brien, Eric Nabb, Branden Sands, Bridget and Henry Aylen) for winning the 2013 GBSC Mix-UP Regatta. 

Grand Bahama Sailing Club would like to thank all the volunteers who made the regatta possible and the traveling teams for joining us for the Mix-UP Regatta. We hope to see more sailors next year. 

Find more photos at Grand Bahama Sailing Club's Facebook Page. 

David Valentine

Mobile 727 SAIL

david.valentine@grandbahamasailingclub.org

Director of Sailing GBSC

www.grandbahamasailingclub.org

Bahamas Laser Junior National Championships- Article by Kathryn De Souza

The Bahamas Laser Junior National Championships was held at the Grand Bahamas Sailing Club in Freeport on September 22-23^rd.  Young sailors from across the Bahamas competed for the title of National Champion. Paul de Souza, hot off his recent Sunfish Junior National Championship victory, clinched the title of Laser Junior National Champion. Hot on his heals was Paul’s friend and rival Spencer Cartwright, who finished in 2^nd place, just one point behind Paul.  Allande “AJ” Forbes, who represented the Bahamas in the Optimist World Championship along with Paul and Spencer, finished an impressive 3^rd overall.

A series of 7 races were held on Sunday, as the sailors were unable to compete on Saturday due to severe weather conditions. The competitors made the best of the rain day by playing sports and feasting on the delicious food prepared by the Grand Bahamas Yacht Club and others. 

The 6^th race proved to be one of the most exciting of the day, when Spencer sailed to the finish ahead of Paul, leaving the two sailors tied for first going in to the last race. According to Coach Robert Dunkley, the most exciting part of the regatta was watching Spencer and Paul battle it out for first.  “In the last race, Spencer was over the start line early and had to double back. This left Paul out in front and Spencer sailed down the entire fleet other than Paul in the first leg. Both quickly left the rest of the fleet behind and battled it out over the next four legs. Paul covered him like a champ and there was no way he was going to let Spencer pass him. It was a fun race to watch”, commented Coach Dunkley. Spencer wished he had sailed the last race more conservatively, but he proved he was a tough competitor by not letting a problem at the start keep him from trying to win. Paul said “Spencer always pushes me to sail my best. Today I sailed my best, and I was happy with how I did”.

Coach Dunkley described the wind conditions as” light and shifty” which often favors the lighter sailors. A Pre-race favorite and 5^th place finisher Pedro Rahming felt the wind conditions were disappointing , as he had been training in heavier winds during the three weeks leading up to the regatta. He commented that he plans to focus more on “”the conditions instead of the sailors” at the next regatta. Spencer Cartwright commented that the “conditions were strange because the waves were coming at a different direction than usual.”  

 AJ worked hard to fend off the other sailors to maintain his place in 3^rd overall.  Fellow competitor Mishael Taffin said his favorite race in the regatta was the 4^th race, where “I somehow managed to overtake AJ near the finish but sadly he was just too fast on the upwind.” Mishael went on to say, “The challenge was worth it as I managed a fourth place finish in that race.” Spencer was impressed with fellow sailor Tyler Cartwright, who was the only sailor from Long Island. Spencer commented that he “admired Tyler’s determination.”  Paul felt the team from Freeport displayed excellent sportsmanship during the regatta. 

Coach Dunkley is certainly proud of his sailors, and is impressed with the improvements they have shown over the last year. However, they “still have a long way to go to compete at the top international level” according to Coach Dunkley.  He went on to say  “with the enthusiasm and dedication of the sailors to their sport along with the support of our local sponsors and good coaching, it will not be long before we will be seeing them in the winner’s circle at major international events.”

Event: Laser Junior National Championships 2012

9-22-12: Regatta report - Day 1: Early morning thunderstorms postponed racing hour after hour on the first day of Laser Nationals. Unfortunately, once the storms cleared around 1:30pm the southern shore was left with 0 knots of wind. At 2pm racing was called for the day as the forecast predicted more rain and little chance of wind. Zero races were completed today. On the positive side - the sailors enjoyed

 an amazing breakfast prepared by Sofia Thompson (Pancakes, eggs, sausage, & coffee cake), multiple games of extreme souse (Freeport vs Nassau, we're not sure who won), and other versions of non-regulated tennis. Jason Thompson grilled some great burgers for the evening Social and everyone seemed to enjoy a long day "off" the water. 3 races need to be completed Sunday to constitute a regatta series.

9-23-12: Regatta report- Day 2: 7 races completed today in light conditions to finish up the 2012 Bahamian Laser Junior National Championships.



Final Results:
1) Paul De Souza
2) Spencer Cartwright
3) Alande Forbes
4) Nick Rolle
5) Pedro Rahming
Link to Full Score Sheet.

Elliot DeGregory, 1st place in Laser 4.7 Division

Paul DeSouza, 1st place Overall and in Radial Division

Four boats battling for the lead in the first downwind leg. Pedro Rahming (637), Trevor Goodrum (477), Alex Thompson (390) and Spencer Cartwright (135)

Alex Thompson, Nicholas Rolle, and Nikolas Olssen rounding the windward mark

More info, results, and photos to be posted as we receive them!

Event: ISAF Youth Sailing World Championships 2012 Young Bahamian Set for 2012 Four Star Pizza ISAF Youth Worlds

Eric Nabb, who is only fourteen years old, won The Bahamas National Laser Radial (singlehanded) division in November last year and has now qualified to represent the Bahamas at the 2012 Four Star Pizza ISAF Youth Sailing World Championships.
He will be the third Bahamian to ever compete at this stage and age for his country. Young Nabb is part of a phenomenal sailing program that began five years ago in Grand Bahama and has produced a group of confident sailors and independent young men and women... (Continued)