Newport, RI (Aug. 10, 2022) – Youth sailors from the Lake Ontario Optimist Team (LOOT) have captured the top six slots overall in the 2022 USODA New England Championships. After two days of racing, LOOT sailors have shown their skills with impressive results. The sailors are Finnegan Grainger (Miami, FL), Travis Greenberg (Scituate, MA) also of St. Francis Yacht Club, Wylder Smith (Guilford, CT), Ethan Thompson (Pembroke, BER), Miles Cundy (Summit, NJ), and Sydney Small (Houston, TX), leading the regatta in places one through six, respectively, going into the last day of racing tomorrow.
Green Fleet sailors, mostly novices to racing, also sailed today in the area between Rose and Goat Islands. The focus of the Green Fleet is on learning and fun until they have enough skill ,or age into the Championship Division. Twenty-two Green Fleet sailors are participating in this week’s regatta.
It was a light breeze that stayed northerly all day at 5-6 knots. Later in the afternoon, the breeze shifted, and the Optimist Trapezoid course was shifted to the right in the racing area near Potters Cove. The current was a massive factor for all sailors opposing the starts and presenting a challenging upwind leg to the first mark.
Because of the large number of 178 registered boats, the Championship Division is split into three color fleets for separate starts. Four races were finished today, adding to yesterday’s two for a total of six races completed in the series thus far.
The Opti event traditionally draws sailors from many states and countries because of Newport’s excellent sailing venue.and Sail Newport’s expertise in race management. Also, the event is designated as a Team Trials qualifier by the United States Optimist Dinghy Association (USODA). Eligible sailors are participating in Newport to qualify for the next Team Trials to take place in St. Petersburg, FL, next May.
The Team Trials top finishers will earn some sailors a U.S. berth to the world championship.
The participants in Newport this week include youth sailors from Bermuda, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands and 15 U.S states, including CA, CT, DE, FL, IL, MA, MD, ME, NJ, NY, PA, RI, SC, TX, and VT.
Racing tomorrow harbor starts at 8:45 am off of the Beach in Brenton Cove at Sail Newport.