Singapore Optimist Nationals
by Carla Stanley 29 Jun 2012 14:02 BST
15-21 June 2012
Optimist Singapore nationals © Carla Stanley
Brits take on the best
Three members of the British 2012 Optimist Worlds Team, Max Clapp, Martin Wrigley and Jamie Calder travelled to Singapore with their coach Tim Saxton to compete in the Singapore Nationals as part of their world team training. Singapore has the record of producing some of the best junior sailors in the world and this was our chance to race them on their own water.
The event took place over four days from the Singapore Sailing Federation on East Coast Park and from the start Yukie Yokoyama SIN33 dominated the racing with three firsts and a third on the first day. She continued to win another four races of the 11 races and was almost 40 points ahead of Samuel Jie in second.
Full results can be found here.
Our boys found catching Yukie in the light sloppy conditions a challenge and even when ahead of her it was not for long. Bart Lambriex from NED who finished second at the 2011 Optimist World Championships in New Zealand at Christmas managed to win two races but finished sixth overall one place ahead of British sailor Max Clapp. Martin Wrigley had a mixed week challenged by the light conditions and a Black flag early on that cost him and he finished just outside the top ten at 13th. Jamie Calder found the lighter winds and speedy flee weight sailors more challenging than the conditions in Kiel at the Goldener Optimist two weeks previously where he had finished 8th.
While so far away the team did manage a Gin Sling (non-alcoholic for sailors!) in the famous Raffles Hotel and some shopping in Burgis St. The whole trip was financed by the Worlds team sponsor Pensanto, to whom they are very grateful.
The British team have one more event in Nieuwpoort, Belgium this weekend before they depart for the Worlds in the Dominican Republic in two weeks. The team can be followed on their blog.
British Optimist Worlds Team 2012
Milo Gill Taylor, Spinnaker Club, Max Clapp RSYC, Martin Wrigley Cardiff Bay YC, Jamie Calder Loch Tummel, Arran Holman Hollowell SC