Seventy eight boats, including at least four from Cayman and others from around The Bahamas, are on course to cross the starting line in various divisions in what is expected to be a tight series of races in the hotly contested Bahamas Junior Optimist Nationals set for October 1-2. It will be the first time the five-year local history of the event that it will be held in Grand Bahama.
“The kids are really excited about this for a number of reasons,” said senior sailing instructor Robert Dunkley, now the official instructor after years of volunteering with others who give countless afternoons and weekend hours to make the junior sailing program possible. “For most of these sailors, it will be their first time competing against Opti sailors from another country and for many, especially those from Governor's Harbour, Harbour Island, Long Island, Abaco and Nassau, their first time in Grand Bahama. Hopefully, it will be a little bit of a much-needed boost for Grand Bahama as well and the waters there are ideal for races like this.“
If Dunkley is hoping for an economic boost for the country’s second city, Daniel Gibson and Paul de Souza have other hopes. Gibson, 15, and a student at CR Walker, is the defending champion in the Blue Fleet, the championship class. De Souza, a 7th grader at St. Andrews, beat 44 boats to take first place last year in the Green Fleet, the novice class. This year he’s moving up to Blue and plans to give Gibson a fight for first place. Both will have to out-sail and outperform hopefuls like Spencer Cartwright who is taking sailing so seriously he’s studying sailing tactics.
“In sailing, it’s not just about physical strength,” says the articulate Queen’s College 7th grader. “You don’t have to be fast. You don’t have to be strong. You just have to know what you’re doing. It’s about being smart.” Cartwright says he has made a lot of good friends through the program, but he doesn’t plan to let friendship stand in the way of winning. “I came second last year and I’m not coming second again. I plan to win.” But then so does Pedro Rahming, a 10th grader at CR Walker, even though winning for him would mean leaving his best friend, defending champion Daniel Gibson, in his wake.
“That’s okay,” he says. “We’ll still be best friends.” And Pedro has Daniel to thank for getting him involved in the program that he admits has changed his life for the better. It’s certainly changed Donico Brown's life, too. Once a junior sailor just hoping to cross the finish line first or at least walk away with a few respectable seconds and thirds in a large fleet, today he’s a sailing instructor, paid by the organization made up mostly of volunteers and sponsored in part by the Ministry of Tourism, Rotary, RBC, KFC, Oddysey, Diane Phillips & Associates and private donors. Brown's had the opportunity to sail internationally in larger boats and in 2009 represented The Bahamas in Brazil.
“I started in an Opti, just like these kids,” he says, sweeping his hand across a bustling parking lot at the Nassau Yacht Club where the youngsters have gathered after a day’s practice. “The first day out, I capsized and that’s when I knew I loved it.” Someday, he hopes to get his captain’s license and helm a fast ferry. For now, he’ll be coach, counselor and sailing instructor for a fleet of hopefuls, including his younger brother, all battling for the national Optimist sailing championship title. The Bahamas Sailing Association Junior Sailing Program is sponsored in part by the Ministry of Tourism, Rotary, RBC, KFC, Oddysey, Diane Phillips & Associates and private donors.
DANIEL TO DEFEND -- Daniel Gibson, a 15-year-old student at CR Walker, will be out to defend his title as national champion in the Optimist class when the 2011 Opti Nationals are held in Grand Bahama this weekend. Nearly 80 boats from around The Bahamas and the Cayman Islands are expected to participate.
Movin' on up -- Paul de Souza, a 7th grader at St. Andrews, beat 44 boats to take first place in the Blue Fleet in the 2010 Optimist Nationals in 2010. This weekend he'll sail for the title in the championship class when the national championship is held in Grand Bahama. Paul is so pumped up about sailing that he works out twice a week in the gym to build muscle, stamina and strength.
ROUNDING THE MARK -- Sailors round the mark and head downwind in last year's Opti Nationals in Montagu Bay. This year's national championship is set for Grand Bahama October 1-2 with some 78 competitors in two classes, championship and beginner. The young sailors are part of The Bahamas Sailing Association Junior Sailing Program sponsored in part by the Ministry of Tourism, Rotary, RBC, KFC, Oddysey, Diane Phillips & Associates and private donors.
