Start key in Miami regatta, says Bailey

New Royal Bermuda Yacht Club coach Nathan Bailey will help take a 10-strong team to the Orange Bowl International Youth Regatta in Miami, Florida.

Getting under way Boxing Day, the Opti and Laser sailors will compete against just under 700 other juniors in the prestigious event. 

As featured last week, The Royal Hamilton Amateur Dinghy Club’s team of six will be supplemented by US sailors.

Representing the RBYC are: Ben Smith, Chase Cooper and Christian Chin-Gurret in the lasers and Camille Chin-Gurret, Matilda and Flo Nicholls, Alice and Grace Reeves, Sebastian Kempe, Christian Ebbin and Tayte Stefaniuk in the optis.

Bailey says he is still getting to know his club’s young sailors and is at pains not to put too much pressure on his and sailing director Tom Herbert-Evans’s team.

But he believes the racing in Miami will be a good learning curve for many of them, particular of competing in large fleets.

Bailey told the Bermuda Sun: “Tayte is pretty quick if the breeze is under 15 knots, while Matilda and Camille are good all-round sailors and should do reasonably well but it’s not going to be an easy regatta for any of them with the number of competitors going.

“But it will provide us with a good chance to watch and see what they have to work on in terms of big fleet strategy, which is a totally different racing environment.

“We have two young sailors, Sebastian Kempe, 8, and Christian Ebbin 9  — they are both young but they held their own with older sailors at the Bermuda Nationals and some of the Hardy Series on a Sundays.

“If they put their minds to it, they can get up there but they’re young so it’s going to be hard to manage that for all the races.”

Bailey doesn’t want the team to be over-awed but admits the size of the fleet may take a bit of getting used to.

He said: “For some of the sailors it will be an eye-opener but for Matilda and Flo, for example, they’ve done quite a few events so for them it’s trying to consolidate what they have done this year in training and racing —and put it forward into the regatta.”

Bailey, who has replaced Sean Evans as coach at the RBYC, is relishing the chance to work in Bermuda. 

“It’s a great opportunity for me working with Tom here and to get the chance to work with them in Miami.

“We have our winter programme starting in January so hopefully this will help us see what we have to work on next year.”

Key to the upcoming regatta, he adds, will be the race start. “It’s about knowing where the middle of the start line is. If you have a good start, you can have a good race whereas if they start on the third row on the start line with 100-120 boats, it’s hard to work your way though the field and the dirty wind from the other sailors.”