Wollmann takes trials lead

Two perfect days gave the 21 optimist sailors aged between 10 and 14 a great opportunity to showcase their skills in the first series of Bermuda Optimist Dinghy Association Trials for the ‘Worlds’ in Argentina or the ‘Europeans’ in Dublin later this year. 

Nine places in total are at stake.

Royal Hamilton Amateur Dinghy Club’s Mikey
Wollmann recorded an excellent 2-1-1-2-1 on the second day to lead the standings from the impressive Campbell Patton, who enjoyed three wins from the 10 races.

The two put on a superb display of sailing over the two days.

Tayte Stefaniuk also had an excellent regatta with a first and four thirds and ended the weekend in third ahead of the ‘top girl’  Matilda Nicholls, who won race six.

Joe Arrowsmith lies in fifth after a fine effort that included seconds in the first two races. He’s one place in front of Felix Cutler, 11, who comfortably won the first race and went on to have two seconds as well.

His Royal Bermuda Yacht Club coach Thomas Herbert-Evans was quick to point out that Cutler had been sailing for only 18 months.

The first day saw Stefaniuk prove his mettle and end level in top spot with Patton, who was fresh from his successful regatta in Spain. Arrowsmith and Wollmann, both of RHADC, were up in the top seven for most of  the day followed by Nicholls.

On day two the wind stiffened, veering more to the west and once again the 16 or so knot winds in the Great Sound proved ideal.

PRO Les Crane aboard Severn got the sailors off to a prompt start as race six finished with Nicholls in first, Wollmann second and Patton third.

Wollmann then came to the fore with wins in races seven and eight, with Patton second in both.

But the pair swapped place for race nine as their duel for first intensified.

The ever-smiling Micah Thomas Raynor, 12, scored a fifth place finish with George Buckley, Adriana Penruddocke and Yannick Hillier performing well behind him.

The rain began slowly to drop from the clouds, sucking out the wind and reducing the last race to a very shifty six- knot affair in the closing stages.

Wollmann again reacted best to the new conditions and capped a great run of day-two finishes to register his fourth of the regatta.

Thomas Raynor secured an excellent but couldn’t disrupt the top of the leaderboard as the regatta ended with Wollmann top by a two from Patton, with Stefaniuk third with Nicholls, the ‘top girl, fourth.

The second part of the trials continues next month when the RBYC host the Bermuda“Spring Break” Regatta on the weekends of March 8-9 and 15-16.

The BODA would like to thank the many volunteers who made the regatta possible. 

BODA’s sailor development officer Paul Doughty said: “I would particularly like to extend our thanks to Les Crane, Allan Williams, Rene Bouchard, Jay Hooper, Pam Amaral and Thomas Penruddocke, who all gave so freely of their time this weekend. 

“The kids all had a great time, sailing was the winner.” 

Info for this article was provided by Charles Penruddocke, President of the Bermuda Optimist Dinghy Association.