Team Race Nationals (July 16-19) – Team Racing consisted of 24 teams who competed in a Swiss League format, which set teams of four against each other on a short, tight course. The sailors completed 108 races over a course of three days. The format resulted in two divisions, with Gold being the top level and Silver the second. Going into the last race, LISOT Blue led Lauderdale YC 4 by 3 points. But the race, which counted 6 points was won by Lauderdale YC 4. As a result, first place in the Gold division went to the Lauderdale YC 4 Team, made up of Wade Waddell, Liza Toppa, Alie Toppa, Christopher Williford, and Duncan Williford. The LISOT Blue Team of Alexandra DelBello, Reiner Eenkema van Dijk, Drew Gallagher, Ty Ingram, and Harry Koeppel finished in 2nd place. In 3rd place were Andy Widmeier, Justine O’Connor, Ben Kern, Ian MacDiarmid, Nic Muller, and Wiley Rogers on Team M One. The LISOT Black Team, made up of Jared Gaynes, Matthew Kaplan, Will Logue, Jack Parkin, and Sean Walsh, came in 4th place.

In the Silver division, the LISOT Red Team of Matt Logue, Florian Eenkema van Dijk, Henry Fernberger, Travis Bobley, and Russell Clarida took 1st place Benton Cove Racing Team members Tyler Fleig, Noah Kelleher, Cameron Grubb, and Olivier Grubb finished in 2nd place. The Gnarly Red team, made up of KB Knapp, Peter Sterflinger, Ceci Wollmann, Chrissie Klinger, and Jack Budhill finished 3rd. The Loot Silver Team of Alec Chicoine, Joey Diamond, Mehvish Khan, Alyson Turner, and Amy-Katherine Turner came in 4th place.

Girls Nationals (July 20) – In this part of the event, 80 very talented girl sailors competed in three races on a 1.5-mile trapezoid course. Haddon Hughes of Houston Yacht Club came in 1st place, winning the girl champion title. She was followed by Eliot Caple of Naples Sailing Center in 2nd place and KB Knapp of Cold Spring Harbor Beach Club in 3rd. Martina Sly of Coral Reef Yacht Club finished in 4th place. After the day’s racing, the girls and the other competitors got to meet Anna Tunnicliffe, 2008 Olympic Gold Medal winner, 2-time Rolex Yachtswoman of the Year and 2009 World Sailor of the Year. She gave them some valuable sailing advice and signed autographs. She also posed for photos with the girls, who got to wear her gold medal. The young sailors really enjoyed meeting Anna and asking questions about how she achieved so much in their sport.

Open Fleet Nationals (July 21-24) – For the open fleet, Day 1 and Day 2 were scheduled for qualifying races that placed the sailors into Gold, Silver, Bronze, and Pearl Fleets. This format allowed the top sailors to compete against those with similar abilities. Day 2 did not have enough wind to race, so the qualifying races only actually took place on Day 1. On Day 3, the four fleets each got in 2 races. They completed 3 races on the fourth and final day of the regatta. In Gold Fleet, Nic Muller of US Sailing Center of Martin Co. came in 1st place. Richard Schuurmans of Houston Yacht Club came in 2nd place and Harry Koeppel of Larchmont Yacht Club finished in 3rd place. In 4th place was Eliot Caple of Naples Sailing Center. Girls overall winners were Eliot Caple of Naples Sailing Center in 1st place, Haddon Hughes from Houston Yacht Club in 2nd and Alexandra DelBello of American Yacht Club

In Silver, Alie Toppa of Lauderdale Yacht Club finished in first. She was followed by Ford McCann of Texas Corinthian Yacht Club in 2nd, Audrey Giblin of Shrewsbury Sailing and Yacht Club in 3rd, and Federico Jover of Uruguay in 4th. In Bronze, Jed Londrey of Fishing Bay Yacht Club won 1st place. Sophie Sole of Houston Yacht Club came in 3rd, Jensen Mctighe of Lauderdale Yacht Club came in 4th, and Matt Logue of Riverside Yacht Club finished in 4th. In Pearl Fleet, Gantt Shiflet of Davis Island Yacht Club finished in 1st place. Jillian Ticatch of Houston Yacht Club came in 2nd, Thad Hutcheson of Texas Corinthian Yacht Club came in 3rd, and Stephen Streater of Norfolk Yacht Club came in 4th.

View results, photos, video and more now on at the event website http://optinationals2010.org

About Fishing Bay Yacht Club
Fishing Bay Yacht Club is a private non-profit sailing club located in Deltaville Virginia, on scenic Fishing Bay in the mouth of the Piankatank River. FBYC promotes the art of sailing through Junior, One Design, and Offshore Racing and Cruising. FBYC could not present an event of this magnitude without the support of the USODA Partners (including Name Partner Layline) its Local Hosts Deltaville Maritime Museum, Deltaville Boatyard, Jackson Creek Condos, Harbor House Community, Norton Yachts, Chesapeake Yacht Sales, and Christchurch School, along with generous contributions from numerous sponsors listed on the event website at http://optinationals2010.org, a state of the art site replete with more information about the event. For more information on FBYC, please visit www.fbyc.net

Download a pdf of the complete results.

Following the competitors’ meeting the wind began to die and the race committee decided to postpone on shore until steadier winds prevailed. After nearly an hour the sea breeze began to fill and the fleet was sent to the race course.

The 24 teams took turns racing each other in the round robin. For most of the day we had SSW winds from 6-8 knots across the digital-N course. Around mid-afternoon some inclement weather appeared on the horizon and the sailors were sent in after only 24 of the 36 races planned for round one.  Results will be available once a round is completed.

Racing was suspended for the rest of the day. The sailors finished their day with a debriefing session with the umpires and replenished themselves with dinner from the various food vendors on site. On Sunday the start time was moved up with the first warning scheduled for 9:30am to take advantage of the morning wind.

Notices

Several notices and changes to the sailing instructions were posted on the notice board.

Photos

Photos of the events were posted here. Highlight videos from Sailgroove will be available tomorrow. Photos from our official photographer OptiSailing.com will be up in the coming days.

Sandwiches can be picked up from 8-9 and included in the lunches will be 2 bottles of water for each competitor.d

Late in the day thunderstorms rolled through the area although the regatta site only got a couple minutes of light rain. By late in the day most of the umpires and race committee staff who were coming from out of town had made their way to Deltaville.

Not only was today the first day for the sailors to be on-sight, but it was also the first day for staff and volunteers. Everything went pretty smoothly and the volunteers did a great job getting everything going. There were a few hiccups but nothing major and everything started falling into place.

The day finished with Team Racing Race Committee meetings and Umpire meetings.

There’s no looking back now. Racing starts tomorrow!

A collection of photos of today’s activities has been posted here.

Opti Nationals LIVE on Sailgroove

Sailgroove.org is pleased to announce its planned LIVE coverage of the 2010 US Optimist Dinghy Association Layline National Championship from Fishing Bay Yacht Club in Deltaville, VA July 19-24.  Over 300 sailors will be competing in three events: Team Race Nationals (July 17-19), Girls Nationals (July 20), and Fleet Race Nationals (July 21-24.)

Download a PDF version of the Welcome Program here.

Photo Credit: US Sailing

Fishing Bay Yacht Club, Host Club for the 2010 USODA Layline National Championships, today announced that Anna Tunnicliffe, 2008 Olympic Gold Medal winner, 2-time Rolex Yachtswoman of the Year and 2009 World Sailor of the Year, will appear at the event on July 20th. Anna will present the awards for the USODA Girls National Championship which ends that day and will give a welcome address to the Open Nationals competitors. She will speak to the competitors about the level of commitment and dedication required to accomplish their sailing goals and give the kids a chance to ask questions about her sailing career.

The event, scheduled to take place from July 17 through 24, represents the pinnacle of Opti sailing in the US, and host club Fishing Bay Yacht Club is well-prepared for the expected onslaught of more than 300 talented young sailors, not to mention their parents and coaches.

Anna’s appearance is made possible by Atlantis WeatherGear, Official Apparel Provider and proud Gold Partner to the US Sailing Team AlphaGraphics. “These young sailors represent the future of our sport,” offered Atlantis Partner Bill Lynn. “We’re thrilled that Anna is willing to do this, as I don’t think there is any better role model in sailing today. The level of commitment that Anna brings to her athletic pursuit is exceeded only by the level of class that she displays both on the water and off, and as a parent, I want my kids to see that.”

According to Event Co-Chair Noel Clinard, “Anna’s presence takes our event to another level, and we appreciate the fact that the folks at Atlantis WeatherGear and Layline were able to help make her attendance possible. She is a hero to many of these kids, and we expect them to hang on her every word.”

About Atlantis WeatherGear

Atlantis WeatherGear is a leading US-based apparel company. Headquartered in Marblehead, Massachusetts, Atlantis develops high-quality, technically-advanced outerwear for the marine environment. The company is focused on the design and development of great products built for the things sailing and boating enthusiasts do on and around the water. For more information about Atlantis WeatherGear, please visit: http://www.atlantisweathergear.com.

About Fishing Bay Yacht Club

Fishing Bay Yacht Club is a private non-profit sailing club located in Deltaville Virginia, on scenic Fishing Bay in the mouth of the Piankatank River. FBYC promotes the art of sailing through Junior, One Design, and Offshore Racing and Cruising. FBYC could not present an event of this magnitude without the support of the USODA Partners (including Name Partner Layline) its Local Hosts Deltaville Maritime Museum, Deltaville Boatyard, Jackson Creek Condos, Harbor House Community, Norton Yachts, Chesapeake Yacht Sales, and Christchurch School, along with generous contributions from numerous sponsors listed on the event website at http://optinationals2010.org, a state of the art site replete with more information about the event. For more information on FBYC, please visit http://www.fbyc.net

The Notice of Race for the Team Race Championship, Girls Championship and Fleet National Championship are now available and have been posted to the website.  Additionally Registration is now open through the USODA website.

View each of the NORs by going to the Regatta Information page.